b1012siJimmie Johnson is on the cover of the new Sports Illustrated, as you can see at right. Jimmie Johnson is also charging hard upward through the Sprint Cup standings, as you can see by consulting any media outlet/fan site/Twitter page/Facebook/infield campfire, where cries of "OH MY GOD THE 48 IS GOING TO WIN HIS SIXTH AND DOOM NASCAR AS WE KNOW IT" resound throughout the heavens.

Here's the question, though. You've heard of the famous "Sports Illustrated Curse," where anyone who's been on the cover of the magazine suddenly explodes/implodes/bursts into flame/catches ebola/whatever.

So will it happen to Johnson? Will he suddenly see parts flying off his car mid-race in Charlotte? Will Chad Knaus wake up with laryngitis and have to resort to waving semaphore flags as the 48 goes past? Maybe yes, maybe no; Johnson was on the cover once before, back in 2008, and we know how that turned out.

The article within gives a little more insight into Johnson's run; writer Lars Anderson spent three

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Welcome to the latest Happy Hour mailbag! You know how these work: You write us with your best rant/ joke/ one-liner at nascarmail@yahoogroups.com or on Twitter at @jaybusbee, we respond to your messages, everyone goes away with a smile on their face.

Was hanging out this weekend and the Zac Brown Band's "Chicken Fried" came on, and it was a Pavlovian reaction for me: instantly I could smell that classic campfire-and-burnt-tire smell of a racetrack. I've heard that song at every race I've attended since it came out, and it's now inextricably intertwined in my mind with NASCAR infields. Seriously, if you played it right now, I'd start looking around thinking I was about to be mowed over by a lunatic Kyle Busch trying to sneak in a couple more qualifying laps. So, question of the week: what's the ultimate NASCAR infield song? Let's just take "Sweet Home Alabama" right off the table; that's cliche and you guys can do better than that. Offer up your ideas, preferably with justification

The rain didn't fall, the usual suspects won and we've eliminated a few contenders from the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Oh, and one guy without a championship hope is making strides. That and more, in this Midwest version of Hot/Not.

HOT: Kasey Kahne is proving that drivers don't need the motivation of the Chase to contend for wins, and it might just be the best way for him to make his offseason segue to Hendrick Motorsports.

Kahne finished runner-up to Jimmie Johnson Sunday for his second consecutive top-5 finish and fourth-straight quality outing. Inside the Chase, he's yet to finish outside of the top 15 — meaning if he would have qualified for the championship fight Kahne would be seventh in points, 17 points back of Edwards. That's better than his soon-to-be Hendrick teammates in Dale Earnhardt Jr. (-43 points) and Jeff Gordon (-47).

Kahne could have been even better had the fuel-mileage game at New Hamphshire worked in his favor. In Loudon, Kahne led 43 laps before pitting late.

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Talk about a tale of two extremes.

Charlotte Motor Speedway has unveiled new concession items in advance of Saturday night's Bank of America 500 Sprint Cup race, including healthy options in the name of Danica Patrick and the "funnel bacakonator," which, yes, combines funnel cake and bacon.

"Danica Patrick's Fit Fuel Menu" will feature items like turkey and veggie burgers, fruit and vegetables, trail mix and healthy energy bars. Never mind that Patrick will actually be racing across the country in the Izod IndyCar Series season finale on Sunday, her final race as a full-time driver in the IndyCar Series.

[Rewind: Food items only sports fans would love]

Across the country from the Danica menu, nutritionally speaking, there's the funnel bacakonator, which is a funnel cake covered in bacon pieces and strawberry and chocolate sauces. Chocolate and bacon? Sure. But strawberry and bacon? That may be a new one.

For those who think the idea of funnel cake and bacon is a bit much (who would

This is some fun video: Darrell Waltrip, who's allegedly a three-time NASCAR champion but you couldn't prove it here, riding at Bathurst as part of the Bathurst 1000 in Australia. He was on board as a commentator, and oh my heavens, the commentating that was going on here! If you're not a DW fan, this will annoy you but also delight you. Just watch it.

[Hat tip to Rick Tallman and highflyjet for sending along this one.]

Time again for another Yahoo! Sports NASCAR live chat, right here at The Marbles at 1 p.m. ET on Wednesday. It'll be fun, and there'll be light hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar. Live band comes on at 1:30. Stop by, won't you?

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On this day 37 years ago, Dale Earnhardt Jr. came into the world. Join us, friends, in wishing NASCAR's Most Popular Driver a very happy birthday. And I'm sure you can think of a few gifts for him, can't you? Serious comments only, of course. We're all about reverence here.

Tony Stewart had a little adventure late in the Kansas race on pit road, accidentally mashing both the brake and the throttle and careening straight into the wall. Pit crew members and officials scattered, and Stewart flat-spotted all four of his tires, but in the end no real harm was done. How bad was this? Stewart took "100 percent" responsibility on the radio afterward, saying he'd never done anything like that before in his life. And now it's preserved for eternity!