Race Summary:

Jimmie Johnson continued his winning streak with a convincing victory in the Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix.  Pole sitter Carl Edwards started strong, leading the first 87 laps, but was forced out of the race by engine trouble on Lap 105.  Martin Truex, Jr., Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle controlled the action the rest of the way, until Johnson grabbed the lead from Truex with 24 laps remaining and never looked back.  The victory was Johnson’s fourth in a row (the first driver to do it since Jeff Gordon in ’98) and his tenth of the season.  Johnson takes a commanding 86 point lead over teammate Jeff Gordon into the Chase finale at Homestead next weekend, leading most to believe that this year’s Chase for the Cup already history.  Biffle and Kenseth finished second and third respectively, followed by Tony Stewart (4^th) and Ryan Newman (5^th).