Carl Edwards is the man! His dive-low, slide-high, grind-the-wall driving on the final lap at Kansas was as much excitement as any race fan could hope for -- especially since both Edwards and race winner Jimmie Johnson had so much on the line.

Certainly Edwards showed enough brains, courage and heart to make the Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion and Tin Man proud.



In my personal pantheon of today's great drivers, Edwards has supplanted Kurt Busch in the top five: Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Ryan Newman, Johnson, Edwards. Certainly Edwards is proving there's much more than just a Men's Health body inside that firesuit. He's a racecar driver in the throwback vein, which may be the highest compliment you can give these guys.

Also give credit to Johnson for realizing that Edwards' dash to the bottom of the track most likely was not going to stick en route to the stripe. Johnson deftly allowed Edwards enough room to hang himself, while still maintaining a racing line that allowed Johnson to move in for the kill during the final few hundred yards.

Edwards may have lost the battle on Sunday, but he may -- granted, there are seven races remaining -- have won the war. For the second week in a row, Edwards dodged a bullet; at Dover he avoided major damage during a spin by Patrick Carpentier, and on Sunday the runner-up finish could have been much worse if not for sheer will and determination to keep the car against the wall at full throttle.

And also for the second week in a row, the end of the race was stellar ... if anyone awoke from their early race-induced coma to see the fight to the finish. Is it just me or has Cup racing become like the NBA: the final five minutes is all you need to see?

Maybe the boob-tube brass will consider tossing in a driver vignette here and there to break up the monotony of single-file racing (not to mention American Idol / The Closer / Monday Night Football promos, depending on the network). Maybe tell the backstory of a crew chief. Maybe follow an owner as he wheels and deals for sponsor dollars. Just do something to keep fans awake ...

• Breaking News: Jeff Burton had another top-10 finish!

• RCR teammate Kevin Harvick also had another top-10, his ninth in a row and 15th overall (matching his 2007 total).

• And wouldn't you know it: Clint Bowyer finished 12th -- his third 12th-place finish in the past four races.

• A lot of fans call Jeff Gordon a lot of things, but you cannot question the man's internal fortitude after his gutsy, 400-mile, hot-as-Hades afternoon. We'll see if he's up to snuff for his Today show appearance on Thursday morning.

• Are we certain Roush Fenway isn't part of a secret government task force with the mission of evolving stealth technology? Is there any other way to explain Matt Kenseth's fifth-place finish and 1.476 nanoseconds of TV time (and that's while leading 49 laps)?

• Can someone remind Casey Mears that three top-15 finishes in the past four races in not living up to his reputation?

• Some of the unwashed may ask, "Where the hell did that come from, Elliott Sadler?" If you've been paying attention, since Loudon in June, ESad has been posting top-10 finishes every third race (except for Richmond, which was very forgettable).

• If second place is the first loser, what does that say for Joe Gibbs Racing? Its drivers are currently 10th, 11th and 12th in the 12-driver Chase. This is what it says: Lady Luck is a beyotch.

• Hey, A.J. Allmendinger -- thanks for not laying down like a rug. That ninth-place run was huge for my fantasy team! (And, on a lesser note, it probably will go a long way toward showing someone you're a class act and worthy of a ride.)

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