Motorsports FanHouse http://motorsports.fanhouse.com Motorsports FanHouse http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/media/feedlogo.gif Motorsports FanHouse http://motorsports.fanhouse.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Drive for Five? Jimmie Johnson's Reign May Continuehttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/drive-for-five-jimmie-johnsons-reign-may-continue/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/drive-for-five-jimmie-johnsons-reign-may-continue/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/drive-for-five-jimmie-johnsons-reign-may-continue/#commentsFiled under: ,

Jimmie JohnsonHOMESTEAD, Fla. -- With two laps to go, pop star Nick Lachey began clapping and cheering on his good friend. The back slaps and handshakes among crew, family and friends started coming like a slow wave picking up speed as Jimmie Johnson slid his Chevy out of the final turn and approached the last checkered flag of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season.

His father, Gary, stood behind the growing celebration in his son's pit stall at Homestead Miami Speedway -- a huge smile on his face, a sparkling Superman pin attached over the logo of his Hendrick Motorsports cap.

Superman is the nickname bestowed on Johnson, who on Sunday became the first driver in NASCAR's 61-year history to win a fourth consecutive Sprint Cup championship.
More: Rick Hendrick Misses Finale | Stewart, Montoya Tangle | Final Standings

"So proud,'' was about all Gary Johnson could muster in the minutes right after his son officially claimed his esteemed position in sport history. "It still hasn't sunk in. I was fine until the last 100 laps and I kept thinking of something that could go wrong.''

Nope. Since Johnson arrived in the NASCAR's marquee Cup ranks eight years ago, something usually has gone right.

And its time to give Johnson his just due as one of the truly great drivers of all time.

Nice guys can finish first.

Johnson's seven race wins was best among his competitors this season as are his 16 top-five finishes. His four pole positions were second best and his 24 top-10s second only to teammate Jeff Gordon.

He won races when he didn't have to. He rallied when he needed to. And he did it all with class.

A one-time dirt bike rider from a tiny mountaintop neighborhood outside El Cajon, Calif., Johnson has established himself as the class of the field 3,000 miles away in NASCAR-land. And if the 34-year-old Johnson keeps up this pace -- four titles and two runner-ups in eight seasons -- he could challenge Richard Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt's seven-championship tally.

But that wasn't what Johnson was thinking about Sunday evening after clinching his fourth straight title -- a feat that neither Petty nor Earnhardt ever did.

As Johnson sat in his No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet waiting for the championship stage to be set up for his confetti celebration and trophy hoist, Johnson confessed his mind wandered back to a modest beginning and unlikely route to super-stardom.

"Just thinking about where I started, riding around in a 1979 Ford Van with a little eight-foot enclosed trailer behind it going to motorcycle races around the country and now I'm sitting there on Turn 2 after winning my fourth championship.'' Johnson said, recalling his family's weekend retreats to the Southern California desert to watch him race as a young boy.

"I thought about my first four-wheel experience and the first time I drove a stock car.

"I was thinking on the back stretch over there that my first race in an ASA (American Speed Association) car was in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and I didn't know how to pass anyone. ... So there was a lot of memories like that flipping around my mind.

"It was neat to have a few minutes just to smile and be proud of what we've done.

"Then,'' he joked. "My ADD kicked in and it was time to get going.''

Even as Johnson has proven himself time after time, fans still question the legitimacy of the reverence he receives.

They are critical of Johnson's Chase-format titles, but his own competition insists it's more difficult to win this way than in the past.

"If you had a bad race with the old format, that was one-36th of your season, now if you have a bad race in the Chase, that's one-tenth of your season,'' said Tony Stewart, the only active driver to win both pre-Chase era (2002) and Chase (2005) titles.

Johnson now ties Gordon, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, with four titles -- interesting because it was Gordon who recommended Johnson for the job.

"I was confident in Hendrick Motorsports and I did see something in Jimmie that I thought could be special,'' Gordon said.

"I had no idea it was going to take off and do what it's done. But I sure am happy now because I look pretty good saying, 'oh yeah, absolutely, he's going to do all that.' ''

Jimmie JohnsonIf Gordon was that confident, it's safe to say Johnson was only cautiously optimistic. He never anticipated making a living driving stock cars.

"Winning a race at the Cup level was my goal when this whole thing started ... and then that happened and I keep re-adjusting my goals,'' Johnson said. "I never thought I'd be here.''

"I'd love to win more championships and more races than what anybody else has done, but I'm not sure how realistic that is.

"I certainly look at the seven championships of Petty and Earnhardt as being at the top, but this [fourth in a row] puts us up there.

"And the cool thing is, we're not done yet. We've got a lot of racing left ahead of us."
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Drive for Five? Jimmie Johnson's Reign May Continue originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:34:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>jimmie johnsonJimmieJohnsonnascarHolly CainSun, 22 Nov 2009 22:34:00 EST Johnson Wins 4th Straight Championship http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/johnson-wins-4th-straight-championship/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/johnson-wins-4th-straight-championship/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/johnson-wins-4th-straight-championship/#commentsFiled under: , ,

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) -- Jimmie Johnson was chasing much more than a championship.

He was also chasing NASCAR history.

The most dominant driver of this decade won a record fourth consecutive championship Sunday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where he raced hard to finish fifth when 25th-place would have gotten the job done.

In doing so, Johnson joined Richard Petty (7), Dale Earnhardt (7) and teammate Jeff Gordon (4) as the only drivers to win more than three titles.
More: Rick Hendrick Misses Finale | Stewart, Montoya Tangle | Final Standings

"The cool thing is, we're not done yet," he warned.

All he ever wanted was a chance to race against the very best. Maybe even win a race or two.

Never did he expect to be a champion.

Especially four times over.

"I grew up on two wheels in the dirt," the 34-year-old Californian said. "I had no clue I was going to end up here racing stock cars and doing something that had never been done before. To do something that's never been done in the sport, and love the sport like I do and respect it like I do and the greats -- Petty, Earnhardt, Gordon -- to do something they have never done is so awesome.

"And to win four championships in eight years, what this team has done -- this is unbelievable."

Johnson bulldozed his way into the record books, pouncing when the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup championship began to pull team owner Rick Hendrick into the record books with him. Johnson's title gave a record 12th overall championship to Hendrick, who was in North Carolina with a niece who was undergoing an emergency liver transplant.

In his absence, Johnson, Mark Martin and Gordon celebrated a 1-2-3 finish in the final points standings, just the second time in NASCAR history a team owner has swept the standings.

"Heavy hearts and prayers with the boss man and the family," Martin said, paying homage to Hendrick. "That sort of takes a little bit of the shine off of it. But congratulations to Hendrick Motorsports, to Jimmie Johnson -- Superman -- and to my team."

Superman, indeed.


Johnson now stands atop NASCAR as a one-man dynasty, much like Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and Lance Armstrong in their sports.

Only Johnson hasn't been feted under a blizzard of confetti by himself. His mighty Hendrick team rules NASCAR the way UCLA once dominated the hardwood or Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls reigned supreme.

There's seemingly plenty of chances left for Johnson's tag-team with crew chief Chad Knaus to keep Hendrick and the No. 48 in the title hunt for another decade.

Johnson signed a five-year contract extension to drive for Hendrick through 2015, and Knaus has insisted the No. 48 team can keep this pace for the next several years.

Johnson doesn't want to take anything for granted along the way.

"I don't know if we'll win another championship," he said. "I feel in my heart we'll be competitive, but at some point in time, we won't be that team."

That's why Johnson never let up in pursuit of the championship. He raced hard for wins in nine of the 10 Chase races, and for all 400 miles at Homestead, where he threatened to try to run down the leaders to better his eventual fifth-place finish.

It made for a sometimes testy drive into history for Johnson, who was at times annoyed at rival drivers and even Gordon, the mentor and teammate who helped him land his job with Hendrick Motorsports.

Nobody gave Johnson anything, either. The other drivers raced hard around him all day, making Johnson earn every point in a race won by Denny Hamlin, who established himself as a driver to watch in 2010 by winning a career-high four races this season.

Hamlin also managed to keep pace with Johnson at times but fell out of contention with three DNFs.

"We're going to be there, I promise you," Hamlin said. "I promise you, the next couple years, we're going to win the championship. But right now, there's no one more deserving than Jimmie."

Johnson won seven races this season, four after the Chase began in September. In fact, since the Chase format began in 2004, Johnson has won 18 of 60 Chase races.

He's done it by almost never choosing the safe route. He did it just once this year, at Talladega when he ran near the back of the field most of the day to avoid the trouble at the Alabama track.

Only the joke was on him when his problems popped up a week later, at Texas, where he was wrecked on the third lap and lost 111 points from his cushion over Martin. It still left him with a cozy 78-point margin headed into last weekend's race at Phoenix, where he probably could have laid back and protected his lead.

Instead, he pounced and earned a dominating victory that set the stage for an easy Sunday.

"The pressure of winning the fourth didn't really hit me until hitting the wall at Texas," he admitted. "And then it was like 'Oh, man.' It was a great reality check."

Of course, he couldn't get off the gas.

After several tense laps chasing Gordon for fifth place -- Johnson at one point complained over his radio "I let him go, now why won't he just go somewhere!" -- he asked Knaus if he had enough time to catch Hamlin and the leaders.

Johnson didn't like being told no by his crew chief.

"Is that a dare?" he asked Knaus.

"No. That is a fact," Knaus replied.

So is Johnson's place in history, which seems to be undervalued despite 47 victories since 2002. He's never finished lower than fifth in the final standings and actually had a shot at winning the championship in 2004 and 2005 -- only to fall short in the finale.

"Jimmie is an incredible, incredible talent. He is the most underrated driver in this garage," Knaus said. "That guy can do things in a race car that I've never seen before. I hope this proves it to everybody."

His competitors insist time will take care of Johnson's legacy, but they continue to marvel at his success.

"If you would have told me four years ago that someone would win four championships in a row, I would have told you you were crazy," said Jeff Burton, who finished second in Sunday's race.

Even Gordon, who won four quick titles early in his career but has been shut out since 2001, is impressed.

