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Jimmie Johnson took home to trophy for the Southern 500 from Darlington, and the 200th win for the Hendricks stable.

200 wins. Now theres a lifetime achievement to be proud of. But in typical Rick Hendrick fashion, while the mile stone is great, he is already looking towards the next one.

That guys something, Johnson said about the owner. He said, `We won 200. Lets get 250.

Jimmie Johnson could not have been more proud as he beamed his trademark smile around everywhere after the race.  Johnson presented his owner with a helmet signed by the 15 drivers who ran for Hendrick since he began his operation. Thanks, buddy,  Rick Hendrick said with a smile. This will definitely be the centerpiece of the mancave.

The win brings Johnsons personal total up to 56 wins, and he is the 8th different winner out of 11 races so far this season.

Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart each did their best trying to postpone the 200th victory celebration but were simply unable to run down Johnson in the late stages of the race.

Tony Stewart did everything he could to postpone the 200th Hendrick win, but lost fuel pressure and held on for a 3rd place finish.

I was trying to postpone [No. 200] for another week by trying to get to Jimmie, but I just couldnt do it, said Tony Stewart. The closer I got to him, the tighter I got. That was one of the best runs wed had, but still I wasnt strong enough.

He had plenty of car left. He was just riding, trying to save fuel. They won it in dominating fashion. To win a 200th race, you dont want to back into it. They dominated and took it the way they should.

I think its phenomenal, especially with the competition over here getting tougher and tougher, said Stewart, who lost second position to Hamlin when his car temporarily lost fuel pressure coming to the final restart. Its getting harder and harder to win these races.

Especially for it to happen in the Southern 500 its such a historic race. Its a pretty cool milestone.

When asked how he felt about bringing home a third place finish at a track where he still has yet to mark a W in the win column, Stewart said he was happy with the way things worked out for him and his #14 Office Depot team.

You know, considering the hurdles of the day, Im pretty happy with a third-place run, Stewart said.

We kind of struggled there the first half of the race, Stewart said. We fought loose in [Turn] 1 and 2, really tight in 3 and 4. So its really hard to fix the balance of the race car when its doing two different things on two different ends.

Really proud of [crew chief] Steve Addington. He just kept throwing things at it to try to get a direction.

Its why we won a championship last year, he said. We never give up.

Johnson was a bit worried when he saw the grille of the 14 car in his rear view mirror.

I still was really nervous with the 14 behind me, Johnson said. Hes been the guy week after week that can go the distance. I was trying to pace myself off of him. It worked out.

It was fuel pressure however that, in the end, cost Stewart the position on the track and the chance to really give Jimmie a run for his money.

We ran out of fuel coming off of [Turn] 4, Stewart said. It didnt run all the way out of fuel, but it laid down enough that it didnt run a 100 percent going down into Turn 1. Once we got into 1, we got the fuel to the pickup, and we just lost our spot doing it.

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Kyle Busch edged Kasey Kahne and teammate Denny Hamlin for the Pole by a mere .003 and .004 of a second.

Kyle Busch came out of the hauler as the fastest car on the track, and he backed it up by taking the pole for todays LENOX Industrial Tools 301 from New Hampshire Motor Speedway.  After setting the pace in the first practice, Busch was the last of 44 drivers to run his qualifying lap. Edging Kasey Kahne by .003 seconds and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin by .004, Busch won the pole for todays race with a lap at 133.417 mph. It was a lucky Friday the 13th for Busch as he was the 13th driver to set the pole time and also the last.  Just happy that he kept it off the wall, Busch had this to say about his run.

I got in the throttle really early in [Turns] 3 and 4, trying to make speed and was able to finish it, Busch said. But the car slipped right at the last second when you get to that older asphalt it seems like this tire [new from Goodyear for this race] is different from the older tire, where you lose just a pinch of grip it slid out right to the cushion point, I guess youd say. But, no, theres no mark on the car, so its a good day.

Hamlin thought he lost the pole coming to the green on his first qualifying lap.

Yeah, I thought maybe I could have gotten to the green a little bit better, Hamlin said. You know your first laps going to be the money lap, so I typically run into Turn 1 really at all race tracks a little bit easier and try to make up the ground as I go.

But with qualifying as tight as it is, youve got to maximize everything to get poles, and obviously that was the difference.

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Stewart Haas Racing loves coming to Loudon.  Ryan Newman won this race in the spring with a 1 2 start and a 1 2 finish for Stewart Haas racing, then team owner Tony Stewart came back and won the fall race as the team continued to assert their dominance in New Hampshire. With Newman starting 6th and Stewart starting 10th the team is looking like they know which direction they need to go to make their way back to victory lane here in Loudon.

Were decent, I think, said Stewart, the owner-driver of the No. 14 Chevrolet. We were pretty good here for both races last year, so Im pretty excited about coming back here.

Asked why he thinks the SHR teams are so good at New Hampshire, Stewart said: I wish I knew, but it seems like where we were last year its continuing on so far even though it sounds like weve got a little bit of a different tire. Im pretty happy with it. I mean the car right off the first lap felt like it had really good balance to it. Weve just got to keep working with it and see if we can keep making it better all weekend.

Newman said he thought he had a better idea about why he and his boss are tough to contend with at New Hampshire.

I think our cars are good, theres no doubt, Newman said. I think the Hendrick engines [are strong], and everythings clicking. I like the track because I think you have to feel the tires and be on the edge.

I was thinking about it last week. I think it kind of reminds us of our old IRP [Indianapolis Raceway Park] days. This kind of drives like that kind of race track where your car is on top of the race track, and you get everything that you can. There is nothing to really make it go any faster. Its not like youre pushing the car on the banking to make it grip better. Theres none of that really to speak of here. I think just a little bit of our past, a little bit of us as far as the way we drive race cars, is what helps us here.

It was awesome for us here last year, Newman said. It was a time when Stewart was struggling a little bit, too, so to have the one-two start and one-two finish, that was awesome. Then for him to back it up for us to win the spring race, and him to win the fall race it was an amazing place for us here, for Stewart-Haas, this race track here in Loudon. Well try to do it again. There is no reason that we cant.

When asked about the 6 point penalty assessed by NASCAR for the cooling hose violation, Stewart id not even seemed concerned as he weighed it against the possibilities for this weekend.

It was a mistake on our teams part and we deserve the penalty for it, Stewart said. Luckily it was in qualifying, so it wasnt something that made us win the race. We didnt win the race because of that. Like I said, it was just a mistake on our part and weve just got to make sure we dont overlook that again.

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Greg Biffle has the pole for the Bojangles Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

It was beginning to look like an all Hendrick front row with Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne ready to lead the field to the green flag, until Greg Biffle showed up.  Jimmie Johnson had taken the provisional pole from his teammate Kasey Kahne but was worried that he had not done his best, that he had left some speed out there on the track.  That speed was found by Greg Biffle as he grabbed the pole for the Bojangles Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

This is what a race car driver looks forward to, showing up every weekend and having a really fast car to drive, said Biffle, the Sprint Cup Series leader. Theyre making me look good so far.

It was a pretty uneventful lap. The car just had a ton of grip it stuck to the race track really, really well. I felt like I was a little bit light down in Turns 1 and 2 I should have been a little bit quicker down there but I got a lot out of it in 3 and 4, so it was a great lap.

I feel that special season already. I certainly think that were going to be tough in competition all year, said Biffle.

Johnson seemed to know that more speed could be found just not who was going to find it.

Jimmie Johnson felt he left some speed out on the track. Greg Biffle found it.

I left a little speed out there and Greg certainly found it, Johnson said. It wouldve been nice to have a Hendrick front row. But it was a very productive day.

Jimmie Johnson is looking to get the 200th win for team owner Rick Hendrick this weekend.  He has help at the front with his teammate Kasey Kahne, but Kahne is also hungry for a win.  And let us not forget the 9 time fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. who has been Mr Hendricks most consistent performer all season long, and is coming into Darlington with a 6 race top 10 streak under his belt.

It certainly weighs on the team, Johnson said before Fridays practice at Darlington Raceway. Im not frustrated yet. I dont want to see opportunities slip away. I certainly want to get 200 behind us as does everyone at Hendrick Motorsports because its lingering around.

Johnson and Kahne will be starting 2nde and 3rd respectively.  Dale Jr looks to have his work cut out for him if he wants to break his streak and obtain the 200th win for his team.  Starting back in 24th Jr has not shown a lot of speed this weekend.  Running 19th in first practice and 18th in the second, the 88 car looks like it will need a lot of adjustments on the fly to get it where he wants it to be during the race.

Ryan Newman and Kyle Busch will round out the top 5 for the start of the race.

Danica Patrick makes her return to the Sprint Cup Schedule.  It seems her team owner Tony Stewart used his well known sarcastic sense of humor as he chose which track Danica would be driving at this season.  However you never really learn if you take the easy road, and Danica seems up to the challenge.  The experience she gains at the tougher tracks in the schedule should translate to better finishes at the easier tracks in the long run.

This is a tough place and everything they said about it is true, Patrick said between practices. This Lady in Black is very intimidating. Im just trying to get comfortable with what the car needs me to do where to brake, how heavy to brake and those kinds of things. Ive got my Darlington stripes, officially. Its all the way down the right side of the car. We got that one over with.

Ive got everything in my corner, I just need time. I just need to get comfortable. Its definitely not going to be an easy, breezy night. Like Tony (Stewart) said, Im probably going to hate him by the end of the weekend. Come the future, Im going to be glad for it.

Team Owner tony Stewart agrees.

She understands the value of why we picked this as one of the races, Stewart said. I think shes keeping the big picture in mind. I think shes doing a really good job of taking it all in stride, not letting her position on the time sheet get her down, realizing that the whole weekend is a learning experience and trying to just get at that time.

I want her just to run as many laps as possible. The more time she can spend on track, the more experience that shes going to get. So the good thing is, running both divisions, shes getting a ton of track time.

That may be true, but there is a huge difference between the Nationwide cars and the Cup cars when it comes right down to it.

When you get to about half-throttle in the Cup car, thats what a Nationwide car feels like,Jimmie Johnson said with a laugh. Theres a lot left from that point down in a Cup car. As far as tracks go, this track in my opinion has the highest sensation of speed over any other track we go to. And its due to it being so narrow. But it will be an eye-opening experience. Fortunately, shes been real fast in other cars so hopefully it doesnt affect her too much. But weve all looked at this race on her schedule and know its going to be tough for her. And it certainly will. This is not an easy race track to get around, but shes going to do it and well see how it goes.

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Kasey Kahne takes a celebration drink after winning the Coca~Cola 600 at Charlotte Motorspeedway

600 grueling miles in almost 90 degree heat, saving equipment until the end, making changes to keep up with the track as the sun goes down, and strategy to gain track position at just the right time. Kasey Kahne had all that working for him. Kenny Francis made all the right changes to his car and stayed ahead of the track, while Kasey took care of his car, keeping it off the wall, saving his brakes, and finding the speed he needed right at the best time to find it, in the final 25 laps.

After a rough start to the 2012 season Kahne has had a solid run for the last 6 weeks finishing top 10.  He never gave up despite the string of DNFs early on, he kept any complaints he may have had to himself, and forged on.  The end result of that patience it seems is a win at one of NASCARs marquee races.

I never doubted myself, said Kahne.  I was upset at some of the things that may have happened. I made a huge mistake at Phoenix and hit the wall there, but other than that, we were solid we were fast.

It was just a matter of getting past those [six] weeks and moving on and putting some solid races together.

I think the biggest thing for myself was just to figure out the cars, figure out how they drove, Kahne said. Its been a little bit different for me. Weve had speed. Even the last five, six races, weve been in the top 10, but not near as fast as Jimmie Johnson or a couple of those guys who have been winning races.I just knew for myself, I needed to step up. Our team is solid. Our car is solid. Mr. Hendrick gives us everything we need to win races and run up front. [Sunday] night we were able to put it all together.

Denny Hamlin did everything he could to chase down Kahne, even coming to within a second of him after the final restart, but Kahne could not be caught as he just kept pulling away right up to the checkered flag.

As the track cooled off, it freed up for us the car got better, Hamlin said. Ultimately, it gave us a shot to win. The first 10 laps of the last run, we got to them [Kahne], but we wore our front tires trying to get around them.

Everything was executed great [Sunday], the pit calls, getting on and off pit road, the pit crew themselves. We had a very, very solid day.

Greg Biffle had been the dominant car all day, leading 204 laps, and looking like the car to beat, until Kahne got by and never looked back.

Its so frustrating, Biffle said of his fourth place finish after having the events dominant car. Youre driving your heart out, youre wondering, Am I doing something wrong? Come on, come on. Youre doing all you can do, but the car wont do what you want it to do. You just take what it gives you, otherwise you wreck it. And I just about wrecked it a half a dozen times trying to get forward.

Other notable finishers were Carl Edwards who charged from the back of the field towards the front gaining more than 20 positions to finish in in the top ten in 9th place.  Dale Earnhardt Jr also did well, running in the top 15 for most of the race and climbing to as high as second on a call by his Crew Chief, Steve Latarte, to stay out on 12 lap tires when the leaders came in to the pits.  The gained track position was what he needed to stay inside the top 10 to finish in 6th place.  Good enough to stay within 18 points of the points leader Greg Biffle in 4th place overall.

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Joey Logano set the pace that 36 other drivers after him could not break. Setting a new record at Pocono that has stood since 2004.

36 different drivers were fast enough to break the record for the fastest qualifying lap at Pocono yesterday afternoon.  Kasey Kahne held the previous record of 172.533 mph at the track back in 2004, but when the 10th driver out smashed the record by a full 7 miles an hour everyone stood up and took note.  Joey Logano was the man who did it, and then waited as 36 more drivers went out to beat his time. Even though he had just broken the qualifying record for the Pocono 400 presented by #NASCAR, Joey felt as if he had left some speed out on the track when he slid it on some speedy dry through turn 1.

The track was dirty, Logano said. When I went out there and got to that trouble spot, I got loose a little bit and didnt get to the bottom as well as I wanted to. So I felt like I left a tenth and a half [of a second] or so right there, but I felt like I nailed [Turns] 2 and 3 pretty well.

I was hoping it would be in the top five, and it ended up being good enough.

Carl Edwards will start in second on the outside of row 1

Carl Edwards will start on the outside of row one in second place.  He was asked about his feelings about the speed out there on the track.  The day had started overcast and cloudy and finished in the sunshine, and most thought that the speeds would have improved throughout the afternoon.  Edwards was at a loss for an explanation.

I think its really hard to determine what makes this track faster right now, Edwards said. I dont know if being a little warmer makes it faster. I thought, as we went on and that speedy-dry and the groove got cleaned off, that people would go a lot faster, so its a surprise to me.

Paul Menard will be starting in the 3rd spot and the Joe Gibbs teammates of Logano round out the top 5 with Kyle Busch in 4th and Denny Hamlin in 5th.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who is having his best season in points in the past 10 years qualified in 8th after having the 3rd fastest car in first practice.  His speeds had fallen off in the second practice but when push came to shove he went out and left everything on the track with a speed of 177.939 MPH.

Tony Stewart sounded up beat about his chances despite a 22nd place qualifying effort.

Tony Stewart, NASCARs current reigning Sprint Cup Champion has had some troubles on the track after getting off to his best season start ever.  Winning 2 of the first 6 races Stewart has been inconsistent since then.  His results in practice had him sounding up beat despite his 22nd place qualifying effort.

Yeah, not bad so far, he said after his No. 14 Chevrolet was eighth of 44 race cars. We didnt do any qualifying runs [in testing Thursday], so Im pretty happy with the way that the day started here. I think our race pace is fairly reasonable. Were still trying to figure out things to do to keep it good for a long run. But for the most part, were pretty happy with it so far.

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