Key developments as the smoke clears in Bristol

Kyle Busch (18) was in command at Bristol until Carl Edwards (99) nudged him into trouble and turbocharged their rivalry. Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Five things we learned this past weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway:

1. Carl Edwards is now the title favorite.

Let's get this out of the way at the start: Saturday night's race was easily the best of the season, maybe of the last two seasons. The duel between Edwards and Kyle Busch over the final 200 laps was as riveting as it gets in NASCAR. The two are clearly at the top of the sport right now -- no one else is in their zip code -- and they'll likely be nose-to-tail with each other all the way to the way to the season finale in Homestead.

On Saturday night, Edwards got the best of Busch. Running second in the closing laps, Edwards nudged into the back of Busch's Toyota as the two entered a turn. This caused Busch to get loose (the back of his car slid up the track), momentarily ease off the throttle and give Edwards all the opening that he needed. Edwards blew past Busch and was able to drive away from him once he got into clean, undisturbed air. It was Edwards' second straight win, and in my book he's now passed Busch to become the championship favorite.

The bump pass didn't sit well with Busch. After Edwards took the checkers, Busch slammed his car into Edwards' Ford. Then Edwards responded by driving into Busch's Toyota and spinning him. I've spent a lot of time with both of these drivers, and they genuinely don't like each. Expect more fireworks from the two once the Chase starts in three weeks.

2. Kasey Kahne had a rough night -- all because of a spotter's mistake.

If you ever wanted to know how important spotters are in NASCAR, check out what happened to Kahne on Saturday. Heading into the race, Kahne was 11th in the standings and squarely on the playoff bubbble. He appeared headed for a solid 10th-place finish when, just about midway through the race, he got caught up in a wreck that wasn't even triggered by anyone on the track.

Casey Mears was ahead of Kahne when Mears' spotter told him that he was "clear" and could move up to the high line. When Mears did, the rear of his No. 5 Chevy was clipped by Michael Waltrip's Toyota, which caused Mears to lose control and start a multi-car wreck. Kahne had nowhere to go and barreled into the carnage, which ended his night. He finished 40th and is now in 14th in the points with two races remaining in NASCAR's regular season.

I chatted with Kahne before the race and he's definitely longing to run like he did in 2006, when he won six races. "It's not like I've become a worse driver," said Kahne, who only has one victory this season. "We're just struggling to figure out this new car."

Even though Kahne is 66 points behind 12th-place David Ragan, I still like his chances to make the Chase. The next two tracks on the schedule, after all, are two of his best. He won the fall race at Fontana two years ago and he's finished in the top 10 at Richmond in five of his last seven starts at the .75-mile track.

3. Joey Logano will take over Tony Stewart's car next season.

On Monday, Joe Gibbs Racing made it official as the team held a press conference to introduce the 18-year-old Logano as Stewart's heir apparent in the 20 car. As I wrote a few weeks ago in this space, Logano should be a shoo-in to win rookie of the year honors in '08. Even though he's never made a start in the Cup series -- his debut will come on Sept. 6th at Richmond -- Logano has probably turned more laps in the CoT than any other Cup series driver this season. He's been JGR's primary test driver this year, and he's shown enough promise in the test sessions to convince Gibbs to elevate him into Stewart's seat.

The key for Logano next season will be how he deals with the myriad demands placed on drivers in the Cup series. On Friday, I talked to a veteran driver who believes this is too much, too soon for the teenage Logano.

"I hope he's prepared for the craziness that he's about to confront, because all of the sudden there are going to be about 100 people who will want something from him everyday," the veteran said. "He'll be told how great it is by everyone, and if that goes to his head, he'll really struggle. I know he's a great talent, but that doesn't mean he's ready for the most elite series of racing in the United States. I mean, come on, he's only 18! If I was handed a top ride at that age, and he's definitely getting one, I promise you I would have pissed it away because my head would have swelled so much. I hope he makes it, but I really believe he could use another season in the Nationwide Series."

Will Logano flourish next season? Everyone I've talked to in the Gibbs organization believes with a religious zeal that he will. Stay tuned.

4. Casey Mears will drive for RCR in 2008.

On Saturday, owner Richard Childress finally announced what has been known for two weeks in the Cup garage: Mears will join his team next season as RCR's fourth driver. In Mears, Childress is getting serviceable (one win in 204 Cup starts and no career Chase appearances), sponsor-friendly driver who is well liked in the garage. Mears won't contend for championships, but he'll be a good teammate to Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick. He won't make enemies on the track and he'll perhaps contend for victories at restrictor-plate tracks, which is where he tends to shine and where RCR Chevys usually perform well.

The bigger story here is that Childress was able to secure a sponsorship to underwrite a fourth team. Even though the economy is struggling, General Mills will be backing the No. 33 Chevy next season, which will be driven by Bowyer. (Mears will take over Bowyer's No. 07 Jack Daniel's car.) It costs in the neighborhood of $25 million to sponsor a car, and up and down the garage you hear owners complaining how hard it is to attract sponsors in this difficult economic time. So this must be considered a big victory for Childress.

No, Mears won't suddenly turn into Jimmie Johnson or Carl Edwards at RCR, but by adding a fourth team to his stable, Childress is increasing the resources and brainpower of his operation -- two things that translate into speed on Sundays. Soon, probably within two years, all of the top teams will be following the four-driver model established in the mid-1990s by Hendrick Motorsports and Roush Racing. (Roush currently has five teams under its roof, but will be forced to drop one by the end of the 2010 season to meet NASCAR's four-drivers-per- organization limit, which goes into effect in '11.)

Can RCR join NASCAR's ruling class, stand alongside the likes of Hendrick, Roush and Gibbs, and seriously contend for championships year in and year out? That remains to be seen, but the organization clearly has taken a big step forward by adding this fourth team.

5. Jeff Gordon got just what he needed -- a solid run.

A week after finishing 42nd at Michigan, Gordon was hoping to generate some momentum at Bristol, which has traditionally been one of his best tracks. Well, mission accomplished. He came in fifth and is now ninth in the standings. Barring a collapse over the next two weeks, he'll make the Chase.

You've got to give this team credit: Even though they've yet to win a race and have been nowhere near as dominant as they were last year, the 24 team is testing its tail off in trying to find speed. So far in '08 they've had 22 test sessions, which is 12 more than they had all of last year. Could Gordon come out of nowhere to be the surprise of the Chase? With the near bottomless resources of Hendrick Motorsports behind him, don't count Gordon out yet.