FanHouse

Sprint Cup N's & Q's: Homestead

Geoffrey Miller — 2009-11-24T03:46:00 00:00

Filed under: Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Juan Pablo Montoya, Tony Stewart, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup

Notes, quotes & commentary from a championship weekend in Homestead.

Well, there you have it.

We, as NASCAR fans in 2009, have seen something that has never been done before in the 61 years of NASCAR competition, and something that could very easily not happen for another 161 years if this sport lasts that long.

Yep, Jimmie Johnson -- the smooth-drivin' Californian -- is the first guy in all of NASCAR's moonshining and intimidating history to take four straight championships at any level. But, strangely, he's not the first to do so in a major stock car racing series.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

FanHouse Warmup: Homestead

Geoffrey Miller — 2009-11-22T11:50:00 00:00

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup

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championship Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway it would be completely worthy of every bit of the praises gien and the historical references noted.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Championship-Worthy Seasons Not Enough for Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin

Geoffrey Miller — 2009-11-16T02:20:00 00:00

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup

The 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

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

FanHouse Warmup: Checker 500

Geoffrey Miller — 2009-11-14T22:23:00 00:00

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Chase for the Sprint Cup

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.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Sprint Cup Crown Remains Jimmie Johnson's to Lose

Geoffrey Miller — 2009-11-12T12:55:00 00:00

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup

The 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.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Sprint Cup N's & Q's: Dickies 500

Geoffrey Miller — 2009-11-09T18:24:00 00:00

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Mark Martin, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup

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

What 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.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

FanHouse Warmup: Dickies 500

Geoffrey Miller — 2009-11-08T13:00:00 00:00

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Sprint Cup

The Essentials

Race: Dickies 500

Where: Texas Motor Speedway
Time: Sunday 3:15 p.m. EST
TV/Radio: ABC, PRN Radio
Twitter: @FanHouseRacing
Forecast: Mostly cloudy, Low 70s
Distance: 334 laps (501 miles)
Pole Winner: Jeff Gordon
2008 Winner: Carl Edwards

The Storylines

Ladies and gentleman, there was nothing wrong with last week's race at Talladega -- if you ask Tony Stewart or NASCAR.

This week, each of them blamed the fan uproar solely on the media (mainly ESPN) for ultimately putting such ideas about the bad racing at Talladega into the heads of fans. Race fans, Stewart and NASCAR feel, were induced with propaganda by television to believe that they were getting shafted by NASCAR.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Sprint Cup N's & Q's: AMP Energy 500

Geoffrey Miller — 2009-11-04T11:14:00 00:00

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: Jamie McMurray, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, Talladega Superspeedway, Sprint Cup

Notes, quotes & commentary from a NASCAR weekend at Talladega.

What a weekend it was, huh? Yes, I do have some comments and ideas about the overall product at Talladega this week. I'm going to wait, though, until the end of this post. First, the finer notes on Sunday.

Can anyone make sense of NASCAR's pit road penalties? Had Sunday's race been at another track where track position isn't so easily gained like it is at Talladega, Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart and eventual race winner Jamie McMurray would have been downright hosed.

And good or bad as it relates to your particular driver, the rule that nabbed them just isn't fair.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Johnson's Fourth Title in Full View

Geoffrey Miller — 2009-11-01T19:36:00 00:00

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: Jimmie Johnson, Talladega Superspeedway, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup

A car length here, a lane change there and one incredible pit call.

No matter what it was, Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team seemed to do it right on a mild then wild Sunday afternoon at Talladega Superspeedway -- even when it looked like holding par in the point standings wasn't going to happen as the laps clicked off and the drama kept rising around the 2.66-mile wildcard.

But when the cars stopped flipping and the smoke stopped rising, Johnson -- to the chagrin of plenty -- stood alone in his pursuit of the 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup with what amounts to be an insurmountable lead with an unstoppable team.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Ryan Newman Blasts NASCAR After Flip

Geoffrey Miller — 2009-11-01T16:39:00 00:00

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: Ryan Newman, Talladega Superspeedway, NASCAR Crashes, NASCAR Videos, Sprint Cup

Ryan Newman left Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday obviously sore and presumably irritated after flipping violently in a late-race crash near the end of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' AMP Energy 500.