"As a competitor, that Johnson ticks me off. As a friend, teammate, fellow car owner, they're amazing," Gordon said. "I never thought in my career, in my lifetime, I'd see somebody win four in a row. To see it happening right in front of your eyes makes it even more extraordinary."

By JENNA FRYER, AP Sports Writer

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
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Johnson Wins 4th Straight Championship originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>denny hamlinjimmie johnsonmark martinrick hendrickFanHouse NewswireSun, 22 Nov 2009 18:45:00 EST Rick Hendrick Misses Season Finalehttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/rick-hendrick-will-miss-season-finale/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/rick-hendrick-will-miss-season-finale/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/rick-hendrick-will-miss-season-finale/#commentsFiled under: ,

Hendrick Motorsports announced Sunday morning that team owner Rick Hendrick would not be trackside at Homestead Miami Speedway for that afternoon's Ford 400 NASCAR season finale, but instead remained back in Charlotte, N.C., for a family emergency.

Hendrick's 29-year-old niece Alesha Gainey is in critical condition at a Charlotte hospital being prepared for a liver transplant, Hendrick Motorsports general manager Marshall Carlson told reporters. Gainey is the daughter of Hendrick's late brother John, who was killed in a plane accident in 2004 along with Hendrick's son Ricky and two other of John Hendrick's daughters.

"Rick's priority at this point is supporting his family,'' Carlson said. "He's so proud of his teams but needs to be with his niece and her family.''

Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson earned his fourth consecutive Sprint Cup championship later in the day, defeating HMS teammate Mark Martin by 141 points. Johnson's title also gives HMS its ninth Cup championship, which ties it with Petty Enterprises for the most in Cup Series history.

Rick Hendrick Misses Season Finale originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>nascarRick HendrickRickHendrickHolly CainSun, 22 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST FanHouse Warmup: Homesteadhttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/fanhouse-warmup-homestead/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/fanhouse-warmup-homestead/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/fanhouse-warmup-homestead/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

The Essentials
Race: Ford 400
Where: Homestead-Miami Speedway
Time: Sunday 3:15 PM ET
TV/Radio: ABC, MRN Radio
Twitter: Updates @ FanHouseRacing
Forecast: Mostly sunny, High 60s
Distance: 267 laps (400.5 miles)
Pole Winner: Jimmie Johnson
2008 Winner: Carl Edwards


The Storylines

Like Jimmie Johnson or not, and like the Chase or not, should Johnson go on to win his fourth career Sprint Cup championship Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway it would be completely worthy of every bit of the praises gien and the historical references noted.

In doing so, Johnson would join his teammate and mentor Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty as the only four drivers in NASCAR Sprint Cup history to secure four career championships. Additionally, Johnson would take sole possession of the NASCAR record for most consecutive championships -- a record he shared this season with Cale Yarborough at three.

In order for that to happen, Johnson has to first start the race to lock out Gordon from a championship effort and then finish just 25th or better to keep Mark Martin from having a chance at the title. He'll do so in a car that's got a nice winning track record in 2009.

Johnson's No. 48 will be Hendrick Motorsports chassis No. 48-553, the same machine Johnson won with at Indianapolis and California earlier this year.

Jeff Burton appears to be heading towards the off-season with a nice bit of hope that 2010 will be drastically different and hopefully drastically more successful than the 2009 season he and his Richard Childress Racing teammates endured.

Last week at Phoenix, Burton drove to a second-place finish -- his best of the season and just his fourth top-5 effort -- and Saturday afternoon at Homestead he paced the final practice session for Sunday's race. He'll line up 26th on the grid for the green flag in a brand new race car that has yet to see track time.

Kyle Busch is finally a champion in a NASCAR national series.

Busch, who won nine races in 2009 and finished 2nd 11 times, took home the Nationwide Series championship Saturday night by winning the last Nationwide Series race of the year -- though Carl Edwards made a crazy move on the last lap and nearly got by Busch.

Kevin Harvick and his wife Delana had a pretty good Friday night at Homestead.

Ron Hornaday, driving for Kevin Harvick Inc., won the Camping World Truck Series title -- his fourth title in that series -- while Harvick drove to victory lane in his self-owned truck. The result? A pair of burnouts on the frontstretch that produced enough smoke to rival a small wildfire.

FanHouse Warmup: Homestead originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Homestead-Miami+SpeedwayGeoffrey MillerSun, 22 Nov 2009 11:50:00 EST Rejuvenated Mark Martin Remains NASCAR's Sentimental Favoritehttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/21/rejuvenated-mark-martin-remains-nascars-sentimental-favorite/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/21/rejuvenated-mark-martin-remains-nascars-sentimental-favorite/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/21/rejuvenated-mark-martin-remains-nascars-sentimental-favorite/#commentsFiled under: , ,

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Mark Martin winces, then breaks into a grin every time he hears the introduction.

"Ladies and gentlemen ... Mark Martin, who is attempting to become the oldest champion in NASCAR history."

The difference between this week and years ago is that Martin grinned. He's been doing that a lot lately.

Martin trails his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson by 108 points entering Sunday's Ford 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup season finale at Homestead Miami Speedway. Johnson, 34, only needs to finish 25th or better to clinch a historic fourth consecutive title.

Martin, 50, is still looking for his first.

"If I went from not winning in 70-some races to being close to winning a championship and having four or five wins, I would be smiling and very happy too and I think anyone in this garage would be," said Greg Biffle, Martin's former teammate at Roush Fenway Racing.

"Think about his career. He was all but done, right? He announced his retirement, 'I'm done, I'm leaving.' and a couple years later he's on the cusp of winning the title.

"You've got to feel like a new person when that happens in your life."

Martin has conceded as much. He announced his retirement in 2006 only to come back and race part-time the next two years. He signed a deal with the mighty Hendrick Motorsports organization last year to return full-time, humbly insisting he only wanted a shot to win a race.

"I went to the (Hendrick) shop quite a bit after we made this deal," Martin said. "My wife, I'd come in after being there, and she'd say, 'You're always smiling when you come back from that shop.' I said, 'Heck yeah, you would be too.'

"It makes you feel that way. I'd just come back from being there with a permanent smile on my face. It's good people with great attitudes. Everyone there has treated me, you know, like gold. It's been amazing, the respect that I've been shown there.

"It's very humbling."

The combination has also been magical for Martin. He's won five races and collected seven poles in the No. 5 Kelloggs Chevrolet and been ranked first or second in the points standings since September.

His first victory at Phoenix in the eighth race of the year was hugely popular; his contention for the championship, hugely sentimental.

It was his first win since 2005 during a 19-year tenure with Roush. It's the first time he's been a serious threat to the title since 2002, when he finished as championship runner-up for the fourth time in his career. Four other times he finished third in the standings.

Johnson (47 wins) and another Hendrick teammate, Jeff Gordon (82), are the only active drivers with more wins than Martin's 40. Martin has a record 48 in NASCAR's triple-A Nationwide Series and his five IROC (International Race of Champions) titles are unequalled.

But it's the Cup championship that has cruelly eluded Martin. He came up 26 points short of Dale Earnhardt in 1990 and lost the 2002 title to Tony Stewart by 38 points.

The result is that many regard Martin as "the greatest driver not to win a Cup championship." But Martin doesn't see it that way at all.

"My record does not stand up against the greats in this business," Martin said. "I just want to be a winner, just a winner, you know. That doesn't mean a career or at Monopoly or Scrabble. I just want to be a winner."

So why does he feel others hold him in such high regard?

"Because I'm the worker, I'm the guy that rolls up my sleeves, and I never put that mask on or pull the gun out. I work real hard and try to win the game, whatever it is, you know, fair and square."

Depending on who you speak to, what Martin is doing is nearly as impressive a feat as Johnson's dominant year.

"It's incredible, that's why we haven't seen it accomplished," said 1999 Cup champion Dale Jarrett, now an analyst for ESPN and ABC's NASCAR race broadcasts.

"A lot of it is his physical condition but I also believe it was good for him to take a couple years off. Mark's abilities have always been there, not taking away from Roush but he's always been a better driver than the equipment he's been in.

"There were times this sport would just eat at him," Jarrett continued. "Now you just see him having a blast. I think he's appreciating it more now."

And Martin would be the first to admit he is.

"This has been obviously the best year of my life professionally as well as personally," Martin said this week.

"The personal part comes from being happy. I was a very, very happy person in 2008. But that little bit of extra performance that we have been getting on the racetrack in 2009 even made it more awesome.

"The reason I took this deal is because I got close to winning a race or two in 2008, and I could just taste it. I really wanted a chance to try to win again before I wasn't able to ever experience that again. That was the motivation for me, taking this opportunity.

"It definitely has turned out to exceed my expectations. I knew that the race team would be awesome. I knew the car would be fast. I just hoped that I would be able to get the job done."

His boss, Rick Hendrick, certainly thinks he will. The two already brokered a two-year contract extension that will have Martin driving the No. 5 through 2011 -- through Martin's 52nd birthday, which essentially gives him two more chances to make history, two more seasons to enjoy the ride.

Rejuvenated Mark Martin Remains NASCAR's Sentimental Favorite originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:16:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Mark MartinMarkMartinNASCARHolly CainSat, 21 Nov 2009 18:16:00 EST Johnson Wins Pole for Homestead Finalehttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/20/johnson-wins-pole-for-homestead-finale/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/20/johnson-wins-pole-for-homestead-finale/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/20/johnson-wins-pole-for-homestead-finale/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Jimmie JohnsonHOMESTEAD, Fla. -- The hard-core conspirators will think NASCAR scripted it. The reality is Jimmie Johnson was the fastest driver of the day.

Johnson will start his No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet from the pole position in Sunday's Ford 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway -- the ultimate beginning to the last chapter in his quest to become the first driver to win four consecutive championships.

Of all things Johnson knocked his Hendrick Motorsports teammate -- and only title challenger left -- Mark Martin off the top spot on the qualifying speed chart. Johnson leads Martin by 108 points and needs only to finish 25th or better to clinch his historic championship.

Later Friday afternoon, rookies Scott Speed and Australian Marcos Ambrose bettered Martin's qualifying run, ultimately relegating the veteran to a fourth-place start.

