The NASCAR season is now 26 weeks with a 10 week playoff at the end. Teams will have different priorities for the season. The Elite teams are vying for the top 12 in order to be in the Chase for the Championships. All teams are battling for the top 35 to guarantee their position in the race each week. So far Toyota has faired much better than their initial year in 2007. The addition of Joe Gibbs to Toyota has already paid off for the manufacturer. There is also the Rookie of the year competition. The competition for Rookie of the year is more interesting with the addition of the open wheel drivers.

At this point of the season, for Junior it is all about securing a position in the top 12. I am very please that Junior moved up to 10th place in the standing after his second place finish at Vegas. If Carl Edwards is penalized 25 point, as the other drivers who had the same violation at Daytona is will drop to second but will not have any affect on Juniors position. After the disastrous week at the California track Junior Nation should be breathing a big sigh of relief with his finish yesterday.