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Jimmie Johnson won his fifth Cup race in '08; Denny Hamlin won his fourth in the Nationwide Series.

Johnson, Hamlin beat out home-track favs at Kansas

By NASCAR.COM
September 29, 2008
02:30 PM EDT

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A recap of an exciting weekend at Kansas Speedway:

Figuratively speaking

35.0 -- Kyle Busch's average finish in the past three races (28th, 43rd, 34th), his poorest three-race stretch since his average finish was 36.3 in races 22-24 in 2005.

Cup Series

Pit Crew of the Week

No 48. Chevrolet: Who else? Crew chief Chad Knaus called for a two-tire stop and air-pressure adjustment on Lap 200 and the 48 car was first out of the pits, marking a 12-spot improvement. Jimmie Johnson led his first laps of the race and from there coasted to the title.

Tip of the Week

Radiators are often ignored. Yet keeping engines cool and running in the right temperature range is critical to taking the heat off your engine.

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Race
Lineup | Results | Standings | Central

• Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edward staged a classic in the third race of the Chase. Edwards closed in on Johnson during the final laps and caught the 48 on the final two turns of the last lap for the pass. But in so doing, Edwards, of nearby Missouri, went up the track and hit the wall, and that allowed Johnson to regain the lead and win the race. Johnson also took a 10-point lead over Edwards in the Chase. Greg Biffle, vying to win three in a row, passed Jeff Gordon on the final turn to finish third.
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Qualifying
• Juan Montoya posted the fastest speed (172.150 mph) but his pole-winning time (31.368 seconds) was disallowed because of a violation. That gave the pole to Jimmie Johnson, who turned a lap of 172.007 mph (31.394 seconds).
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Also check out ...
• Caraviello: Kansas about chase within Chase
• Gordon's effort epitomizes how strong Chase is
• Gibbs team blazes trail of bad luck at Kansas
• Future in limbo, Allmendinger has career race
• Montoya, team unlikely to face added penalties
• Cross' Words: Edwards makes statement

Nationwide Series

Race
Lineup | Results | Standings | Central

• Denny Hamlin became the eighth different winner in eight races at Kansas, but the first lap-leader to win there. Hamlin led 99 of the 200 laps, all in the final 107 laps of the race. Hamlin's victory in Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 18 Toyota secured the manufacturer championship for the make. Kansas native Clint Bowyer increased his points lead with a second-place finish.
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Qualifying
• Kevin Harvick was the only driver to top 172 mph and won his first pole as driver of his own car, the No. 33 Chevrolet. Denny Hamlin started 19th.

Survey says ...

Following Jimmie Johnson's victory at Kansas where he took the lead in the pits and regained it on the final stretch of the final lap after Carl Edwards hit the wall, NASCAR.COM asked: Why does Jimmie Johnson always seem to win close races?

Answer	Votes	Pct.

Best driver in NASCAR	1,906	5%
Best team in NASCAR	13,954	36%
Luckiest driver in NASCAR	10,450	27%
All of the above	12,547	32%

Off the Marx

Bill Marx of the Sporting News Wire Service weighs in with his top 10:

Pos.	Driver	Need to know ...

1a.	Jimmie Johnson	Five consecutive top-fives, including three wins.
1b.	Greg Biffle	His average finish in the Chase plummets from 1.0 to 1.7.
1c.	Carl Edwards	Gives "hitting the wall" new meaning.
4.	Kevin Harvick	Ninth consecutive top-10 gives him 15 for the year, tying last year's total.
5.	Jeff Burton	Another top-10 has Burton lurking in fourth, 121 back.
6.	Jeff Gordon	Moves up two spots in points to sixth with fourth-place finish.
7.	Matt Kenseth	Gets second consecutive top-five with a resilient effort.
8.	Clint Bowyer	Mental mistakes cost Bowyer dearly. He should have done much better than the third 12th-place finish in four races he picked up Sunday.
9.	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Don't count me out, Junior says.
10.	A.J. Allmendinger	Talk about finishing like a pro. Allmendinger is our "Non-Chaser of the Week" for posting a career-best ninth in his final Red Bull ride. It would have been so cool if he had won.