FanHouse Phoenix International Raceway

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.

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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

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.

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.

Here's a glance at Mark Martin's first victory since 2005 Saturday night at Phoenix International Raceway as FanHouse takes you by the Sprint Cup Numbers:


.005 - Amount of elapsed time Kyle Busch exceeded NASCAR's pit road speed limit by on the final pit stop. The penalty took him from Martin's bumper as the nearest challenger to the back of the pack.

.734 - Seconds Martin finished ahead of second-place Tony Stewart

2.135 - Martin's average running position Saturday night, best of all drivers.

In one of the best statistical finds of the weekend, ThatsRacin's Jim Utter noted during his race preview for Saturday night's race that each of the three longest winless streaks of Jeff Gordon's career were followed up by two consecutive wins.

That trend ended brutally Saturday night at Phoenix International Raceway.

But despite a disappointing night filled with tire rubs and pit road problems that led to a 25th-place finish, should the No. 24 team have something more important -- like the health of their driver -- to worry about later in 2009?

It took 97 races, nearly four years and lot of decision-making but 50-year-old Mark Martin is back in NASCAR Sprint Cup victory lane.

Martin led the most laps of the Subway Fresh Fit 500k -- he also started from the pole position -- to win Saturday night's 312-miler at Phoenix International Raceway during his first season back as a full-time driver with Hendrick Motorsports.

Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle rounded out Top-5 of the afternoon-to-evening event.

Where: Phoenix Int'l Raceway
Time: Saturday 8:46 p.m./EDT
TV/Radio: FOX Sports, MRN Radio
Forecast: Clear, Lows in the 50s
Distance: 312 laps (312 miles, 500k)
Pole Winner: Mark Martin
2008 Winner: Jimmie Johnson


Mark Martin has gotten awful good at starting Sprint Cup races from the front in 2009 in his new Hendrick Motorsports ride, but its the whole finishing part that hasn't gone as planned.

Jump in as FH's Holly Cain & Geoffrey Miller go Wheel2Wheel on a variety of racing topics.

Is Saturday night racing good for NASCAR?

Holly Cain: It is a valid concern that Saturday night NASCAR Sprint Cup racing hurts ticket sales at local short tracks, NASCAR's grassroots. But it's a not an argument the short tracks will win. Going night racing is one of the best moves NASCAR has ever made and I think there should be more races under the lights.

If NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams were looking to snap a two-race win streak by Hendrick Motorsports this Saturday night at Phoenix International Raceway, they aren't exactly picking a good location.

In fact, with the way things have gone in the last few years, it may well be the worst track to tackle the recent success of Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon.

Why, you ask? It's easy -- the last four races at the track have ended with either the No. 24 or the No. 48 in victory lane.

We've heard plenty about "Coltgate" lately and the accusations that the Indianapolis Colts had pumped in crowd noise during the New England Patriots game two weeks ago.

CBS took the rap for the incident, but ESPN's NASCAR coverage apparently took note of the idea.

Judging from the TV I watched it on (ABC-HD with surround sound), it sounded to me like ESPN on ABC was definitely pumping in some crowd noise during each restart of last Sunday's Checker Auto Parts 500. Take a listen for yourself on the video below, as there are several instances that you can hear the not-too-natural noises.

Take note at 1:30, 5:48, 8:24, and 9:30 on the video, then continue reading for more.



I understand completely that the YouTube video isn't exactly the highest quality, but on the other hand, I've been to my fair share of races. People just don't cheer like that during restarts. Here's what they do cheer for: