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Is Roush for real? More or less. Two-time defending race champ Matt Kenseth didn't repeat (he was 8th after wrecking Elliott Sadler, getting a flat time and spending a good chunk of the race climbing back onto the lead lap). But Greg Biffle led the first quarter of the race and finished 6th, and Kurt Busch took 3rd. Four Roush drivers are now in the top 10 in points. Roush has started well, and there's nothing at this point to suggest that most of the Roush drivers won't be in the Chase.

Is DEI doomed? I hate to say it, but all signs point to yes. Dale Jr. wrecked himself and three other cars on lap 12 and finished 42nd, and Michael Waltrip was 20th, the first car a lap down. Junior dropped 13 spots in the standings -- he's now 27th, 8 spots ahead of Waltrip. Waltrip's already in danger of falling outside the 400-point window that determines Chase eligibility, and Junior's not far behind. With Atlanta, Bristol, Martinsville and Texas up next, Junior's got every chance in the world to rebound. But I haven't see much so far that says that he will.

Can Kasey Kahne finally win one? Nope, at least not this week. He wrecked for the second time in two weeks and finished 38th.

Did the racing improve? Frankly, I didn't see much of the race, so I can't really answer this one. What I did see was sort of what I expected: A lot of follow-the-leader, though there seemed to be some more passing at the front.

The question I should have asked: Did Hendrick solve the engine problems that ruined California for them? The answer: Heck, yeah. Hendrick drivers finished 1-2-4, and Joe Nemecheck (who runs a Hendrick engine) ran up front most of the day.