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When it comes to bad luck this season, the list of Sprint Cup drivers who can commiserate with each other is long.Start with Kyle Busch. Throw in Jeff Gordon and maybe teammate Dale Earnhardt. And Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin, and maybe Tony Stewart. And that's just at the front of the pack.

MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- Maybe these guys just have a different view of the world, but Jimmie Johnson's top three championship challengers -- Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton and Carl Edwards -- all said Sunday that they're still in the NASCAR title hunt.

I know we should be looking ahead to Saturday night and NASCAR's Lowe's Motor Speedway's race, but it's hard to get the thoughts of Talladega last weekend out of mind even though they're out of sight.Here are a few mind-clearing points from yet another strange weekend in Alabama.DENNY HAMLIN'S HEALTH

CONCORD, N.C. -- Now that Tony Stewart has broken the ice, is Jeff Gordon going to win a race this season? Or Matt Kenseth?Gordon said, "I'm optimistic" about Saturday night's race here at Lowe's Motor Speedway, "because of how we performed at Kansas.

Paulie Harraka does not like to waste time. That's good, because the 19-year-old hasn't had much time lately that isn't spoken for.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. knows there's only one place for him to be after the green flags drops Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway -- up front, all the time, especially at the end. "We just kind of got to go for broke, really throw it out there and take some chances, take some risks," Earnhardt said this week.

It was one heck of a finish, one of the best last laps of the season, and when the smoke cleared from the final miles of Sunday's Camping World RV 400, Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle had firm command of the Sprint Cup Chase for the Championship.

Throughout sports, games and life, this statement's often been uttered by many: "I'd rather be lucky than good."But how does that saying relate to this year's NASCAR title hunt? Where does the role of being good or lucky come in to play as 12 drivers try to win The Chase For The Spring Cup Championship?Greg Biffle -- Very good.

It looks as if Greg Biffle and crew chief Greg Erwin have their act together in these opening weeks of the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs.They're taking their game right at their toughest challengers, Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards.

Forget for a moment that a Ford other than Carl Edwards's No. 99 won Sunday, forget that the NASCAR's most dominant driver was rendered insignificant in the Chase opener and forget that the Big Three just might not be unbeatable after all in The Chase for the Cup.Just remember Greg Biffle.