Newman, who was uninjured, was trapped in the car for almost 15 minutes as safety crews cut him out from exactly the type of wreck he had warned NASCAR against after an amazing crash involving him and Carl Edwards at the same track in April. And after being checked out of the infield hospital, Newman didn't hesitate to get on NASCAR again.

"Drivers used to be about to race each other and respect each other," said Newman. "Guys like Richard Petty, David Pearson and Bobby Allison -- all those guys have always done that. I guess they [NASCAR] just don't think much of us [drivers] anymore."

More Coverage: Amp Energy 500 Results | Sprint Cup Standings
Jimmie Johnson's Fourth Title in Full View

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

FanHouse Warmup: AMP Energy 500

Geoffrey Miller — 2009-11-01T11:36:00 00:00

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Talladega Superspeedway, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup

The Essentials

Race: AMP Energy 500

Where: Talladega Superspeedway
Time: Sunday 1:00 p.m. EST
TV/Radio: ABC, MRN Radio
Twitter: Updates @ FanHouseRacing
Forecast: Sunny, High 60s
Distance: 188 laps (500 miles)
Pole Winner: Jimmie Johnson
2008 Winner: Tony Stewart

The Storylines

Consider this as NASCAR's version of laying down the law, but with one problem -- will they actually enforce it?

NASCAR made big noise Sunday morning at Talladega when they told drivers in the pre-race meeting that bump drafting in today's race while racing through the corners would not be permitted. And to back up the rule, they promised to even swipe a victory away if a driver was found to be in violation.

It's a tough rhetoric that we've heard before from NASCAR, but this time it seems like they mean business.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Allmendinger Deserves DWI Suspension

Geoffrey Miller — 2009-10-29T19:53:00 00:00

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: A.J. Allmendinger, Sprint Cup

NASCAR and Richard Petty Motorsports look a little more spineless today.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver A.J. Allmendinger was arrested for DWI early Thursday morning in Mooresville, N.C., after being pulled over and blowing a .08 on a Breathalyzer test -- the legal limit for intoxication in the state. Cited for a misdemeanor, Allmendinger will appear in court on the charge in December.

Allmendinger, though, won't be facing any music from his RPM team or NASCAR -- the same organization that will suspend crew members for racing with an illegal part.

More Coverage: Allmendinger Breath Tested Before Practice

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Sprint Cup N's & Q's: Tums 500

Geoffrey Miller — 2009-10-27T13:21:00 00:00

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup

Notes, quotes & commentary after 501 laps around a Virginian paperclip.

I get what NASCAR is trying do, I really do.

They want these races to be dramatic, to make good television and perhaps provide a sense of danger to fans like ESPN's Ed Hinton believes they crave. It's no different than any other sport, movie or story -- dramatic moments bring eyeballs.

But at some point, NASCAR needs to get a whole lot better at not allowing a stalled race car to sit in peril at the start/finish line in the name of a dramatic finish.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

FanHouse Warmup: Tums 500

Geoffrey Miller — 2009-10-25T09:57:00 00:00

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Ryan Newman, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup

The Essentials

Race: Tums 500

Where: Martinsville Speedway
Time: Sunday 1:30 p.m. EST
TV/Radio: ABC, MRN Radio
Twitter: Updates @ FanHouseRacing
Forecast: Mostly sunny, High 60s
Distance: 500 laps (263 miles)
Pole Winner: Ryan Newman
2008 Winner: Jimmie Johnson

The Storyline

Jeff Gordon's last, best hope to stay in Jimmie Johnson's zip code for the 2009 championship might just be Sunday at Martinsville Speedway for two reasons -- the perks from his second-place qualifying run and Jimmie Johnson's mediocre starting spot.

And for their teammate Mark Martin splitting the point difference between Johnson and Gordon in the standings, a fourth-place starting effort might also be critical to bridging the 90-point gap between the No. 48 and No. 5.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Dominance: Hendrick at Martinsville

Geoffrey Miller — 2009-10-22T06:00:00 00:00

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports

Predictable.

That's what attitude the 2009 version of the NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup Season has seemed to take on after Jimmie Johnson's win last Saturday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Fans keep wondering: Will Johnson ever screw up? Was the 'winning robot' nickname given to Matt Kenseth a few years ago a little premature?