"It is ironic and cool at the same time,'' Johnson said of knocking Martin off the pole. "It should be evident to all watching how hard both of us drivers are pushing.''

"I have to say, the car was better than I expected it to be,'' said Johnson who has collected four poles this season. "I'm definitely excited for track position and having the first pit stall. Being at the front is just the safest place to be.''

Typically that's a given, but Johnson finds himself surrounded by rookies in the biggest race of the year. His front row mate, Speed, in particular, has proven to be accident prone. The former Formula One driver insisted he didn't have a plan for the race start, but did say, "you don't want to be the idiot that wrecks the 48 either.''

Ambrose was more candid in his bid for situational awareness.

"Let's just say I'll be following him in line going into Turn One,'' Ambrose said. "He certainly knows his way around this place for sure. He's got like a halo around him.

"I won't be on his bumper though, I"ll be a little distance behind, let him do his own thing. He'll have a halo around him. It'll be like on the interstate, staying a car-length behind,'' Ambrose joked.

For his part, Johnson said he wasn't too worried about the starting grid.

"I'm not taking anything for granted,'' Johnson said. "But I'm happy to hear both Marcos and Scott know what's going on. They've both raced for championships before. They know.''

Of course that's not to say Johnson will be getting any free passes.

"It's a fine line between looking out for yourself and looking at the big picture,'' Ambrose said.

In other qualifying notes, Tony Stewart was fifth fastest, Jeff Gordon was 20th quickest and Juan Pablo Montoya, 23rd. Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start 32nd.

Johnson Wins Pole for Homestead Finale originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>JimmieJohnsonMark MartinMarkMartinnascarHolly CainFri, 20 Nov 2009 20:25:00 EST Brian France Talks State of NASCARhttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/20/brian-france-addresses-state-of-nascar/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/20/brian-france-addresses-state-of-nascar/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/20/brian-france-addresses-state-of-nascar/#commentsFiled under:

Brian FranceHOMESTEAD, Fla. -- NASCAR Chairman Brian France held an impromptu news conference Friday at Homestead Miami Speedway, addressing topics from NASCAR's legal battle with driver Jeremy Mayfield, to shortening the schedule, to the Chase for the Championship format and the possibility of Danica Patrick coming to NASCAR.

Generally speaking and considering the poor state of the economy, France said he's pleased with the season although he'd love to have fuller fields of cars carrying more corporate sponsorship and better television ratings. He said the COT is here to stay and he doubts NASCAR will start shortening the lengths of races.

Here are excerpts from France's meeting with reporters.

On Jeremy Mayfield's court case against NASCAR, which is becoming increasingly personal and bitter: "We believe we made the right decisions to make an already tough policy ever tougher. Very imperative that we prove our policy, which we did. ...

"I will say it this way,'' France continued, "I've had a lot of experience with trial lawyers -- more than I'd like -- and with trial lawyers I've never been surprised what they would say to help someone they're representing. Nothing surprises me about trial lawyers. Our preference is never to be in litigation, we make rules and hope people will abide by them. ''

*On Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway racing: "A lot of things in my view were misrepresented, but regardless, we had an exciting race. I know a lot of people will debate that, but we always look carefully at Talladega in the fall to see what changes we may need to make for the following Daytona 500. What usually comes out of Talladega is what adjustments we'll make headed to Daytona.

"There's no question that Talladega and Daytona are our two highest-rated races. We've got to make sure racing is safe, then make sure it's typical Talladega and Daytona racing.''

*On teams attracting sponsorship: "Our cost structure is a function of the free market and what's available at the time. You're always going to have teams that are underfunded, that's not anything new. My sense is it is difficult, but it will be fine. We're starting to see the ice thawing on that a little. We still have the best value proposition in sports. It's still the only way a company can brand on the playing field, the way we do.''

*On current testing limitations: "There is some perfect balance between some testing and no testing at all. We chose to go the route of cost-saving, knowing there are some consequences. As we dial it back as the economy gets better, I don't think we'll dial it back to where it was years ago, but we'll be dialing as we go watching the economy.''

Jimmie Johnson*On Chase format: "With this format to dominate four straight years, is incredible. We could not predict anyone would have the performance Jimmie (Johnson) has had. It's all about how you look at it, but obviously we look at adjustments to the format every year anyway and we'll be looking at that. But the premise of the Chase, the history, the performance in the Chase dictates how it plays out.

"Every sport would have the same dilemma of watching some dominant performances occur at the expense of smaller teams or others. How do you get to the perfect world? All I can say is this is historical, an incredible achievement Jimmie is putting forward and that's what's before us.

"Any models that we did, never had someone getting dominant just at the right time. It's not a formula on the computer, it's about sports, it's live and it's about who performs at a high level. Ultimately, that's what we look at in deciding what's a good outcome and what isn't."

*On shortening the 36-race schedule: "It's easy to think that (we should shorten schedule) this late in the year, but you have to take a step back and look at it. We don't have the volume other sports have. We don't have 30-40 games a week. We have one big event, per series, per week. When you start dialing that back it has a lot of effects. There's great value in having events happen once a week that outweigh dialing back or taking events off the schedule.''

*On Danica Patrick: "She has obviously taken a very hard look at this sport and is a very accomplished driver in her own right. I would love to see her compete in the highest form of racing in the world, if she does ... as they say that's why they play the game. I don't know how well she'll do. She has a lot of talent. She would be good for NASCAR. How well she performs is just like any driver, you never know until you try.

"She's certainly very welcome in NASCAR and I've told her that directly and I know others have as well.''

Brian France Talks State of NASCAR originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>brian francedanica patrickjimmie johnsonHolly CainFri, 20 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST Everything's Gravy in Hendrick Universehttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/19/any-way-you-look-at-it-nascar-finale-will-make-history/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/19/any-way-you-look-at-it-nascar-finale-will-make-history/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/19/any-way-you-look-at-it-nascar-finale-will-make-history/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

MIAMI -- NASCAR's Championship Weekend officially kicked off Thursday during a contenders press conference that couldn't have been less like boxing's version of a pre-bout showdown. This was more meet-and-greet than stare-and-glare.

The players here -- three-time defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson and his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Mark Martin -- like each other, so much so it was difficult to remember that they are actually competing against one another.

Johnson gushed about what a great driver Martin is. And Martin humbly insisted he was just happy to be in position to challenge Johnson. And their team owner Rick Hendrick maintained, "I'm just living the dream."
Whitley: Johnson the Great Unknown

Of course, that's understandable when you're either on the verge of a historic fourth consecutive title, as Johnson is, or stand a mathematical chance to win your first at the age of 50, as Martin is.

And either way, Hendrick is assured of his ninth Cup championship as an owner, which ties him with the great Petty Enterprises operation which won seven with NASCAR's "King" Richard Petty.

Reporters couldn't even get Johnson and the famously-buffed Martin to predict a winner if the drivers arm-wrestled.

"I don't know,'' Johnson laughed, "have you seen his arms, he's pretty ripped. ... But remember, he only weighs about 125 pounds.''

Flanked by his two drivers Thursday in Miami, Hendrick clearly basked in his win-win situation. Johnson holds a 108-point advantage over Martin entering Sunday's Ford 400 season finale at Homestead Miami Speedway and only needs to finish 25th or better to become the first driver in NASCAR's 61-year history to win four straight championships.

Hendrick Motorsports's first four-time champ, Jeff Gordon, is third in the standings.

"To be able to look back and see what we've been able to accomplish, I've just been really fortunate to be around a lot of great people,'' said Hendrick.

"It's hard for me to believe that we're sitting here tied with Richard Petty. I don't feel worthy of that. I don't know how to explain that, because when I was nominated for the Hall of Fame, I don't think I'm even in that category in my mind with a Bobby Allison, a Richard Petty, that group.

"I hope one day when we look back that we can say we've accomplished some pretty neat things. So I'm just very fortunate to be at this place in my life with this organization. I owe it all to the people. I really can't explain how it happened, it just did."

And while he and Martin, who has finished runner-up in the championship four other times, conceded they're able to enjoy the ride more this weekend, Johnson is languishing somewhere between the confidence his three previous titles have given him and the anxiety that his fourth is not a gimme. The pressure is on him.

He said he hasn't read any newspaper stories about the Chase for the Championship since his win last Sunday in Phoenix, even confessing to changing the television channel should ESPN's SportsCenter mention NASCAR or tease to a race highlight.

It's worth noting that Martin made up 111 points when Johnson wrecked in Texas and has out-scored Johnson by at least 109 points nine times in the last five seasons.

"For me personally, I left Talladega with emotion and felt very good about things, that we missed the big one,'' Johnson said. "Damn if we weren't in the first caution on the third lap at the [next] race in Texas. So I am out of emotion. There is no emotion. It's all business.

"It's about showing up tomorrow, putting in the best [qualifying] lap I can, driving the car as hard as I can on Saturday, making sure the car is set up right, and doing my job on Sunday.''



Regardless of which driver hoists the trophy Sunday night at Homestead, Hendrick said he has to consider this the best year in his team's history. It will be the first time in NASCAR history one organization has finished 1-2-3 in the standings and Hendrick drivers have won 13 of the season's 35 races. Johnson owns a series-high seven victories.

"The thing that I'm probably going to be the proudest of is that what got us here is the fact that Alan [Martin's crew chief, Alan Gustafson] and Chad [Johnson's crew chief, Chad Knaus] will talk on Saturday and Saturday night and they will share information,'' Hendrick said. "Jimmie and Mark will talk on Saturday and Saturday night, and they will share information.

"They'll go out and compete against each other. That won't change. At the end of the race, they know that what they've done all year has got us here.

"That's the part that I'm so proud of, that Chad in a meeting at Hendrick Motorsports on Tuesday will give Alan credit that he got the setup on Saturday from Alan, went out and won the race, when Alan will give Chad the credit.

"When you've got everybody working together, it makes a big difference."

