Well, there you have it.We, as NASCAR fans in 2009, have seen something that has never been done before in the 61 years of NASCAR competition, and something that could very easily not happen for another 161 years if this sport lasts that long.
Yep, Jimmie Johnson -- the smooth-drivin' Californian -- is the first guy in all of NASCAR's moonshining and intimidating history to take four straight championships at any level. But, strangely, he's not the first to do so in a major stock car racing series.
Frank Kimmel, the longtime ace of the Automobile Racing Club of America, has a streak of championships (albeit in a series that doesn't rival NASCAR Sprint Cup in terms of competitiveness) that Johnson can only look straight up at from this point. From 2000 to 2007, Kimmel's name was the only one to appear on the driver's champion trophy -- a span of 8 years.
Let's hope, for the sake of writing interesting stories at the end of the next four seasons, that Johnson didn't just have his goals realigned thanks to that fact.
It is funny, though, to remember how no one picked him to win the championship this season after three in-a-row from 2006 to 2008. I know I won't make that mistake again.
Here's my pick for 2010: Jimmie Johnson. (and yes, I'm hoping that I'll be wrong.)
Just in case you were needing a reason to flip into that 2010 calendar, expect Feb. 5, 2010 to be the first day of NASCAR Sprint Cup practice for the Budweiser Shootout if the sanctioning body doesn't make drastic changes from last year's Daytona Speedweeks schedule.
You can bet Dale Earnhardt Jr. is more than ready to get back to Daytona -- both to start a new season and to revenge what turned out to be a pretty awful Daytona 500 experience in 2009.
Before we roll into 2010 stuff, though, there's still plenty to talk about from Sunday's race.
One note, I think, that's interesting is how fast Marcos Ambrose's day went down hill after he passed -- and celebrated in humorous form over the radio -- Jimmie Johnson for the lead early in the race. Four laps later, though, Ambrose was on pit road for a flat tire.
A problem with a carbeurator and a few spins on-track later, Ambrose had quickly lost all enthusiasm after coming home with a 35th-place finish. Regardless, it was one heckuva season for the Aussie as he ended up 18th in the season standings and actually made a legitmate case to be a Chase contender over the summer stretch.
I still don't believe this, but Carl Edwards failed to win a race in 2009.
The No. 99 was a bad move at Talladega in 2008 from beating Johnson for the title after a season with 9 wins, and looked like the team that most people thought could overtake Johnson for good in 2009. It wasn't meant to be as the entire Roush-Fenway operation struggled in 2009.
Edwards did finish 7th Sundat at Homestead, his first Top-10 since Fontana in October and just his 14th of the season.
What exactly was Erik Darnell doing on pit road when he decided to stop with cars behind him?
The No. 96 came to an abrupt halt on lap 116 under caution as the back part of the field entered pit road, causing race-ending damage to Richard Petty Motorsports teammates Elliott Sadler and Reed Sorenson.
Obviously, it was an ill-timed move by Darnell, but just as the season started with Sadler essentially losing the Daytona 500 after the rain came a half lap after Matt Kenseth passed him for the lead, Sadler's season ended on a note of bad luck.
On several levels, I'd say, Sunday's race was quite entertaining overall.
From Juan Pablo Montoya and Tony Stewart getting in a shoving match (not their first on-track hurrah, mind you) to the three-wide racing we saw after several restarts, I'd say the Homestead finale showed that the Sprint Cup boys get after it much harder when all that's really on the line for most teams is picking up a win in the season-finale.
Obviously, the championship process is something that keeps a layer of continuity throughout a racing season, but I think a way to get a little more action from most races is something that's been said before: make finishing higher in a race have a higher value than it does now.
After all, the best race of the season, hands down I say, was the Sprint All-Star Challenge at Lowe's Motor Speedway. There, it was simple: win the race, or don't win anything.
And boy was that fun.
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
i would like to known why #42 WAS NOT FINED WHEN HE TOOK #14 OUT ON PURPOSE. WAS IT BECAUSE NASCAR GAVE 10 MILLION$ TO GET HIM INTO NASCAR.ALSO DID HE GET AGREEMENT TO NERVER BE FINED.THIS IS THE TALK GOING AROUND THE GARAGES.TELL ME WHY HE DID'T GET FINED WHEN HARVICK HIM GOT OUT OF THERE CARS ON THE TRACK AND STARTED TO FIGHT.PLEASE TELL THE TRUTH IF YOU DARE.A GREAT RACE FAN HARVEY
and something that could very easily not happen for another 61 years if this sport lasts that long.....You're right about this comment! If nascar keeps making more and more rules and allowing HMS to have their fingers in at least half the field, nascar may not make it another 5 years much less another 61 years. HMS has Gordon, Johnson, Martin, Jr and yes Stewart and Newman along with supplying engines and chassis to a large number of Chevy teams. Then they have the nerve to say Rousch has too many teams? Nascar needs to require the use of bodies from the factory and only allow safety changes, air dams and spoilers but get rid of that UGLY splitter and that ridiculous wing! Limit cubic inches but then allow the teams to use their ideas instead of all cookie cutter peice of crap cars! I still can't believe they can't see the cure for cars flying when they go backwards. If they used a spoiler and had the same degree angle on the back as the front and put flaps below the bumper and had ducts routing the air from under the car to out the top when the car goes backwards would cure the problem. It really is that easy!
hi racing rocks
Jimmy Johnson is NOT the NASCAR champ, he is the winner of the last 10 races of the season. Tony Stewart is the NASCAR champ.....I hate this crap because for the last 4 years Johnson only had to make it into the "race for the chase", exciting? I think not...Its the Jimmy Johnson show for the last part of the NASCAR season, YAWN!!!!!
Try to tell that to the johnsonistas, exspeciallly the unstable ones.