And Then There Were Three: A Look At That “Other” NASCAR Title Race

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After an off week while the Cup and Truck Series traveled to Martinsville, the Nationwide Series returns to action this weekend at Texas.

And the race for the series title couldn’t be much closer than this one.

With three races to go in 2012, three drivers sit within reasonable contention for the end-of-year trophy, with the top two separated by a mere half-dozen points. Elliott Sadler, in the final year of his tenure with Richard Childress Racing, holds the lead by a slim six-point margin over defending champion, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Rookie Austin Dillon sits third, 26 points back.

Top Ten Costumes Seen At The NASCAR Halloween Party

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*10.* *Danica Patrick:* Wears a seductive costume, exposing as much skin as possible, then bumps into the person holding the candy, yells at them as if it’s their fault and then has her agent swoop in and steal it.

*9.* *Mystery Debris:* Unknown guest pretends to be invisible, then jumps out at inappropriate times, screaming to change the vibe of the party before making out with one random person just to “make their night.” (AKA Hand them the race)

Did You Notice? … How To Reconstruct A NASCAR Marriage, Money Mismanagement And Ageless Wonders

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*Did You Notice?…* The most predictable driver / crew chief failure has finally reached its miserable conclusion? Jeff Burton and Drew Blickensderfer, one of those couples destined for divorce the minute you knew they were walking down the aisle together, have finally parted ways. In Blick’s place comes the man Burton’s needed most all along, Luke Lambert, who will clearly define the future success of a 2013 program that, in Burton’s eyes at least, has become “make or break.”

The Lambert-Burton marriage, reconciled after a year apart, was one of the silliest breakups in NASCAR Sprint Cup history. OK, Jordan and Pippen they weren’t – not yet – but these two were clearly on the path towards long-term success.

Joe Gibbs’ Title House Of Horrors

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20 points down in the title Chase, entering Sunday Martinsville for Denny Hamlin was pivotal. At a place where he’d won four times, more than at any Cup track on the schedule, a fifth would put him back in the throes of title contention. With rival Jimmie Johnson just as successful, the race was a clear case of make-or-break.

So Hamlin heaved a deep breath, took the green and followed the path of so many Joe Gibbs Chase contenders before him.

5 Points to Ponder: Haloes, Half-a-Ride and an Historical Ending?

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*ONE: ESPN’s “Miracle” Grasping at Straws*

Considering Martinsville was the hardest track left on the schedule for Brad Keselowski, given both his limited experience at the speedway and the strength of fellow title contender Jimmie Johnson’s setup at the paperclip oval, there was definitely a reason to celebrate finishing sixth on Sunday. Keselowski scored his career-best result there, kept heavyweight Johnson within two points despite giving up a win this late in the Chase, and even survived a late-race gamble to stay out that nearly backfired when all but two cars opted to take tires during the final cycle of pit stops.

Having said that, ESPN’s post-race interview was certainly making Keselowski’s performance out to be a bit more…dramatic…than it was. It was called the “Miracle At Martinsville,” all because Keselowski climbed from 32nd to finish sixth.

Who’s Hot / Who’s Not in NASCAR: Martinsville / Texas Edition

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Ordinarily when drivers are eliminated from championship contention, it happens one of two ways: a sudden crash or mechanical failure takes place, ending things in the blink of an eye; or a driver gradually loses points each week based on performance, meaning the team, driver and fans are able to brace themselves for falling short.

What happened to Denny Hamlin on Sunday was like nothing I’d ever seen. It was, in a word, agonizing. A number of factors came together to make it this way. Hamlin was at his best track and knew it was an opportunity to get to Victory Lane, closing the gap on Keselowski and Johnson.

Tech Talk: Saving Gas While Going Fast in the Lone Star State

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_Jason Ratcliff has been turning wrenches for Joey Logano all season. He led Logano to his second career Cup victory along with a fourth-place finish at Daytona in July. Ratcliff has a Nationwide championship under his belt, with Kyle Busch in 2009 and 2012 marks his first full-time season as a Cup crew chief. In our latest Tech Talk, he shared with Frontstretch the advantages of having the driver run Nationwide and Cup, how EFI can and cannot help with fuel saving, the effect of sideskirt adjustments and how racy the track is at Texas._

ESPN Touts The Three-Headed Behemoth And That Isn’t Good

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Hello, race fans. Welcome back to Couch Potato Tuesday, the small corner of Frontstretch where race telecasts take center stage. This week, the Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck Series appeared at the small Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia.

*Kroger 200*

On Saturday afternoon, the Camping World Truck Series returned from another couple of weeks off to go racing. Krista Voda, who missed the last Setup due to working an NFL game for FOX, hosted the show this week.