Chip Ganassi Racing announced Tuesday that former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya will make his NASCAR debut at the Sam’s Town 250 at Memphis Motorsports Park on Oct. 28.

Montoya, the 2000 Indianapolis 500 champ who hails from Colombia, tested at the MMP track last week in preparation for the event. He’s made two starts in the ARCA series finishing third and 24th.

What does Mark Martin have to do to appease the racing gods and win a Cup championship?

Winners: Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. got the top-five finishes they thought they were going to get at Talladega. A nice rebound from their Alabama disappointment.

Losers: Take your pick of Martin, Jeff Gordon or Denny Hamlin. All three had terrible nights a Charlotte.

Dodged a bullet: Jeff Burton. He didn’t get into trouble and he extended his points lead. All in all at good day at the track.

Race No. 5 of the NASCAR Chase for the Nextel Cup heads to Charlotte this weekend here are some things to watch for:

Who’s hot: After escaping Talladega with his car intact, Mark Martin is 10 points behind leader Jeff Burton and looking strong. Roush Racing cars have traditionally performed well at Charlotte, so don’t be surprised to see Martin in victory lane this weekend.

Who’s not: After two straight weeks finishing outside the top 10, Denny Hamlin needs a strong run this week. Last week, he did gain points on Burton, but he dropped three spots in the standings, however. Hamlin could really use a solid finish if just to keep team confidence high.
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Do you think Brian Vickers will get a Christmas card from Jimmie Johnson this year? Lump of coal? How about a big clod of Alabama clay?

Winners: Despite doomed predictions to the contrary, Mark Martin did not wreck at Talladega. He stayed in third, but closed to within 10 points of the lead. Pair that with Martin’s 2007 ride being resolved and that’s a lot off of Martin’s shoulders. He’ll be interesting to watch over the next couple of weeks.

Losers: Thanks to a nudge from Vickers, Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. went from being back into the points race to finding themselves close to the base of the mountain. Lucky for Johnson and Earnhardt were wiped out on the last lap, any earlier and they would have really lost some points.

Dodged a bullet: Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick managed to dodge trouble and close on points leader Jeff Burton.

Race No. 4 of the NASCAR Chase for the Nextel Cup heads to Talladega this weekend here are some things to watch for:

Who’s hot: Points leader Jeff Burton extended his lead last week by running well and ending at the top of the deck during the late race shuffle for gas. Burton finished fourth in the spring race at Talladega.

Who’s not: All three Hendrick Motorsports drivers. Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch got caught speeding on pit road, while Jeff Gordon’s fuel pump gave out. The cars ran well but lately the only luck running through the Hendrick garage has been all bad.
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The last minute dash for gas (or not if you’re Tony Stewart) really shook things up in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

Winners: With a fifth place finish, Jeff Burton extended his points lead. He’ll breathe easier when he heads to Talladega with a 69-point cushion. Mark Martin took a car that was awful and piloted it to a third place finish. Martin is now third in the points, too.

Losers: You can take your pick of the guys from Hendrick Motorsports. Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch had three of the strongest cars on the Kansas track, but history will forget that. What it will remeber is that Johnson led the most laps in the race but wound up in 14th place after getting nailed for speeding on pit road. Busch finished seventh, but also got clipped with a speeding penalty, which deflated a prime opportunity to get a major points gain. Gordon had the worst day of the trio. He was running strong late in the race when his fuel pump gave out — a potential top-five day turned into a 39th place finish. All three Hendrick cars are now more than 100 points behind Burton.

Dodged a bullet: Not a lot went right for Denny Hamlin this weekend, but in the end it all worked out OK. The rookie spun, got caught speeding on pit road and finished outside the top 15 for the first time since Daytona in July. But the news wasn’t all bad. He did move into second place in the series standings. He’s 69 points behind Burton.

Race No. 3 of the NASCAR Chase for the Nextel Cup heads to Kansas this weekend here are some things to watch for:

Who’s hot: Despite running out of gas last in last week’s race, Matt Kenseth has still finished in the top 10 in seven of the last eight races. Denny Hamlin lost two spots in the standings, but still gained points from the week before with his ninth top 10 finish in the last 10 races. Jeff Gordon has quietly come alive with five top five finishes in the last six races.

Who’s not: Kyle Busch holds that honor. He’s started the Chase horribly and needs to get hot real fast if he wants to contend for this title. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has yet to make a splash. He’s got two mediocre finishes and is yet to lead a lap in the Chase.
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