Everything's Gravy in Hendrick Universe originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>JimmieJohnsonMark MartinHolly CainThu, 19 Nov 2009 18:35:00 EST Jimmie Johnson: Toast of the Coasthttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/18/jimmie-johnson-toast-of-the-coast/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/18/jimmie-johnson-toast-of-the-coast/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/18/jimmie-johnson-toast-of-the-coast/#commentsFiled under: ,

Jimmie Johnson
With Jimmie Johnson becoming the first racer in history to win four consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup championships on Sunday, FanHouse motorsports writer Holly Cain took a trip to his hometown outside San Diego last week. This is the second of a two-part series looking at the unlikely start for a stock car great.
Part I: Long Road to Be an American Hero | Whitley: The Great Unknown


EL CAJON, Calif. -- If not for Gary Johnson's tendency to get seasick, there's a good chance his son Jimmie Johnson might have been a fisherman, pro surfer or a boat racer instead of making his mark as one of the best NASCAR champions of all time.

Gary's father -- Jimmie's grandfather -- spent decades on the ocean as a merchant marine, establishing the family's roots in San Diego, California. His love of the water was passed on to the next generations, the steadiness in the open seas -- not so much.

So when Gary, a heavy-equipment operator, and his wife Cathy, a school bus driver, took refuge from the work week and packed up their three young sons for weekend family getaways, it wasn't the Pacific Ocean 10 minutes away that drew them - but the two-hour drive east to the Southern California desert.

What amounted to weekly family bonding sessions was spent camping under the stars, riding dune buggies and cheering Jimmie on when he raced dirt bikes and eventually off-road trucks.

The rest of Jimmie Johnson's story is history. And the most recent chapter was written Sunday when he won a NASCAR record fourth consecutive Sprint Cup championship.

"That's what I did as a kid with my family too,'' said Gary Johnson, "That's where I really believe the family values come in.

"And if we weren't out racing, we had a place on the Colorado River and the boys would be out there riding jet skis -- the old ones where you had to stand up, balance and really ride them,'' he laughed. "I think that's why Jimmie is so good with the cars now because everything that kid did, every weekend, had a motor under it.''

"I'm still pinching myself. We couldn't have planned it, with him doing motorcycles and off-road stuff ... to end up where he is."
- Jimmie Johnson's father, Gary Johnson, 34, held a 108-point advantage over veteran Mark Martin entering Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway and needed only to finish 25th or better to claim his fourth consecutive Cup title.

As it turned out, Johnson finished fifth, defeating Martin by a stout 141 points.

Johnson has now accomplished something no one in stock car racing has ever done. Not Richard Petty or Dale Earnhardt. Not Cale Yarborough or Darrell Waltrip.

And it's not only Johnson's legacy that stands to distinguish him among these great champions, but the non-traditional journey he took to even join them.

The Johnson family was actually one among many that crowded Main Street late each Friday afternoon in El Cajon's version of rush hour. Trucks pulling campers, dune buggies and trailers lined the road making their way to the freeway access for the long drive east on Interstate 8 headed to the Southern California desert and a weekend of family fun riding 4-wheelers, dirt bikes and racing off-road trucks.

Johnson, as it turned out, ultimately just ended up much farther east.

His arrival in the stock car ranks he has come to dominate, however, was a more a series of fortunate random events than some well-orchestrated master plan.

NASCAR wasn't even something Johnson particularly followed growing up. Like most teenagers from the area, he could reel off the starting grid for the Baja 1000. NASCAR's Southern 500, 3000 miles away in Darlington, S.C., wasn't so much on the radar.

"Jimmie really liked watching Robby Gordon race,'' Gary Johnson explained. "And he even used to tell me as a kid he wanted to race Indy cars because watching the Indianapolis 500 was such a big deal.''

It helped that the Johnson family got the E-ticket experience when it came to Baja. Gary Johnson drove a tire truck for BF Goodrich and he and the boys actually served as a pit stop during the famous Baja races through Mexico and California.

In between his own races Jimmie accompanied his dad in the BF Goodrich truck, servicing an assortment of racing series in the area. And as it does so often in this sport, one thing led to another.

"There was no plan,'' Gary Johnson recalled with a laugh. "It all just worked out somehow. Jimmie got his real big break because my boss liked him and he started meeting all the right people.''

The most important of those was Herb Fishel, General Motors' former point man for racing, who called Johnson to Detroit for a meeting.

"If Herb liked you, you were going places, it was that easy -- and Herb liked Jimmie,'' said National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) racer Ron Capps, Johnson's long-time friend and a former GM driver.

"I remember Herb talking about this kid Jimmie Johnson and saying, 'this kid can drive anything.' If Herb was that confident, you were the guy.''

Johnson's career was launched - first in the famed Mickey Thompson Stadium Series, then the American Speed Association, then a shot in NASCAR's junior Nationwide ranks before landing in the marquee Cup Series only eight years -- and now four championships ago.

Johnson is not just "the guy." He's "the man."

"I'm still pinching myself,'' Gary Johnson said. "We couldn't have planned it, with him doing motorcycles and off-road stuff. ... to end up where he is.''

Jimmie JohnsonFor all of Johnson's success in NASCAR, most people in his hometown El Cajon are more familiar with Tom Petty than Richard Petty. And when it comes to sports -- the San Diego Chargers, whose stadium sits about 10 minutes away - are definitely top dogs.

"Nothing even comes close to the San Diego Chargers or the Padres, and yet Jimmie Johnson is better than them, I know, I know,'' said Amir Hirmiz, whose family owns Da Boyz Pizza in nearby Rancho San Diego.

His popular, SoCal-sleek restaurant draws a big weekend crowd -- but typically all but one of the dozen large screen televisions are tuned into the NFL on a given Fall Sunday.

"But we do have a loyal crowd that comes in every week to watch Jimmie.''

There are no signs declaring El Cajon "Home of NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson" although the Mayor did declare a Jimmie Johnson Day following his 2006 title. The more loyal following is at the Los Panchos taco stand - Stop One on any Jimmie Johnson Hometown guided tour.

The relationship between Los Panchos and Johnson started out innocently enough, something like this: "Carne asada burrito, American guacamole, cheese, no salsa and five rolled tacos. Please."

And now there are more photos of Johnson and his No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet in the authentic Mexican restaurant than there are Mexican artifacts and decor. A sign over the front door reads, "Jimmie Johnson Drive" and there are framed autographed T-shirts, photos of employees posing with Johnson and even a thank you from the Jimmie Johnson Foundation for Los Panchos' help catering the foundation's annual charity golf event.

Sit in a front booth by the window and you look out over El Cajon's Main Street, about a five-minute, ear-popping downhill coast from the neighborhood in Crest where Johnson grew up.

Los Panchos' manager Juan Romero says he can still count on a good business every Friday afternoon when the trucks and trailers and campers start filing down Crest Mountain to join the traffic on a trek to the desert.

Not much has changed in El Cajon.

"But Jimmie's sure come a long way,'' Gary Johnson says with emotion. "What means more to me than a championship ever would, is that he's a fine young man.''

Gary Johnson has the best of both worlds.
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Jimmie Johnson: Toast of the Coast originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>jimmie johnsonnascarHolly CainWed, 18 Nov 2009 13:30:00 EST Jimmie Johnson's Road to American Herohttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/jimmie-johnsons-road-to-american-hero/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/jimmie-johnsons-road-to-american-hero/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/jimmie-johnsons-road-to-american-hero/#commentsFiled under: ,

Jimmie Johnson's #48
With Jimmie Johnson becoming the first racer in history to win four consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup championships on Sunday, FanHouse motorsports writer Holly Cain took a trip to his hometown outside San Diego last week. This is the first of a two-part series looking at the unlikely start for a stock car great.

EL CAJON, Calif. -- The neighborhood sits just beyond a miniature horse farm, up Crest Mountain in unincorporated El Cajon, where dusty pick-up trucks buzz by impatiently, dirt bikes strapped in their truck beds.

A convenience store serves as grocer and shares space with Lenardo Pizzeria -- a five-table local's favorite. A block away Nancy Jane County Park -- about half the size of a football field -- is surrounded randomly by brand new, half-million dollar homes and decades-old tiny block cottages with overgrown weeds and old cars parked in what would be a lawn, except it's all dirt.

This is a blue-collar community of four-wheelers, off-road trucks and dirt bikes only 20 minutes -- but a world away -- from the Mercedes Benz's and BMW's crowding San Diego proper.

A couple houses up an incline from the park, your eyes are drawn to an impeccably manicured corner lot where next to the three pick-ups in the driveway there is a 20-foot flagpole carrying a huge American flag. Under it, an equally large flag flies the blue No. 48 and Lowe's Home Improvement store logo.

This modest community of Crest -- 30 minutes north of the Mexican border -- is where Jimmie Johnson grew up -- an unlikely launching point for someone who on Sunday in Homestead, Fla., became the first person in good ol' NASCAR history to claim four consecutive Sprint Cup championships.

To fully appreciate how far Johnson has come, it helps to grasp where he started.

"The best way I'd describe this area is to say it's a place where everything has been earned and worked for,'' said Jake Gaeir, an assistant principal at Granite Hills High School, from where Johnson, a former varsity water polo player, diver and swimmer, graduated in 1993.

It's become a bit of NASCAR folklore that the humble Johnson once lived in a trailer park. And his background is modest, but the reality is Crest is more like a neighborhood of parked trailers.

For some of the approximately 1,000 people that live here, the trailers are recreational -- mobile weekend homes for the hard-working 9-to-5ers. For many, they were forced sanctuaries. Some of Johnson's former neighbors had to live in trailers while their charred homes were rebuilt.

High-school photos of Jimmie Johnson

In 2003, Nancy Jane Park was a command post during a particularly cruel Southern California wildfire season that claimed more than 200 homes in the area.

Flames came within yards of burning down Johnson's childhood home. And without fanfare he acted as any reasonable, thoughtful person with great resources would: he immediately sent help to his neighbors.

Johnson donated money and enlisted the help of his race team sponsor Lowe's. Three years ago, Johnson donated his entire winner's paycheck from a victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway to the fire relief fund. And since then, the Jimmie Johnson Foundation has partnered with Habitat for Humanity in building four completely new homes for families displaced in the fires.

The resulting disparity in the community's homes is a vivid result of those forced to build new -- and a vivid reminder of how one of their own generously and without hesitation gave back.

"Jimmie Johnson is something, you know,'' said Lenardo Pizzeria owner who goes simply by "Sam," "Everyone here is a friend of Jimmie Johnson's because everyone knows he has a good heart.''

It's a typical response from people everywhere you roam in El Cajon. Lunchroom diners at the city's Downtown Cafe, who admittedly might not follow NASCAR, are still quick to celebrate their hometown kid.

And yet elsewhere Johnson suffers from a uniquely NASCAR disease. Despite proving himself a winner on the track -- 47 Sprint Cup victories -- and good guy off it, many of the sport's fans are still slow to give him his due. Those that say he's too polished, too polite, too fortunate, might find they have more in common with Johnson than they realize.

Mark Martin's father owned a large trucking company; Johnson's father drove a large truck.

Jeff Gordon's stepfather moved the family from Northern California to Indiana just so Gordon could meet an age requirement to race. Johnson's father moved his sons -- Jimmie and two younger brothers -- into the desert when he delivered and serviced tires for BF Goodrich in the Baja 1000.

If they gave Johnson a chance, even those hard-core, gotta win-me-over fans might discover someone who is simply genuine and happy and genuinely happy. Because at 34 years old and now having achieved sports history, he has already far exceeded any of his own expectations.

And he's making sure to enjoy the ride - no matter how bumpy or atypical it was out of the gates.

"If even five years ago you stood back and said there would be a driver from San Diego who used to race off-road trucks and he's going to be one of the biggest champions in NASCAR, you would have had people laugh in your face,'' said National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) drag racer Ron Capps, a friend of Johnson's who has lived in the area for decades.

"To come where he's come from and not from a lot a money, it's even more impressive.

"Think about it, the NASCAR world has always been the good ol' boy network and here's a guy rewriting its history. Basically, he's infiltrated that network without having a name like Petty or Earnhardt or Wood brothers.

"You'd think the fans ought to feel lucky they have him as a champion. He's such a great guy, so down to earth. Here's someone who has reason to have become a jerk or an ego monster and everyone that knows him will tell you he hasn't changed one bit with all the success.''

That's greatly due to the fact that Johnson wasn't raised that way. And he's earned every smile he offers, worked hard for each success in the most competitive era his sport has ever seen.

Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports has created an organizational dynasty and Johnson's crew chief, Chad Knaus, is regarded as a strategical guru, but Johnson's still the guy driving the car. How can you argue with four wins in nine Chase races this year and a championship rate that climbed to 50 percent -- four titles in his eight-year Cup career -- on Sunday.

"People don't realize how hard he worked, how much he wants it,'' his dad, Gary Johnson, said. "People think he was given things. Heck, we had one bathroom in our house in Crest. I remember at one time I had four motorcycles parked in the master bedroom with my alarm clock resting on top of one.

"We could have had a big fancy house, but we chose to spend money on things that we could do as a family."

After Johnson won his first Cup championship in 2006, Granite Hills High Principal Georgette Torres invited him to a school assembly where his car number 48 was retired from all Eagle sports teams uniforms and Johnson was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame.

Torres once coordinated Johnson's independent studies while he raced as a teenager and is an "original" member of the Jimmie Johnson Fan Club from the early 1990s.

"Back then, it was really more like fund-raising,'' Torres tells with a wide smile. "We were raising money so he could go race in the desert.''

When Johnson -- voted a member of the 1993 Homecoming Court -- came back to address the almost 3,000 students gathered at the school's football stadium, he entered the track driving his famous No. 48 Chevrolet and couldn't resist finishing off the entrance with a loud, smoke-filled burnout that brought the cheering stadium crowd of teenagers to its feet.

"When he climbed out of the car, he gave me that same look I remember, that smile, and said, 'Sorry Miss Torres, but I've always wanted to do that,'' Torres recalled, obviously still amused.

"And all I could do was smile and say, 'It's okay, Jimmie.'

"He's such a positive role model and with today's athletes and superstars that's not always the case. With Jimmie, it's always the case.

"He's just genuinely a good kid. And we're proud of him here in El Cajon.''

(Part Two: See "Jimmie Johnson: Toast of the Coast" -- his off-road to NASCAR)

Jimmie Johnson's Road to American Hero originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:02:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>jimmie johnsonnascarHolly CainTue, 17 Nov 2009 16:02:00 EST Championship-Worthy Seasons Not Enough for Jeff Gordon, Mark Martinhttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/16/championship-worthy-seasons-again-not-enough-for-jeff-gordon-ma/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/16/championship-worthy-seasons-again-not-enough-for-jeff-gordon-ma/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/16/championship-worthy-seasons-again-not-enough-for-jeff-gordon-ma/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Jeff Gordon Mark Martin NASCAR Sprint Cup Phoenix Hendrick 2009 FanHouseThe cloudy white smoke from Jimmie Johnson's marathon victory burnout at Phoenix International Raceway Sunday seemed to have a double meaning.

On one hand, it was a celebration for all that Johnson has done right in the 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup as he marches towards an improbable fourth straight Sprint Cup championship in the season's final race next weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

But on the other, it seemed to identify a brutal certainty for two of NASCAR's marquee drivers as once again Mark Martin's (2nd in points) and Jeff Gordon's (3rd) collective shots at NASCAR's biggest crown were figuratively going up in smoke.
More Coverage: Johnson in Cruise Control | Sprint Cup Standings

Gordon, of course, has somewhat of a "been-there-done-that" attitude towards championships thanks to the four he's collected in his Cup career, starting with his 1992 debut. Martin, though, appears to be heading towards his fifth career runner-up spot in the final season standings if he holds serve next Sunday at Homestead in relation to the competitors behind him.

Sure, it's imperative to mention in this column the fact that Johnson has yet to officially lay claim to the 2009 champion's trophy. His 108-point lead over Martin with one race remaining isn't a sure thing at Homestead, but it's the second-biggest lead Johnson has had going to Homestead as the championship leader.

Plus, he's yet to lose enough points at Homestead to lose the championship.

None of that makes it any easier for Martin to score the upset and win his first career Cup title.

Martin, though, has maintained all season that his 2009 campaign -- his first back from a few years of semi-retirement that saw him drive sparingly in the Cup series since departing Roush-Fenway Racing after 2006 -- hasn't been solely about winning the championship that has eluded him for so long.

Instead, Martin says, it's been about him learning to enjoy the sport of racing again and learning that every race is just a small part of the picture -- and that a bad finish or a bit of tough luck isn't a good reason to be mad for a week.

What's disappointing, though, is how the run that Martin has put together in the second part of the season -- and more notably the Chase -- will likely go for naught. Since an early crash at the July race in Daytona, Martin has tallied together two wins and 13 Top-10s in 17 races, and after the Chase began, Martin has finished out of the Top 10 just twice -- at Charlotte and after crashing at Talladega.


In total, Martin has earned the second-most number of wins in a season in his career (5) and that number is also good for second-most on the season behind teammate Johnson.

Like I said, Jeff Gordon is no newbie to the championship game. Gordon, though, hasn't taken home a title since 2001 (his fourth) and hasn't laid claim on the new Sprint Cup trophy since the Chase was instituted in 2004.

He's not even new to efforts of championship caliber failing to pan out. The most recent example was 2007 when Gordon earned a NASCAR-record 30 top-10s that season. He missed out on the title, though, thanks to Jimmie Johnson taking his second-career championship during a Chase system due to an abnormally strong final ten races.

This year wasn't as successful for Gordon. He lined up one win and 24 Top-10s in all (prior to Homestead, of course), which leaves him in third heading to the season's final race. Unfortunately for No. 24 fans with a fifth championship on their mind, Gordon's 169-point deficit to Johnson means that Johnson simply needs to take the green flag next week at Homestead for Gordon to be cut out of the picture once again (now the eighth straight year).

After Sunday's race, Gordon acknowledged that his team had improved significantly from a 2008 season without a win and less than 20 Top-10s. But trying to get even better (especially at the Chase tracks) would take a hard, hard response this offseason by the Steve Letarte-led team, if a title is to be reachable over No. 48 in 2010.

Fortunately, both Martin and Gordon won't need to look too far -- just across their team race shop, to be exact -- to measure their progress against the level Jimmie Johnson has set for what looks to be four straight years of NASCAR domination.

Championship-Worthy Seasons Not Enough for Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>jeff gordonmark martinPhoenix International RacewayGeoffrey MillerMon, 16 Nov 2009 02:20:00 EST Jimmie Johnson Wins at Phoenix to Cruise Into Finalehttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/15/jimmie-johnson-wins-at-phoenix-to-cruise-into-finale/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/15/jimmie-johnson-wins-at-phoenix-to-cruise-into-finale/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/15/jimmie-johnson-wins-at-phoenix-to-cruise-into-finale/#commentsFiled under: ,


AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- Jimmie Johnson rebounded from a rare bad race with a dominating victory at Phoenix International Raceway that pushed him to the edge of a NASCAR record fourth consecutive championship.

Johnson led 238 laps Sunday to win for the fourth time in the last five races at Phoenix. It was his seventh victory of the season, and fourth since the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

More important, it stretched his lead to 108 points over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Mark Martin heading into the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Johnson needs to finish 25th or better next week to grab a spot in NASCAR's record books.
More: Race Results | Sprint Cup Standings

Although his Hendrick team initially celebrated as if the title had been locked up, the No. 48 crew quickly settled down in Victory Lane.

"I can't put my guard down," Johnson said, "anything and everything can go wrong."

It did a week ago in Texas, where Johnson was caught in a wreck three laps into the race and had to sit inside his disabled race car as his crew did a total rebuild of the Chevrolet. He limped to a 38th-place finish that cost him 111 points in the standings.

It still left him with a 73-point lead over Martin headed into Phoenix, but Johnson refused to play it safe and coast to the win. He raced hard all weekend, intent on bouncing back with a dominating showing in the desert.

"We could have easily been beat down, and certainly there were some dark moments over the past week thinking about the points lost," Johnson said. "We didn't, though. But we saw in Texas that anything can happen, so we don't need to get too excited about this."

