Johnson Holds Serve, Wins '07 NASCAR Title

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 20:56:00 EST

Filed under: Miami, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports, Nextel Cup, Chase for the Sprint Cup

Jeff Gordon said it best last week when he said Jimmie Johnson "has flat killed everyone" in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

That didn't change Sunday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Jimmie Johnson finished seventh in the Ford 400 to wrap up his second NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship in a row by 77 points over Hendrick Motorsports teammate and co-team owner, Jeff Gordon. Johnson is the first Cup series repeat champion since Gordon did it in 1997-98.

Johnson, who was going for his 5th win in a row, led only the first lap of the race after starting from the pole and was a steady Top-10 fixture for the rest of the race. Gordon managed to earn 9 points in the final tally on Johnson by finishing fourth, but it wouldn't be enough for the four-time champion who also had a season to remember by recording his 30th Top-10 of the season, a new NASCAR record.

Oh Yeah, Matt Kenseth Won, Too

Also celebrating Sunday night at Homestead was the Roush-Fenway Racing team after Matt Kenseth won his second race of the year.

The win was especially nice for departing No. 17 crew chief Robbie Reiser. Reiser will assume the position of general manager for Roush-Fenway starting Monday morning after working with Kenseth since his entry into the ranks of NASCAR in the late 1990s.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. wrecked early and Tony Stewart late to end a crazy year for the Nextel Cup Series that saw plenty of transition and plenty of things pushed to the limits.

Be sure to stay with the NASCAR FanHouse for the next 92 days as we review '07, hand out some post-season awards, preview the 2008 Sprint Cup season, and countdown the days until the roar of 800-horsepower machines find the track at Daytona for the 50th running of The Great American Race.

Johnson Holds Serve, Wins '07 NASCAR Title originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 18 Nov 2007 20:56:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Jeff & Jimmie Show: Homestead-Miami

Geoffrey Miller — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 07:33:00 EST

Filed under: Miami, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports, Nextel Cup, Chase for the Sprint Cup

Heading to Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend for the tenth and final race of the Chase for the Nextel Cup, things in the Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson Show changed dramatically since last week's edition. Gordon now trails Johnson by 86 points in the standings. Here's a breakdown of their stats at Homestead and the possibilities that loom within the last Chase race of the season.

Homestead Stats: Neither Gordon nor Johnson have a win at Homestead, a track that has seen a myriad of layout changes since it first came on the Nextel Cup tour. Johnson has the best career finish with a 2nd-place in 2004. Gordon's best finish also came in 2004 with a 3rd-place.

A year ago, Gordon finished 24th while Johnson finished ninth to wrap up his first title. A 40th-place finish in 2005 left Johnson with an average finish at HMS of 14.5 while Gordon has average 11.4.

Chase Stats: Phoenix stuck a fork in Jeff Gordon's title hopes after Johnson won his fourth-straight to Gordon's 10th-place finish. The 86-point deficit will be nearly impossible to overcome unless Johnson has serious trouble in the race. If Johnson finishes 18th or better, he automatically looks up the title, even if Gordon leads every lap and wins the race.

In doomsday scenarios for Johnson, if he finishes 40th or worse, Gordon could take the title with a 10th place finish or better. A 43rd-place finish for Johnson would mean Gordon would have to finish 14th or better.

I wouldn't put too much stock in those possibilities this year knowing that he has only failed to finish a race four times. Johnson should have his second NASCAR Nextel Cup title in hand come Sunday evening.

The Jeff & Jimmie Show: Homestead-Miami originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 15 Nov 2007 07:33:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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