Bill Fleischman: NASCAR getting just what it wanted in closest Chase ever

THREE RACES to go in the Chase and three drivers are still thinking championship. A mere 38 points separate leader Jimmie Johnson from Kevin Harvick in third place.

The closest Chase ever is giving NASCAR exactly what it wants in the 10-race playoff: compelling, high-speed drama on wheels, with enormous pressure on the drivers, crew chiefs and pit crews.

Enhancing the Chase is the fact that the top three drivers represent different teams: Johnson is with Hendrick Motorsports; Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing; and Harvick, Richard Childress Racing.

Clint Bowyer, Harvick's teammate, stresses this is a positive sign for a racing series that has been dominated by Johnson's reign the past 4 years.

"It speaks volumes to the competition and the quality of racing," Bowyer, the 12th-place Chaser, said on a Tuesday conference call. "There's a lot of talk [about] changing the Chase in the future. The reason it hasn't been very good [previously] is the sheer dominance of one race team [Johnson's].

"The competition has caught up to them. I truly believe there would be more than just three cars [pursuing the title] if it wasn't for some bad luck on some other teams. I think you'd have five or six cars in the championship battle."

Bowyer knows about bad luck. After winning the Chase opener at New Hampshire, he was penalized 150 points when his Chevrolet was found in violation of NASCAR rules during a postrace inspection. Faster than you can say, "Whatever happened to Buckshot Jones," Bowyer plummeted from second in the Chase to 12th and last.

After winning at Talladega on Sunday, Bowyer now has two victories, most by a Chaser. He is only six points behind No. 11 Greg Biffle. Since he trails ninth-place Chaser Kurt Busch by only 17 points, Bowyer could finish ninth or even eighth in the Chase.

"I think we can win another race. We're running good," he said. "Ever since the penalty, it's been a pretty rocky road and, truthfully, not much to look forward to. You lose your crew chief, your mojo, your pit crew; everything [came] tumbling down. To win a race pepped things back up and got things back in the right direction."

Shane Wilson, Bowyer's crew chief, returns Sunday in Texas following his suspension after New Hampshire. Two races ago, Childress reassigned Bowyer's pit crew to Harvick.

MISSING JIM HUNTER

Jim Hunter was one of those unique people who was a friend to almost everyone he met.

Hunter, NASCAR's vice president of corporate communications, died Friday at age 71 after a yearlong battle with cancer.

A former University of South Carolina football player, Hunter began his working career as a sports writer. He became a track public relations director, then Darlington Raceway president and later a NASCAR vice president. Hunter was a close associate of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. and Bill Jr.

Tom Higgins, a longtime Charlotte Observer motorsports writer, tells the tale of Hunter driving racer David Pearson from Georgia to Tennessee for an appearance. Pearson was asleep in the back seat when a highway patrolman stopped Hunter for speeding. When Pearson realized what was happening, he said, "Thank God you stopped us, officer. I've been trying to get this fool to slow down for the last 100 miles."

After recovering from the shock of Pearson's statement, Hunter talked his way out of the ticket.

Hunter was a friend and adviser to generations of NASCAR drivers.

"When it comes to my NASCAR career, one of my biggest influences was Jim Hunter," driver Tony Stewart said in a statement.

"Understanding all the things that come with being a driver in the Sprint Cup series can be overwhelming . . . Jim . . . helped me understand why things were the way they were and how I could better handle situations. Knowing that his knowledge and experience will no longer be available to other young drivers is proof that Jim is irreplaceable."

GATEWAY CLOSING

Dover Motorsports Inc. announced yesterday that it was "ceasing all operations" at Gateway International Raceway. Dover previously said it would not run any NASCAR events next year at the track, located in Madison, Ill., not far across the Mississippi from St. Louis.

"Gateway is a tremendous facility in a great racing community," said Denis McGlynn, president and CEO of Dover Motorsports. "But we are simply unable to operate it with an acceptable return."

This year, Gateway hosted Nationwide and Camping World Truck series. *

THIS WEEK'S RACE

AAA Texas 500

Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas

When: 3 p.m.

TV/Radio: ESPN/WNPV (1440-AM), WDSD (94.7-FM)

Race course: 1.5-mile oval

Race distance: 334 laps/501 miles

2009 winner: Kurt Busch

2009 polesitter: Jeff Gordon

Track qualifying record: Brian Vickers, 196.235 mph (Nov. 3, 2006)

Forecast: sunny, 72 degrees

Track facts: Last year's Texas race was the Busch brothers show: Kurt passed Kyle with three laps to go for the win. Kurt led 89 laps; Kyle led 232. Denny Hamlin finished second, Matt Kenseth was third . . . Hamlin won this year's spring race at Texas . . . Carl Edwards (three) has the most wins at Texas. Jeff Burton is a two-time winner at the track . . . Jeff Gordon last won at Texas in April 2009 . . . Martin Truex Jr.'s sixth place at Talladega was his best finish since an eighth at Michigan in August. Truex is 20th in points.

Wins: Denny Hamlin, 7; Jimmie Johnson, 6; Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Jamie McMurray, 3 each; Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle, Tony Stewart, Clint Bowyer, 2 each; Ryan Newman, David Reutimann, Juan Pablo Montoya, 1 each.

SPRINT CUP STANDINGS (Through 33 of 36 races)

1. Jimmie Johnson 6149

2. Denny Hamlin 6135

3. Kevin Harvick 6111

4. Jeff Gordon 5942

5. Kyle Busch 5919

6. Carl Edwards 5902

7. Tony Stewart 5832

8. Matt Kenseth 5825

9. Kurt Busch 5799

10. Jeff Burton 5797

11. Greg Biffle 5788

12. Clint Bowyer 5782

THE REMAINING RACES

Sunday, Nov. 14: Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500, Avondale, Ariz. (3 p.m., ESPN; 2009 winner: Jimmie Johnson)

Sunday, Nov. 21: Ford 400, Homestead, Fla. (1 p.m., ESPN; 209 winner: Denny Hamlin)