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Ricky Craven edging Kurt Busch at Darlington in 2003 is perhaps the greatest finish in NASCAR history. Truthfully, it's even better than you remember.

Friday's highlights from Darlington Raceway

Five-time champion Jimmie Johnson has knowledge, wisdom and experience in battling for titles. But he faces a tall hurdle in the form of a 20 point deficit to the No. 2 Dodge of Brad Keselowski.

What has been most remarkable to me about this year's Chase for the Sprint Cup has been the performance of Jimmie Johnson over the last two weeks.

Denny Hamlin came into the Chase for the Sprint Cup with four regular-season wins and a lot of momentum. But Hamlin is one of three drivers who have been eliminated from contention for the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship under the Rule of 72.

The Chase for the Sprint Cup heads to Martinsville with three more drivers eliminated from contention under the Rule of 72, and more in danger of falling too far behind the leaders to mount a realistic run at the series title.

At the halfway point of the Chase for the Sprint Cup, we're on the verge of eliminating more drivers from contention using the Rule of 72.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s difficult decision to sit out two races while recovering from concussion symptoms effectively takes him out of contention for the Chase, even though he's not yet officially eliminated by the Rule of 72.

Matt Kenseth is the first driver to be eliminated from the Chase for the Sprint Cup under the Rule of 72.

After two races, drivers in the Chase have one more thing to worry about: staying within striking distance of Jimmie Johnson.

According to Ricky Craven's Rule of 72, Jeff Gordon must average a fourth-place finish over the next eight races to stay alive in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Ricky Craven explains his formula for determining the drivers who are eliminated from Chase contention.

In this week's Six, Marty Smith writes about what athletes do when they aren't athletes anymore. For many, there is never a replacement in their lives.

Working on ESPN2's "NASCAR Now" has a certain number of perks that come with it. One is the chance to talk NASCAR, and other assorted random topics, with our reporters and analysts. Monday, Ricky Craven was in house and on the show. The main topic ...

With Tony Stewart trailing points leader Carl Edwards by a mere three points and no teams having raced this track since it was repaved and reconfigured, our NASCAR personalities think any driver could step up and win this weekend.

Homestead isn't just the homestretch. It's the track that stands between two drivers and a Sprint Cup title. Who will be the 2011 champ? Our NASCAR personalities make their final picks of the year.