By SCOTT ADAMSON, Scripps Howard News Service

The 2009 NASCAR season heads for an anticlimactic finish, with Jimmie Johnson needing to simply run around in the middle of the pack on Sunday to win an unprecedented fourth consecutive Sprint Cup title, and Kyle Busch wrapping up the Nationwide crown by starting his engine on Saturday.

Ron Hornaday, of course, took top honors in the Camping World Truck Series last week.

Prior to last Sunday's NASCAR race in Texas, Jeff Gordon had all but conceded the 2009 Sprint Cup Championship to Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson -- and Mark Martin wasn't holding out any high hopes for himself.

Martin tried to downplay any title expectations by telling the Associated Press, "I didn't take this job to go out and try to get a championship trophy."

NASCAR's Chase for the Cup was designed to give the sport a playoff feel.

So what did Talladega's "playoff" last Sunday feel like?

The new ESPN documentary "Small Potatoes: Who Killed The USFL?" is a great piece of storytelling, especially for those of us who knew and loved the United States Football League back in the 1980s.

If Jimmie Johnson has a good run at Talladega -- far from a given considering his spotty luck there -- you can basically go ahead and crown him.

The inaugural class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame has been named, and there are more than a few folks surprised and upset that David Pearson is not among the original five.

I thought when the class was announced it would include Pearson, Big Bill France, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Darrell Waltrip. It was a just a hunch, (and I have no vote).

Following the "celebration" flags thrown in the LSU-Georgia game, I tried to give the benefit of the doubt to that particular Southeastern Conference officiating crew. Really, I did.

While I said the flag against A.J. Green following the Bulldogs' late go-ahead touchdown was silly, I still tried to make the point that -- for the most part -- stripes do a good job.

You hear the term "working the system" and it makes you think of something sinister and seedy.

Sometimes, though, there's absolutely nothing wrong with working the system -- especially if you're Jimmie Johnson and you're in NASCAR's Chase for the Cup.

It's a brand new season in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition, and the grand old man of the series, Mark Martin, enters the Chase for the Championship at the top of the heap.

You can't help but like Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme.

The guy is personable to a fault, and when he comes off a bad game he's willing to suck it up, admit his mistakes and deal with the abuse.