If the past is any indication -- as it has seemed to be for Johnson & Co. -- then Sunday's race at Martinsville Speedway won't be giving fans a dose of the change in championship outcome that many of them so crave.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Sprint Cup N's & Q's: Banking 500

Geoffrey Miller — 2009-10-19T22:38:00 00:00

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: Casey Mears, Clint Bowyer, Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, Sprint Cup, Joey Logano

Kasey Kahne might have had the only car to really challenge Jimmie Johnson on the longer runs Saturday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway, but a late pit stop and a bad set of tires didn't let that situation play out.

"The tires we took on the last stop shook and didn't turn," said Kahne after the race in which he led 67 laps. "I guess that was our bad set for the night."

That didn't mean that Kahne was making excuses for coming up short with a third-place finish -- his best result since a win at Atlanta in September. Instead, he was stating the obvious.

"We were the best car at times, but the final run when it counted, we weren't," said Kahne. "Jimmie [Johnson] showed up and beat us all."

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Jeff Gordon Just Misses Late Win

Geoffrey Miller — 2009-10-18T23:41:00 00:00

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Sprint Cup, Hendrick Motorsports

The Jeff Gordon of old was back for a few laps Saturday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway -- but even that wasn't enough to stop the competition's worst nightmare.

Lined up side-by-side coming off of turn four, Gordon sat to the outside of Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson as the field took its final restart of the night with 17 laps to go. As was the case with the previous two restarts that had quickly turned to cautions in the back of the pack, nearly everyone expected Johnson to have the advantage as made the left-hand arc into turn 1.

But the No. 24, with a full head of a steam, wasn't ready to let Johnson take the lead so easily.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

FanHouse Warmup: Banking 500

Geoffrey Miller — 2009-10-17T16:10:00 00:00

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: Carl Edwards, Jeff Burton, Jimmie Johnson, Lowes Motor Speedway, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Camping World Truck Series

The Essentials

Race: NASCAR Banking 500

Where: Lowe's Motor Speedway, Concord, N.C.
Time: Saturday 7:30 p.m./EST
TV/Radio: ABC, PRN Radio
Twitter: Updates @ FanHouseRacing
Forecast: Mostly cloudy, 40s, 20% rain
Distance: 334 laps (500.1 miles)
Pole Winner: Jimmie Johnson
2008 Winner: Jeff Burton

The Storylines

Carl Edwards may blame last year's loss to Jimmie Johnson in the Chase for the Sprint Cup on a crash at Talladega, but a finish in last year's fall race at Lowe's Motor Speedway provided all the points Johnson needed to win his third consecutive title.

Or, rather, the necessary point.

More Coverage: Race Results | Sprint Cup Standings

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Sprint Cup N's & Q's: Pepsi 500

Geoffrey Miller — 2009-10-13T13:25:00 00:00

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: Casey Mears, David Ragan, Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Chase for the Sprint Cup

Tony Stewart may be working spots for Burger King at the moment, but at the end of Sunday's race, he was making chicken salad.

"It was making chicken salad out of chicken you know what," said Stewart after finishing 5th. "We were pretty fortunate to get a couple of breaks there when we needed them."

The 'breaks' Stewart was talking about including getting back on the lead lap after falling behind thanks to a miscue on pit road. You could also toss in the fact that he kept his Chase hopes alive by not taking a finish deep in the field.

Casey Mears has had a downright awful season in 2009, but it got a little bit better on Sunday.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Let's Face It: Johnson Is Unstoppable

Geoffrey Miller — 2009-10-11T20:40:00 00:00

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Juan Pablo Montoya, Mark Martin, Tony Stewart, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup

Jeff Gordon gave Jimmie Johnson a handshake in victory lane to congratulate his teammate on yet another win, but really, it just symbolized what most NASCAR fans have to be fearing -- it's time to throw in the towel yet again at the feet of King Jimmie.

Johnson led 126 of 250 laps in Sunday's Pepsi 500 in Fontana, Calif., and overcame a dramatic final 20 laps that saw him bounced from the lead by Gordon. No matter. Johnson shot back by just a few laps later and then ran away from the field for the win.

It wasn't a surprise, really, that Johnson won. But it's a surprise to realize that pending crazy circumstances, there's not a team in NASCAR that can top the No. 48.

More Coverage: Pepsi 500 Results | Sprint Cup Series Standings

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments