Greg Bailey NewsChannel 36 Sports Director

I spent most of the race on Kevin Harvick's pit box. Great view and a lot of fun. I'll put that together for a story that will air on Tuesday.
Harvick's crew chief, Gil Martin, is a great guy. Very calm on the radio and he made a great call early in that race that helped a team that's seen its share of struggles.

Jimmie Johnson, crew chief Chad Knaus and Rick Hendrick tried for 30 minutes after the race to deny that the 48 team has wrapped up a 4th straight title. It wasn't very convincing.

Jimmie did his best, saying that mechanical issues can come at any time, but one reporter fired back, "That doesn't happen to you guys!" It's true. Barring an alien arrival from outer space Johnson will make more NASCAR history.

Hendrick freely admitted that his man should go down as one of the best ever. No argument here with one addition - the combination of Johnson and Knaus might be the best ever.

The weather had to take some of the blame, but the small crowd had a lot to do with the economy. The brutal effects that have hit us all are laid bare on race days. I'm hoping it will get back to what it was, but the fear is that this is the "new normal." Either way, I'm rooting for race fans to get back on their feet.

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