On Friday at otherwise sunny Phoenix International Raceway, the bad news hit harder than probably everyplace else in America but Detroit.

For the fifth time in nine Chase for the Sprint Cup races, Jimmie Johnson will start from the pole.

How things have changed in five days for Jimmie Johnson. The flat, scrubby landscape of North Texas has given way to the stark, ochre slopes of the Estrella Mountains. A big, fast, cookie-cutter of a tri-oval has given way to a quirky 1-mile track. And all the frustration and insecurity of last Sunday evening have given way to the cool, calm confidence this driver and his team are renowned for.

First, everyone wondered when Sam Hornish Jr. was going to leave IndyCars to go to NASCAR. Now, everyone\'s wondering when he\'s going to leave NASCAR to go back to IndyCars.

First, everyone wondered when Sam Hornish Jr. was going to leave IndyCars to go to NASCAR. Now, everyone\'s wondering when he\'s going to leave NASCAR to go back to IndyCars.