NASCAR Sprint Cup: 8 Important Lessons Learned at Kansas

Only six rounds remain in the chamber before we know which of the Chase drivers with a shot at the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship captures the title in 2011.

With four of the ten races in the Chase now being history, it has been all about points, fuel mileage and strategy.

The Kansas Speedway has unique traits compared to the other 1.5-mile tracks in the Chase. Its lack of banking and tar-filled seams presented issues that required teams to fight for grip and balance with their car setups.

Those who will be the strongest contenders for this year's title are beginning to unfold, but with the tight point swings it may easily come down to the last lap at Homestead-Miami to determine the champ.

The Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas continued to show just how much pressure is on the drivers in the Chase and how amazingly close the competition is.

Non-Chase drivers continue to have a role in how the season of racing will play out. They are racing hard with nothing to lose as they attempt to steal wins and top finishes from the Chase contenders.

Let's take a look at some of the lessons we learned from the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Kansas Speedway.

1. Just Maybe Jimmie Johnson Does Deserve No. 6

Five-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson got his second win of the season at Kansas Speedway. It was his 55th career win and it came 21 races after his last win.

Johnson didn't get any lucky breaks with this win. The fact is he was challenged with several restarts that cut his dominant lead that was at one time as much as 10 seconds.

The Lowe's team performed flawlessly with a fast car, perfect execution of pit stops and great pit calls by his crew chief, Chad Knaus.

Johnson led 197 laps in the Hollywood Casino 400 and moved up two more slots to third in the point standings, four markers behind the leader.

The doubters made their predictions, but it looks like the driver of the No. 48 is back in championship form. The 1.5-mile tracks coming up in the Chase are tracks that Johnson performs well on.

The Talladega race was won by Johnson earlier this year, so he may do well on the high banks in Alabama.

There are no guarantees and certainly he has drivers hot to take him out of contention for that sixth title, but if he performs at the remaining Chase races like he did in Kansas, that sixth title just might be his.

2. Carl Edwards May Be Strongest Threat to Jimmie Johnson

Carl Edwards, the driver of the No. 99 Aflac Ford, started on the front row but quickly dropped back with a car that was tight center and loose off with no speed and little grip.

Edwards had a car that was pretty much a 15th to 20th place car throughout the race. His team tried most everything to make it competitive, but he looked to be headed for a poor finish.

Even having the Governor of Missouri, Jay Nixon, on his pit box couldn't pardon his poor handling problems.

In what seemed like divine intervention with the final pit stops, the team salvaged what would have been a tough drop in the points.

Edwards finished in fifth position and is now the points leader. In the post-race interview on ESPN, Edwards told the pit reporter, "I feel like I won."

This Roush Fenway Racing team has been consistently strong and they certainly appear capable of getting an ill-handling car in contention for wins which is crucial in the run for the title.

It just may be Edwards is the biggest challenge Jimmie Johnson will face in the Chase.

3. Tony Stewart Was Better Than He Finished

Owner/driver Tony Stewart started 23rd in the Hollywood Casino 400 but quickly found the somewhat flat, hot, slick, rough track to his liking and moved to the lead pack where he remained most of the race.

Some restarts were poor and then the driver of the No. 14 made matters worse in a pit stop that saw him slide through the pit box. His crew pushed him back in place, but the mistake was costly.

His crew mounted four tires when others took two or none which put a serious damper on any chance he had to return to the front-running pack.

Stewart took full blame and apologized to his team with the explanation that he hit the accelerator and the brake when he came into the pit box.

The Chase contender finished in the 15th slot and dropped four places in the standings to seventh, 19 markers out of the lead.

4. Future RCR Cup Driver Does Well with Debut

Austin Dillon, the grandson of Richard Childress, made his NASCAR Sprint Cup debut at Kansas Speedway.

He qualified the No. 98 Mike Curb Chevrolet in the 26th position. He stayed out of trouble, kept the car clean and finished in the same position that he started.

Dillon's run in the Hollywood Casino 400 was more for seat time than anything. There is little doubt he will be on the fast track to the Cup series.

With RCR equipment, Dillon has the maturity to become a contender and should be able to handle the pressure that goes with it.

5. How Fast Things Can Change

Kurt Busch, driver of the Penske Pennzoil/Shell Dodge, won the third race of the Chase at Dover then came to the fourth race at Kansas and had every reason to gripe about his poor handling car.

Busch qualified 17th and by lap 31 he asked his crew over the radio to get the "banana peels" off of his tires as he struggled with his ill-handling car.

The driver of the No. 22 never ran up front and finished in 13th place. He dropped two slots to sixth in the standings, 16 markers out of the lead.

6. Non-Chase Drivers Are Still a Factor

Kasey Kahne only has six more races as a driver for Red Bull Racing before he joins Hendrick Motorsports in the 2012 season behind the wheel of the No. 5.

Kahne overcame a penalty and being down a lap even though he started fifth at Kansas. Under the guidance of his crew chief, Kenny Francis, who will join him at HMS, he fought his way to the lead pack.

On the green-white-checker restart, Kahne was hot on the tail of leader Jimmie Johnson. The five-time champ was untouchable and the driver of the No. 4 finished second.

Non-Chase driver, Greg Biffle, started on the pole. Besides Kahne, three other drivers started in the top 10 with the Chase drivers. They were Paul Menard, Martin Truex Jr. and Mark Martin.

Along with Kahne, four other drivers finished in the top 10 along with the Chase drivers. The group included Clint Bowyer, Biffle, Marcos Ambrose and Martin.

Kahne has been running strong and would really like to get a win for RBR before his departure, and he very much looks to be on the verge of a win.

7. Chase Hopes Can Go Up in Smoke

Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, looked to be on a run for his fifth NASCAR Sprint Cup championship at the beginning of the Chase.

Heading to Kansas, Gordon had dropped to ninth in the point standings which made a strong run in the Hollywood Casino 400 imperative.

Gordon started the race in 10th place, ran pretty strong, but towards the end of the race with 27 laps to go, the driver relayed over the radio that there was smoke under his hood.

With 11 laps to go the car was trailing smoke and with three laps remaining his engine detonated and brought out a caution.

Gordon had led two laps but ended the race in 34th place. The devastating finish caused a hit in points that dropped him one slot to 10th in the points, but he is now 47 markers out of the lead.

There is a good chance Gordon's hopes for a fifth Cup title went up in smoke with his engine at Kansas.

8. The Chase Is a Very Good Thing for NASCAR

The change announced by NASCAR for the 2011 season to have a playoff scenario with wild card slots and a simpler points calculation didn't sound like that big of deal at the time.

What a big deal it has turned out to be with the 10-week Chase being a roller coaster ride for the drivers who battle in the closest competition we have seen since the Chase was implemented.

Each position is critical with the one valuable point that goes with it. The top eight drivers are separated by only 20 points heading to the fifth race of the Chase at Charlotte.

Those who are critical of the Chase concept may still believe the driver with the most wins and best finishes in a 36-week season should win the title.

The Chase under the rules for the 2011 season have added excitement and drama that will likely continue until the final lap at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

This year's Chase is by far the best ever, so nice going NASCAR.