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Let's take a quick glance at some of the Richmond post-race storylines:

"We lost the brakes."

Jimmie Johnson, as Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway proved, isn't the racing robot with a switch stuck on "Dominate" we've come to think he is after three-straight Sprint Cup titles. Nope, not even at a track where he's won three of the last four events before Saturday night's race.

In fact, it was an all-around miserable night for the No. 48 after brake problems caused him to spin once, get caught up in another crash and then race the rest of the way with a damaged race car. Unfortunately for the rest of the competition, his 36th-place finish won't be a barometer of his 2009 season.

There was no celebratory fence climbing, victory lane to visit or mirror ball trophy to hoist, but two-time Indy 500 winner and "Dancing With the Stars" champ Helio Castroneves scored the biggest victory of his life Friday when a Miami jury acquitted him of federal tax evasion charges that could have sent him to prison for six years.

And so this weekend, Castroneves will be seeing checkers instead of stripes.

Minutes after the early Friday afternoon verdict, his longtime racing strategist, Tim Cindric, sent Castroneves a text message: "We're ready for you" to which Castroneves responded, "I'm coming man."

And just like that, a Team Penske plane was immediately dispatched to Miami to transport Castroneves to the IndyCar Series race in Long Beach, Calif. where he will compete Sunday.

A Miami jury has acquitted two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves on six counts of federal tax evasion and deadlocked on the final charge of conspiracy.

His sister and business manager, Katiucia Castroneves and sports attorney Alan Miller were also acquitted. The jury was hung on one charge for Katiucia.

It marked the end to a six-week trial and more than six days of deliberation which included calls for a mistrial from Castroneves' defense team.

IndyCar driver, and perhaps more notably the former champion of TV's Dancing with the Stars, Helio Castroneves will have to wait at least two more days to learn the fate of his future.

The two-time Indianapolis 500 champion and driver for the esteemed Penske Racing operation faces charges of tax evasion, along with his sister Katitucia and attorney Alan Miller for what the Internal Revenue Service says was millions of dollars worth of evaded and unpaid tax returns.

And Friday, after both the prosecution and the defense finished their final statements, the jury deliberated for over two hours before closing up shop for the weekend.

There was much ado about nothing leaving Bristol Motor Speedway last Sunday. The top 35 owner points in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series were reset for the first time this year following the Bristol race, guaranteeing a starting spot to the top 35 teams this weekend at Martinsville Speedway and forcing the outsiders to race their way in on time.

So, for those locked into the top 35, relief reigns at least for the next week. But my contention is the top 35 shouldn't even exist. Get rid of the whole system. I've thought that since the rule's inception but became even more incensed when things became completely convoluted entering the 2009 season.

It wasn't a great week and change to be the assistant of Sprint Cup Series driver Kurt Busch after the Las Vegas native won the series' last outing two weeks ago at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Thanks to a nameless, peculiar victory lap Busch unveiled after the win by driving his No. 2 Penske Racing Dodge in reverse in the correct counter-clockwise fashion for a full lap, ideas poured from all corners of the NASCAR world on what the lap should be called.

And because, you know, that's what people in NASCAR do, Busch announced Friday that the lap's official title will be the "Unwind Lap".

He may have ended the day going backwards, but Kurt Busch did just about everything right to stay up front Sunday.

As a result, Busch earned his first victory of 2009 in the Sprint Cup Series' Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

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Warning: Objects in this post may be the only way to successfully live through the NASCAR off-season. For best results, read rearview mirror early and often.

Driver: Ryan Newman
Team: No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge
'08 Final Standing: 18th (-3049)
Best Race: Daytona 500 (1st-place)
Worst Race: Phoenix & Talladega (43rd-place)

Season in a box: Two big things -- winning the Daytona 500 and then leaving the only team he's ever known in NASCAR -- happened to Ryan Newman that he probably didn't expect prior to the start of 2008. However, the win in the season opener and subsequent dismal season was the biggest story for the No. 12.

Warning: Objects in this post may be the only way to successfully live through the NASCAR off-season. For best results, read rearview mirror early and often.

Driver: Kurt Busch
Team: No. 2 Penske Racing Dodge
'08 Final Standing: 18th (-3049)
Best Race: Lenox 301 at New Hampshire (1st-place)
Worst Race: Ford 400 at Homestead (43rd-place)

Season in a box: The 2008 season started off so well for Kurt at Daytona that casual observers who watched that race and then only stat lines for the rest of the season may have thought the "K Busch" winning all of those races was the older of the Sprint Cup brothers. That wasn't nearly the case, however.

Thursday afternoon, word came out that two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves was facing an indictment of tax fraud charges in Florida for allegedly hiding $5 million in income.

Helio, along with his sister and his attorney Alan Miller, was called in to a courtroom Friday morning in the Sunshine State and he pleaded not guilty to a lot of charges that could put him in the slammer for a long time.

The folks in the courtroom must have seen Helio's fence-climbing techniques after winning races and had the guy in handcuffs, as well as chains around his ankles. I mean, come on, I know the guy is fast on a race track and a decent dancer, but I'm highly doubting he's much of a flight risk.

Anywho, Helio was released on bail of $10 million, but was ordered not to leave the country and could only travel for work -- meaning he will miss the upcoming non-points IndyCar event in Australia.

This situation, though, doesn't stop with the winged open-wheel cars because it turns out that Castroneves' attorney -- Alan Miller -- is the same guy who represents many, many NASCAR drivers including Jimmie Johnson and Casey Mears.