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MARTINSVILLE, Va. — For the second time during the Chase, NASCAR officials delayed throwing a caution flag Sunday on the last lap even though a car remained near the finish line.

It's a delicate situation in which series officials are placed. Throw the caution too early and the parked car could drive off, leaving fans with an anticlimactic finish. Wait too long and more cars could wreck.

Sunday at Martinsville, NASCAR officials waited before throwing the caution with John Andretti's car parked on the inside of the track near the finish line. For a series that prides itself on its attention to safety, such actions at the end of races raise some concern.

"It makes me a little nervous as I'm charging into the start/finish line there's a car sitting there," said Jimmie Johnson.

Winning driver Denny Hamlin said he didn't have a problem with the reaction.

"They're doing all they can," he said. "They don't know what's going on inside that race car, if the guy has given up on starting it or is he continuing to try to get it going."

A statement issued by NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp stated: "We believe it was the right call and the teams had ample time to slow to a cautious pace and cross the start finish line safely."

Andretti said he would have gotten out of the way, but the car was too damaged.

TOUGH LUCK: Denny Hamlin lamented after his win that two bad races can end any chance of winning the championship.

He should be so lucky.

Some fans complain about the champion being determined in the final 10 races of the season. How is that different from the NFL playoffs? A team might need to win only three games to win the Super Bowl.

Think about college football. With no playoffs for the top tier, teams have only their bowl game. One mistake could cost a team a national championship.

NASCAR's drivers have 10 races, thus they can make a mistake and come back.

FOUR-TIME: Understandably, there will be fans who hate to see a team or person dominate a sport — like Jimmie Johnson has done with three straight championships and a possible fourth looming.

The Chase isn't over, so don't write the check or engrave the trophy in his name yet. A problem at Talladega could change the dynamics. Should he leave there with a big lead, then the only way someone else will win it is if Johnson's team collapses.

Some might not like Johnson's dominance, but consider what he has done in 56 Chase races in five years:

* won 17 (30.3 percent)

* finished first or second in 26 (46.4 percent)

* scored 31 top-five finishes (55.3 percent)

* had 42 top-10 finishes (75.0 percent).

WATCH OUT: Juan Pablo Montoya will need a heavy dose of luck to win this year's title. If nothing else, he's learning what it takes to win a title.

"We're learning to see what we have to do, how aggressive you've got to run," he said after finishing third on Sunday. "I think one of the things we learned, next year, somehow we've got to win some races before the Chase (and collect the 10-point bonus for each win).

"I think when you start so far behind already when the Chase starts, you don't have any cushion for a bad race or anything."

SUSPENDED: ESPN confirmed Monday that college football analyst Bob Griese has been suspended for one game for his comments about Juan Pablo Montoya during a game on Saturday. He was to have worked a game this week.

As ESPN promoted the broadcast of the Martinsville race and showed the top five in points, one announcer asked where Montoya was (he had fallen to sixth in the standings after Charlotte). Griese, laughing, said: "He's out having a taco."

Griese apologized twice on the air Saturday on ESPN.

Contact Dustin Long at 373-7062 or dustin.long@news-record.com