Martin finished fourth, respectable but not the showing he needed to move closer to the championship that has eluded him his entire NASCAR career. The sentimental favorite this year will likely finish second in the final standings for a fifth time.

"We gave it everything we had," Martin said.

He's the only driver still in mathematical contention to catch Johnson. Fellow Hendrick driver Jeff Gordon will be eliminated as soon as Johnson starts next Sunday's race, and Johnson's win at Phoenix knocked everyone else out of contention.

Martin, however, is refusing to concede to Johnson and said he won't let up next week in Homestead as he tries to at least stave off Gordon for second in the final standings. But should Johnson coast to the win, Martin will be fine.

"We've still got to go to Homestead and run like this again, because we still have heat behind us, Jeff Gordon, especially," Martin said. "I definitely have been beat by the best -- Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt. It wouldn't embarrass me if it was Jimmie Johnson as well.

Jeff Burton finished second and was followed by Denny Hamlin, Martin and pole-sitter Martin Truex Jr.

Kurt Busch, winner last week at Texas, finished sixth. Clint Bowyer was seventh and followed by Juan Pablo Montoya, Gordon, and David Reutimann.

Nobody was surprised to see Johnson in Victory Lane, particularly since he'd had such a rare race the week before.

"Anytime that Jimmie is down is not usually because of performance, it's usually because of an incident like last week," Hamlin said. "There was no doubt in my mind they were going to come this week and make a statement. Obviously leading all the laps pretty much and winning the race sends a statement out there that he is the best, that they're not going to be denied this year."

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

Jimmie Johnson Wins at Phoenix to Cruise Into Finale originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:03:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>jimmie johnsonFanHouse NewswireSun, 15 Nov 2009 20:03:00 EST FanHouse Warmup: Checker 500http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/14/fanhouse-warmup-checker-500/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/14/fanhouse-warmup-checker-500/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/14/fanhouse-warmup-checker-500/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

The Essentials
Race: Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500
Where: Phoenix Int'l Raceway
Time: Sunday 3:15 PM ET
TV/Radio: ABC, MRN Radio
Twitter: Updates @ FanHouseRacing
Forecast: Mostly sunny, High 60s
Distance: 312 laps (312 miles)
Pole Winner: Martin Truex Jr.
2008 Winner: Jimmie Johnson

 The Storylines

What makes any NASCAR finish exciting, and any sporting event for that matter, is when the unexpected happens. A last-second shot, a last-second touchdown, an underdog felling a Goliath and even a last lap pass -- yes, even Jimmie Johnson smacking the wall last week at Texas -- all create the unanticipated result that feeds into creating the rush of a sporting event.

Unfortunately, the most recent data we have from Phoenix International Raceway doesn't leave a lot of hope that we'll be seeing the unforeseen Sunday afternoon at the 1-miler.

Not to be a downer, but the three most eligible drivers to make history in 2009 with a a Sprint Cup title are the Hendrick Motorsports trio of Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon. Coincidentally, they are also the three drivers who have scored the most recent wins at PIR.

Gordon got the ball rolling with a win in 2007 until Johnson won three straight in '07 and 2008. Mark Martin capped the Hendrick ownership of Phoenix earlier this year when his No. 5 drove to victory in the April event.

So unless one of them, say, gets a nudge from Sam Hornish Jr. on or around lap 3 on Sunday, it seems like we'll be seeing more of the same: a Hendrick car out front.

So. Exciting.

Carl Edwards won Saturday's Nationwide Series race at PIR and in the process left Kyle Busch to wait until he makes the start at Homestead next week to clinch the series title.

That, though, wasn't the most exciting feature of the race -- and not the one that might carry over to Sunday's Cup action.

Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski, as we know, aren't exactly best friends after a string of on-track incidents. After Saturday's race, it didn't get any better.

Needless details aside, Hamlin bumped Keselowski for position during the race and Keselowski, in turn, spun Hamlin.

Denny wasn't so happy about it and promised to take the matters into his own hands after the incident. They even had a heated argument outside of the Nationwide Series hauler.

What does that mean? Well, I can't say we know when Keselowski will get the payback, but both he and Denny will be Sunday's race.

FanHouse Warmup: Checker 500 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:23:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Phoenix International RacewayGeoffrey MillerSat, 14 Nov 2009 22:23:00 EST Sprint Cup Crown Remains Jimmie Johnson's to Losehttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/12/2009-title-still-johnsons-to-lose/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/12/2009-title-still-johnsons-to-lose/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/12/2009-title-still-johnsons-to-lose/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Jimmie Johnson Sprint Cup NASCAR Phoenix 2009 Hendrick Jeff Gordon Jimmie Johnson Texas CrashThe chaos of Lap 3 last Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway certainly tossed the NASCAR world into a frenzy.

When the dust settled, version one of the No. 48 Texas Chevrolet became version two and both Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon failed to add the word "clutch" to their 2009 resumes, one point about NASCAR's most dominant driver became exceedingly clear.

Jimmie Johnson, point being, is still the de facto guy to beat for the 2009 Sprint Cup championship -- and it's going to take plenty more Texas-like highly unlikely events to keep three-time from becoming four-time.

Johnson, for the the under the rock crowd, was tapped by an out-of-control Sam Hornish Jr. off of turn two at Texas in a lap 3 incident. Johnson's car sidestepped into a glancing shot off the outside wall before spinning back across the track and slamming the inside wall.

An hour and eight minutes later, Johnson was back on track with a rebuilt race car that struggled around the track but did finish. Johnson earned a 38th-place finish and just 49 points towards his championship effort.

Mark Martin, second in points before Texas, was in the most prime of positions to capitalize but couldn't ever get over the the hump during the 500-miler. Martin's team, though, played the fuel mileage finish well and came across the start/finish line for a fourth-place finish and collected 160 points.

It was enough to gain 110 points on Johnson, but a win would have meant so much more.

Jeff Gordon, the leader at that point in the race of Johnson's crash, could have taken a huge pre-Texas deficit of 192 and sliced into a 46-point Johnson lead had he stayed out front and earned a sweep of the Sprint Cup trips to Texas in 2009. Instead, he faltered and wound up 13th, trailing Johnson by 112 points with two races left.

The 70-point jump was Gordon's biggest gain on Johnson in the 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup, but it wasn't near enough to put him back in serious contention for a fifth Sprint Cup championship.

Serious contention, of course, doesn't factor in Johnson hitting any walls in the final two races or otherwise ending up stopped in the garage area long before the race is over. Why? Because it just doesn't happen.

If you want to find a race in Chase that Johnson finished worse than what he did Sunday, you'll look back to the first race of the 2006 Chase. Johnson finished 39th at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but managed to still win his first Cup title.

Since then and until Texas, Johnson's worst finishes have been a 24th at Talladega in '06, two 15th-place finishes at Texas and Homestead last season and three 14th-place finishes with two in 2007 at Dover and Charlotte and the other at Kansas in 2006. He's also got a13th-place finish at Dover in 2006.

Aside from those and Sunday's race at Texas, Johnson has scored a 29 top-10s in 38 Chase races.

Then, there's the fact that Johnson is heading to a track that his No. 48 team has excelled at. Phoenix International Raceway has hosted a Jimmie Johnson victory lane celebration three times in his career and he's picked up 7 top-5s and 10 top-10s at the Arizona 1-miler.

Johnson's worst outings at Phoenix have been a pair of 15th-place finishes in 2002 and 2005. In the Chase races that have seen him go on to be champion, though, Johnson has averaged a gaudy finish of 1.3 with two wins and a second-place finish.

That can't be heartening for Martin and Gordon.

In terms of points, Johnson's critical number of the next two weeks is 318.

Mark Martin, if he won the next two races and lead the most laps, would earn 390 points. If Johnson earns the 318, there's nothing Martin could do to prevent the championship. Going to third in points with Jeff Gordon (and pending Martin has a mediocre run in the next two weeks) Johnson needs to score just 278 points to overcome a Gordon domination of the final two races.

The magic finishing position number for Johnson is 4th pending two Martin wins and 8th pending two Gordon wins.

As it turns out, Johnson's finish at Texas might have been comparable to watching an underdog football team run back the opening kickoff of the second half in a marginally close game with a top-ranked squad. Sure, the brief hope of an upset crosses everyone's minds. All too often, though, the expected becomes the reality -- with or without SEC football officials patrolling the sidelines.

Jimmie Johnson showed he's just as vulnerable to misfortune as any other driver in the field at Texas, but just as good, dominant football teams do -- he and the rest of the No. 48 team are highly, highly unlikely to let the losses keep mounting.

Sprint Cup Crown Remains Jimmie Johnson's to Lose originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Phoenix International RacewayTexas Motor SpeedwayGeoffrey MillerThu, 12 Nov 2009 12:55:00 EST Sprint Cup N's & Q's: Dickies 500http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/sprint-cup-ns-and-qs-dickies-500/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/sprint-cup-ns-and-qs-dickies-500/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/sprint-cup-ns-and-qs-dickies-500/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Notes, quotes and a dash of commentary from a NASCAR weekend in Texas.

Kurt Busch Texas Motor Speedway NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase Penske RacingWhat a difference a crew chief makes.

Kyle Busch, a Sprint Cup nobody in the last few weeks, rocketed back to his expected form with new team leader Dave Rogers calling the shots Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. Busch had the dominant car and led 232 of 334 laps before a fuel miscalculation or a blind shot at a win kept him from making history by being the first driver to win three races in one weekend.

And strangely, Busch's old form of letting his crew chief do the post-race talking returned, too.

Busch, credited with an 11th-place finish after running out of fuel with 2.5 laps left, skirted all media on his quick dash out from Texas -- leaving Rogers to stand in the garage area and try to explain what happened on his end.

But what about Kyle? Was he disappointed to miss out on doing a NASCAR first? Or was he late to a race somewhere else?

Kyle Busch fans, I guess you'll never know.

Sunday's margin of victory for Kurt Busch was a whopping 25.686 seconds, thanks to him stretching the fuel mileage game in his No. 2 Dodge.

Since NASCAR's inception of electronic timing in 1993, Kurt Busch's winning margin at Texas was the largest of any race in that time period. That 1993 season featured another fuel mileage race with a large margin of victory as Morgan Shepherd took the win -- his last career Sprint Cup win -- at Atlanta Motor Speedway by some 17 seconds in the Wood Brothers No. 21 car.

