POSTRACE RAIL: Crown Royal Presents the Jim Stewart 400

The winner and how he did it: Clint Bowyer inherited the victory when Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. tangled while racing for the victory in a race that stretched 10 laps past the scheduled distance.

The non-winner and how he didn't do it: Denny Hamlin led a record 381 laps and utterly dominated the race until a leaky tire doomed his bid at winning at his hometown track.

Mr. Popularity: Kyle Busch doesn't enjoy being a villain, but being in a wreck with the sport's most popular driver, Earnhardt Jr., won't help him in "the polls."

Best in class: Chevrolets finished first (Bowyer) and third (Mark Martin). Toyotas finished second (Busch) and fourth (Tony Stewart).

Assorted trivialities and historical notables:

            The victory was the second of Bowyer's career and third for Chevrolet this year.

Seventy-two races have passed since Earnhardt Jr.'s most recent victory.

Kyle Busch's average finish at Richmond is now 5.6, but he has never won a race at the track.

David Pearson once led 488 of 500 laps at Richmond in 1970 when the track was a different configuration and length. For the current track, Hamlin's 381 laps led was a record. Bobby Allison once led 369 out of 400 on the old track in 1979.

The highest finishing rookie was 21^st-place Regan Smith.

Bowyer has finished in the top 10 in seven of the season's 10 races.

Busch took the point lead from Jeff Burton, who finished 11^th.

Mentionable stuff they said later:

"We'll get a win here soon." - Mark Martin

"My car was terrible for 300 laps. The last two stops brought the car to life. It was a little too late, but with a little help, we got in the top five. We never give up. Maybe it wasn't the best car, but it was fourth at the end." - Tony Stewart

"We weren't a fifth-place car at the end, but throughout the race we were. We had to hang around and make the best. Usually we're one of the ones with bad luck. I feel bad for the ‘11' (Hamlin). He was the class of the field. - Martin Truex Jr.

"If I went out there on that final restart and just gave way to the '88' car (Earnhardt Jr.), then I would not be a true race-car driver." - Kyle Busch