Of all the work Jimmie Johnson's crew performed on what was otherwise a completely trashed race car after his lap 3 crash, it's surprising they left out one huge detail: a massive Lowe's decal on the new hood.

NASCAR has long been the sport with sponsors and logos in every imaginable spot, so you'd think the team would just naturally have a replacement nose at least covered with a Lowe's decal -- or even just have a big one ready to peel and stick on the hood.

After all, think about all of the cool marketing approaches Lowe's could use had the No. 48 donned a logo. I'm thinking about pitches involving teamwork, quality repair and, of course, the Lowe's motto of "Let's Build Something Together."

Why do I have a feeling that's something Hendrick Motorsports will have figured out for next weekend -- just in case?

You've got to be happy for Michael McGee, the agriculture education teacher from Broken Bow, Okla.

McGee randomly chose Kurt Busch to take Sunday's race win after the 23-year-old advanced through race sponsor Dickies' American Worker of the Year contest. As a result, he won a cool million bucks.

As a guy who has spent more than my fair share of time in the agriculture education world, it was a cool moment to see a person in a profession that can make a big difference on the lives of his students thanks to a real world education that ag ed can offer. As with so many thankless jobs, the pay is very often not that great.

How does McGee plan to spend the money? He told ESPN after the race that he'd like to pay off his house and maybe build a covered horse barn because he raises horses on the side. There's something to like about a guy who wins money and plans to spend it in a responsible fashion, I say.

On Twitter during Sunday's race, a lot was made about the teamwork amongst Hendrick Motorsports teams to get Jimmie Johnson's car back on the track -- despite teammates Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon being the closest contenders to taking advantage of Johnson's misfortune.

HMS team members wearing colors from all four teams were shown helping with different parts of Johnson's mangled race car.

Sure, there's some element of cooperation going on there, but people should remember that the paychecks at Hendrick Motorsports come from Hendrick Motorsports -- not Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson or Mark Martin. As a result, those crew guys are going to work on anything under the Hendrick Motorsports banner -- not just one car or another.

Sprint Cup N's & Q's: Dickies 500 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:24:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Texas Motor SpeedwayGeoffrey MillerMon, 09 Nov 2009 18:24:00 EST Jimmie Johnson's Extra Motivationhttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/08/jimmie-johnson-angry-and-motivated/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/08/jimmie-johnson-angry-and-motivated/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/08/jimmie-johnson-angry-and-motivated/#commentsFiled under: ,

Jimmie JohnsonTurns out everyone was a little ahead of themselves.

The wild-card race wasn't last week at Talladega, Ala., but Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. At least as far as NASCAR championship points leader Jimmie Johnson is concerned.

All week the three-time defending Sprint Cup Series champ refused to buy into everyone else's hype that he had a historic fourth consecutive title wrapped up. He cautioned, chastised and -- as it turned out, correctly predicted -- that the 184-point lead over the field he took into Sunday's race wasn't enough to seal the deal.

After being collected in a crash only three laps into the 334-lap Dickies 500, Johnson's nearly one-race points advantage has shrunk to only 73 points over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Mark Martin with two races remaining.
More: Kurt Busch Wins in Texas | Results | Cup Standings

"It's still respectable, 73 points,'' an obviously disappointed Johnson said after his 38th-place effort. "But I hate we gave up all those points. It's one of those things, I guess, wrong place at the wrong time.''

It's not a location the steady, right-place-right-time Johnson is used to. Not only does he lead the series in wins (six), he has 22 top-10 finishes in 34 races and only one DNF. In four of the last six trips to the 1.5-mile Fort Worth track, Johnson had finished either first or second.

But only minutes after the green flag dropped, even before a commercial break, Sam Hornish Jr. -- thanks to a shove from David Reutimann -- spun up and into Johnson's No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet, sending it hard into the wall.

Johnson's car sustained major damage and the crew spent more than an hour working on it in the garage. He returned to the track 112 laps down and after various repairs from that point on -- finished 121 laps behind race winner Kurt Busch.

Just like that, what looked like a runaway championship will be a dramatic, strategic, compelling affair.

But that's why they race. And that's why we watch. Any race is a wild card.

"It happened this way in reverse last week,'' said Martin, the 50-year old sentimental favorite who was a pinball in one of the multi-car crashes at Talladega last Sunday.

"I'm not sure why people are counting everyone out. It's not over yet.

"And I'm still baffled why everyone's hung up on first- and second-place. There's two guys (Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch) that knocked me out of [past] championships breathing down my neck.''

This rough outing may be the worse thing that could have happened to those pursuing Johnson.
Now he's got the chance to be that guy.

Next week, the series heads to Phoenix, where Martin led the most laps and won the race this spring. He'll need a repeat performance. At least.

Because now Johnson's mad. Mad in the sense his competitive spirits have been stirred and spurred. This rough outing may be the worse thing that could have happened to those pursuing Johnson.

In this ultra-competitive NASCAR era, no one will ever win three straight titles, much less position himself so well for a fourth.

If Johnson hadn't masterfully amassed that 184-point advantage, we would assume his 73-point lead pretty darn comfortable.

Especially when you consider his record at Texas and that he had won three straight at the Phoenix mile before Martin won in April. He has a 19 percent winning percentage at tracks 1-mile and shorter (nine wins in 48 starts) and a 19 percent winning percentage at intermediate tracks like the 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway, where the season finishes Nov. 22.

He's finished in the top 10 in 56 percent of all his short track starts and in 67 percent of his starts at the 1.5-milers.

"I'm definitely disappointed about tonight,'' Johnson said. "I felt like we had a chance to win the race today. I felt like at least we could stretch the margin or keep it like it was. But it wasn't meant to be.

"We still have a nice lead and we'll take it from here."

Jimmie Johnson's Extra Motivation originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Jimmie JohnsonMark MartinHolly CainSun, 08 Nov 2009 21:45:00 EST Kurt Busch Wins at Texas, Wreck Cuts Jimmie Johnson's Leadhttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/08/kurt-busch-wins-at-texas-johnsons-wreck-cuts-lead/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/08/kurt-busch-wins-at-texas-johnsons-wreck-cuts-lead/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/08/kurt-busch-wins-at-texas-johnsons-wreck-cuts-lead/#commentsFiled under: , ,


FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- Jimmie Johnson's drive to history took a hard hit against the wall and Kyle Busch ran out of gas trying to complete an unprecedented NASCAR trifecta.

Kurt Busch won at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, taking over the lead with 2 1/2 laps left when his younger brother's car suddenly slowed on the backstretch after leading 232 of the 334 laps.

Johnson, the series points leader trying to become the first Sprint Cup driver to win four consecutive season championships, wrecked on the third lap.
More: Johnson Wrecks on Lap 3 | Results | Cup Standings

His crew needed more than an hour to repair and basically rebuild his No. 48 Chevrolet, but he returned to finish 38th -- 129 laps behind Kurt Busch. Johnson's points lead was cut from 184 to 73 over Hendrick teammate Mark Martin, who finished fourth, with two races left.

"It's still a respectable lead, 73 with two to go is a good position to be in," Johnson said. "I hate we gave up all these points. ... It's not as bad as it could have been, we could have finished 43rd."

Kyle Busch won the Nationwide and Camping World Truck races at Texas, and was trying to become the first driver to win in all three of NASCAR's national series on the same weekend. It was the 28th time he ran all three races the same weekend.

"This is the first time Kyle and I raced each other hard," said Kurt Busch, who ran second behind his brother much of the race. "It's bittersweet, I was rooting for him, but at the same time this is for us. "

Kurt Busch got his second victory of the season, and 20th of his career, with an average speed of 147.137 mph. Denny Hamlin finished second and Matt Kenseth third.

Jeff Gordon, another Hendrick driver who is third in points, finished 13th after avoiding serious problems of his own. Kyle Busch had trouble refiring his car after his splash and dash stop and wound up 11th.

Coming out of Turn 2 on the third lap, Sam Hornish got loose after apparently being tapped by David Reutimann. Hornish made contact with Johnson, who scraped the outside wall. It looked as if Johnson might save his car before he was hit again by Hornish, then slammed into the inside wall.

Johnson returned to the track on lap 115, the front and rear of his car solid black after all the repairs. The front and rear suspensions and the driveshaft had been replaced, along with other repairs. Crew members from the teams of Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. assisted in what looked like a makeshift body shop in the garage.

After finishing second at Texas in April, behind Gordon, Johnson had another disappointing fall race at Texas while trying to close out a championship.

Last November, Johnson struggled to 15th while Carl Edwards gambled on fuel and won by a wide margin. Johnson left Texas with a 106-point lead in the chase last year, and won by 69 over Edwards.

Gordon avoided serious trouble in the second turn on lap 175, spinning but not hitting anything after Juan Pablo Montoya and Edwards made contact and spun ahead of him going onto the backstretch.

When Gordon turned down to avoid the other cars, he spun himself. He ended up with flat tires and a broken brace and came into the pit before it was opened, incurring the penalty that made him restart at the back of the field. He was still in 18th place, where he was at the time of the accident, when the race restarted.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

Kurt Busch Wins at Texas, Wreck Cuts Jimmie Johnson's Lead originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:11:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>FanHouse NewswireSun, 08 Nov 2009 19:11:00 EST Jimmie Johnson Wrecks on Lap 3 at Texas Motor Speedwayhttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/08/jimmie-johnson-wrecks-lap-3-at-texas-motor-speedway/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/08/jimmie-johnson-wrecks-lap-3-at-texas-motor-speedway/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/08/jimmie-johnson-wrecks-lap-3-at-texas-motor-speedway/#commentsFiled under: ,

NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series championship got a little more interesting only three laps into Sunday's Dickie's 500 at Texas Motor Speedway when points leader Jimmie Johnson was collected in a crash, his No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet suffering major damage.

Johnson was able to continue but lengthy repairs were necessary in the garage resulting in a potentially substantial change in his hefty points lead. Entering the race, Johnson held a 184-point lead over second place Hendrick Motorsports teammate Mark Martin, nearly the equivalent of one full race.

Johnson is attempting to become the first driver in NASCAR history to win four consecutive Cup titles.

The accident happened when David Reutimann clipped the left rear quarter panel of Sam Hornish's Dodge which spun up the race track and into Johnson's car as the pack was exiting Turn 2 of the 1.5-mile track. Johnson's Chevy hit the wall despite his best efforts to collect it.

Johnson's car remained in the garage for 112 laps for repairs before returning to the track on lap 115 - having lost approximately 100 points to his challengers. He made one lap in the car - which was missing a rear bumper and sported a logo-less replacement black hood then had to pit so the crew could fix a rear tire rub. He returned to competition, scored in 43rd position.

Jimmie Johnson Wrecks on Lap 3 at Texas Motor Speedway originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:39:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>jimmie johnsonHolly CainSun, 08 Nov 2009 15:39:00 EST Ryan Newman Calls Talladega Crash 'Worst Hit I've Ever Had'http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/06/ryan-newman-calls-talladega-accident-worst-hit-ive-ever-had/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/06/ryan-newman-calls-talladega-accident-worst-hit-ive-ever-had/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/06/ryan-newman-calls-talladega-accident-worst-hit-ive-ever-had/#commentsFiled under: , ,

For two mornings this week, Ryan Newman struggled just to lift his head off the pillow to get out of bed, his neck muscles still sore from a frightening airborne smash-and-roll wreck at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway last Sunday.

Even as he suited up Friday to practice for Race 8 of NASCAR's 10-race Chase for the Championship at Texas Motor Speedway, he was still aching from the crash, and bristling that it even happened.

Newman had been outspoken about NASCAR's immediate need to keep the race cars from launching into the air during accidents -- only to take that scary ride himself Sunday afternoon.

So instead of accepting the many interview requests to talk about the accident, a still sluggish Newman met with NASCAR officials at the Research and Development Center Wednesday in Charlotte.

"I was a little surprised at all the people wanting to do interviews, but I don't want to be interviewed because of my crashes, I want to be interviewed for winning,'' Newman said.

"I'm not in this for that kind of publicity. I'd rather meet with NASCAR and figure out a way to make the situation better."

"We talked about two different things, the extrication of myself from the accident scene and secondly, the reason why we're in that position in the first place, which is, to me, more important,'' Newman said.

Footage of the accident has been replayed daily -- even by the network morning shows and outlets that don't normally cover the sport. And it has sparked a lively debate on how to make the restrictor plate races at Talladega simultaneously exciting and safe.

Newman doesn't need to watch video of his accident. He has full sensory recall -- including watching and feeling the sparks shooting by his face because his helmet visor popped open before his car slid upside down along the asphalt track.

"I remember having to pull my visor back down in the middle of everything -- I felt like I flipped 10 times, but it was only three,'' Newman told FanHouse Friday as part of our weekly Inside the Chase Series with the Stewart-Haas Racing driver.

"I was all good until the roll cage came down and hit me. I wasn't ready for that one. It's the worst hit I've ever had.''

As his pit crew watched nervously on television monitors, it took track rescue workers nearly 15 minutes to get Newman out of the car after establishing he was conscious. Newman said one responder held his hand while the others worked to flip the car over and cut the roof off to free him from the mangled No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet.

He lost radio communication when the car came to rest upside down, disabling the antennae. But after the car was righted, he was able to radio his crew -- including his father, who spots for him -- and his wife Krissie to assure them he was all right.

"The first guy that got there talked to me and knew I was okay, but you can't properly assess the definition of okay until I'm out of the car,'' said Newman.

"I know (rescue process has) been an evolution, but the evolution is behind. I'm not mad at them, but I want it to be known from a driver's standpoint what can be done to make it better.''

Improving the show for the fans and the safety for the drivers remained a hot topic even as the series moved to the relatively calmer 1.5-mile track outside Dallas for Sunday's race.

Newman, a 2003 winner at Texas Motor Speedway, said he's inclined to agree with championship leader Jimmie Johnson, who suggested this week that altering the track's 33-degree banking is the most realistic option at Talladega.

"That's the easiest thing to do because we need to make it so the drivers have to drive the race car,'' Newman said. "We need it so it's not wide open, at some point we need to lift (off the accelerator) and that will make it better.

"We have crashes all year at every track, but only at Talladega do the cars leave the ground.''

Newman said NASCAR officials assured him Wednesday that they have already begun testing some things to help keep the cars from getting airborne.

"But I don't know that they have tested everything, I don't know if you can test everything,'' said Newman, who holds a degree in engineering from Purdue University.

"The faster you go, the more likely you are to take lift. An airplane takes off at 160 miles an hour. We're going 40 miles an hour above that at times. There's plenty of potential for a car to take lift, whether it's going forwards, backwards or sideways.''

"I talked to them a little about the the extrication of me, about the cars and the process of making all this better,'' Newman said.

"It's too little too late for me, but maybe on time for someone else.''

Ryan Newman Calls Talladega Crash 'Worst Hit I've Ever Had' originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:46:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>NASCARRyan NewmanRyanNewmanTalladega SuperspeedwayTalladegaSuperspeedwayHolly CainFri, 06 Nov 2009 16:46:00 EST Jimmie Johnson on Bulldozing Talladega, Luck and Enjoying the Ridehttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/04/jimmie-johnson-on-bulldozing-talladega-luck-and-enjoying-the-ri/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/04/jimmie-johnson-on-bulldozing-talladega-luck-and-enjoying-the-ri/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/11/04/jimmie-johnson-on-bulldozing-talladega-luck-and-enjoying-the-ri/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Jimmie JohnsonTo hear Jimmie Johnson describe it, the most challenging part of wrapping up a historic fourth consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship is not getting wrapped up in winning it. No matter how hard everyone else tries to convince him the trophy's been engraved.

He holds a 184-point advantage -- nearly a full race lead -- on second place Mark Martin and only needs to finish 10th place or better in the remaining three Chase for the Championship races to secure the trophy. That's even if Martin wins all three races and leads the most laps in each.

But Johnson insists his approach in the No. 48 Lowe's Chevy will be the same as if he was trailing by 184 points and promised he wasn't about to start being conservative.

"We're showing up to win races,'' Johnson said. "Finishing 10th isn't as easy as it sounds. It is a tough field of cars out there and we need to be on our game. With three to go, we need to race these next two as if we're behind in the points and get every point we can.''

In an interview this week with the national press, Johnson also shared his thoughts on a controversial Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway race Sunday, how good luck has affected his unprecedented title run and if he ever takes a moment to enjoy the journey.

Johnson made candid remarks after a sixth-place finish at Talladega on Sunday, when multi-car crashes took out his closest championship rivals -- Hendrick Motorsports teammates Martin and Jeff Gordon. And a frightening collision sent Chase driver Ryan Newman's Chevy airborne resulting in a red flag.

Two days later, Johnson didn't back down from his opinion that the only way NASCAR was going to tame the dangerous multi-car melees at the 2.66-mile speedway was to take a bulldozer to the track's 33-degree banked turns.

"At the end of the day, I hope people realize we have messed with enough in the garage area with cars, with threatening drivers, regulating -- some people think they've over-regulated, other people think we're under-regulated -- but the bottom line is we're going to have these issues until we're required to let off the gas going into the turns,'' Johnson said.

"I think overwhelmingly, the public is understanding and starting to recognize that you can't change the cars anymore. You can't scold the drivers anymore. ... the only way we can get the racing to change is by changing the track. It's the only thing left. We've messed with every other area and nothing has worked.''

He also said he's heard the outcry from fans upset with the single file, play-it-safe strategy drivers used for the first two-thirds of the race. Johnson said he understands it may not be a good "show" but it's the new reality for a racer who wants to be around at the end to challenge for the checkered flag.

"The bottom line, somebody is going to be unhappy,'' Johnson said. "The fans that want to see the big wrecks and want to see the four and five-wide are going to be upset right now ... because we were responsible as drivers and tried not to wreck earlier in the race.

"Right now, because we're trying to be responsible, we have more people upset than we've ever had before.''


Johnson was one of those who successfully employed the strategy of patience. His top-10 finish Sunday was essentially an escape from what many considered the last true wild-card race. Had he succumbed to the Talladega odds and gotten caught up in one of the big wrecks, the points race would have tightened and the championship wouldn't be a runaway.

Instead, Johnson extended his lead -- but refused to write it off as "good luck."

The last big accident occurred literally just behind him, but even so, a late-race decision by his team to pit for fuel played a crucial role in his finishing when others did not.

"Some people may say Talladega was a lucky race for us, but I see how we earned this thing and made good decisions,'' Johnson said. "[Crew chief] Chad [Knaus] made a decision to pit for fuel and that decision put us in position for a good finish. ... it wasn't a lucky call. I feel from that race, the luckiest thing I had was not being back one more row and collected when that wreck started.

"It's hard for me to think too much about it [luck]. I guess I'm maybe trying to ignore it in some respects and focus on the things I can control and what the team does.''

And how do you argue with that. Clearly Johnson knows a thing or two -- or three, or four -- about winning championships in the most competitive era in NASCAR history.

And as a true sports fan, Johnson is genuinely humbled by the opportunity. As he will remind you, he only started driving stock cars about 10 years ago. He's only been in the Cup ranks for eight seasons and is on pace to claim championships in half of them.

Truly a remarkable statistic by any measure.

"No way I thought it was possible, let alone with my situation,'' Johnson said. "I'm not sure what I would compare it to, but I didn't think it was possible. I looked at what Jeff [Gordon] had accomplished, race wins and four championships and that was probably the last we'd see something like that with how competitive the sport is.

"I'm blown away and honored and enjoying every minute of what we're doing here. ... I've worked very, very hard to get to this point ans so has this team and we're enjoying every minute of it. What got us in this position was racing hard and going for every point and until it's mathematically locked up, we're going to keep the mindset and try to get every point that we can.''
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Jimmie Johnson on Bulldozing Talladega, Luck and Enjoying the Ride originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:26:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Jimmie JohnsonNASCARHolly CainWed, 04 Nov 2009 06:26:00 EST