The Close Of Another Exciting Season
Could this get any more exciting?
Carl Edwards tried his best to derail history, but it was not enough to deny Jimmie Johnson.
Needing only to place 36th or better in Sunday’s Ford 400, Johnson played it safe and finished 15th to become the first driver to win three straight series championships since Cale Yarborough accomplished the feat from 1976-78.
Yes I was being sarcastic. This was the most disappointing NASCAR season ever. Congratulations for Jimmie Johnson for staying awake and alert long enough each week to win the championship.
If NASCAR makes things any more “equal” with the Car of Tomorrow, I think I’ll just die.
Sphere: Related ContentJohnson Captures California Pole
Jimmie Johnson has had some trouble lately. Not as much as his teammate Jeff Gordon, but trouble nonetheless. Maybe this is just the thing he needs to kick it into high gear.
Reigning champion Jimmie Johnson is in a perfect spot to continue his success at Auto Club Speedway.
With one victory and three top-three finishes here in his last three starts, Johnson on Friday captured the pole for Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series Pepsi 500.
Despite his recent success, Johnson has just two wins at this two-mile oval. But he put himself in good position to make it three, turning in a lap of 180.397 miles per hour in 39.912 seconds in a Chevrolet to claim the pole for the next-to-last race before the “Chase for the Championship” begins.
Jimmie Johnson Takes Pocono Pole
With all the talk about how much more horsepower the Toyota engines have this year, I am constantly surprised that Toyotas don’t take the pole more often. This makes two in a row for Johnson.
There has been no slowing Jimmie Johnson of late.
The two-time reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion claimed his second pole in as many weeks Friday, taking the top spot for Sunday’s Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway.
I like the races at Pocono. I got to drive by the Pocono track a few years ago. Yeah, other than Talladega, that’s the closest I have come to seeing a race in person.
Jimmie Johnson Wins At Phoenix
It took him long enough. I was beginning to wonder if Hendrick Motorsports had lost its edge over the off season. I wish it would have been Junior or Casey Mears that won though rather than Jimmie. I still don’t like him much.
Jimmie Johnson gave Hendrick Motorsports its first NASCAR Sprint Cup victory of the year, winning a fuel gamble Saturday night at Phoenix International Speedway.
As leader after leader dove for the pits to take on gas in the waning laps, Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet stayed on track and the two-time reigning Cup champion made it to the finish, beating Clint Bowyer — another gambler — by 7.002 seconds.
Congratulations are in order, however, because their gamble paid off.
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Johnson Captures Daytona Pole
The Lowes team once again showed their strength, but the news to me, was seeing Michael Waltrip in the front row. After a horrible start last year, it’s good to see things “getting back to normal”.
Jimmie Johnson is off to a good start in his quest to win a third straight championship.
On Sunday, Johnson began the defense of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship by capturing the pole for the 50th running of the Daytona 500.
Johnson won his second Daytona 500 pole with a fast lap of 187.075 miles per hour during Sunday’s qualification session. He also won the pole as a rookie in 2002.
“It’s great, I’m so proud of this race team because a lot goes into it,” Johnson said. “Everything aligned just right; we got great speed out of the car.”
Johnson will start alongside Toyota driver Michael Waltrip for next Sunday’s race. Waltrip qualified at 186.734 mph.
I haven’t heard any reports of any teams caught cheating yet either, which makes this a truly exceptional year, thus far.
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Jimmie Johnson Wins The Nextel Cup
Congratulations to Jimmie Johnson, who is, once again, the Nextel Cup Champion.
One week ago after the NASCAR Nextel Cup race had ended, Jeff Gordon said “It’s over” regarding the battle for the Cup title.
He was right.
Jimmie Johnson did all he needed to do to wrap up his second-straight Nextel Cup by playing it safe. He finished seventh as Matt Kenseth won Sunday night’s Ford 400.
After starting on the pole and leading the first lap, all Johnson had to do was finish 19th or better. Gordon’s
fourth-place finished sealed the championship for Johnson who won the title by 77 points.
Is it wrong if the only thing I can think to say right now is, “I can hardly wait for February?”
Johnson Wins At AMS
I love it when the cars come to Atlanta. No, I have never been at the track during a race, but I love watching them on my big screen. What a strange race this was. I thought for sure one of the Busch brothers were going to run away with this one… Then I thought maybe Junior had a chance too.
Sunday’s race at Atlanta was a microcosm of Earnhardt’s final season in the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet before moving on to drive for Hendrick Motorsports, beginning in the 2008 season.
Earnhardt qualified fifth, fell a lap down after a tire went flat but was able to battle back into contention in the closing stages of the race.
But while running third during a green-white-checkered finish, the left-rear wheel fell off the back of Earnhardt’s Monte Carlo and it careened up the track. Meanwhile, Earnhardt slammed into the second-turn wall and was then hit by Jamie McMurray.
Did you see Junior’s tire fall off? What the hell was that about? Have you noticed the great number of “mishaps” the #8 team has had this year? It’s too bad Johnson won the race, even though he did donate his winnings to the American Red Cross to help with the victims of the California wildfires. I think it would make the Chase far more interesting if Johnson and Gordon weren’t so far ahead of everyone else.
Johnson Wins At Martinsville
I missed the race because I was driving in the car all day, and forgot it was Sunday. I know. I suck.
Jimmie Johnson didn’t have the car most suited for restarts, and he found himself in a two-lap sprint against the guy who might have.
In another sign that this may be the year that the teams of Hendrick Motorsports can’t be touched, Johnson still came away with the victory Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, his spot in front protected by the last of a race-record 21 caution flags.
”Those last restarts were tough on me,” Johnson said after holding off a stiff challenge by Ryan Newman before being rescued. He earned his third consecutive victory on the 0.526-mile oval, the shortest and trickiest in Nextel Cup racing.
With Newman on his bumper, the two-lap dash was halted halfway by the final caution of the day — the one that kept the Hendrick domination going.
This weekend the race comes to Atlanta. One of these days I will find myself at the track on the same day as a race…
Jimmie Johnson Captures Pole At Dover
It looks like Jimmie Johnson is serious about repeating as Nextel Cup champion.
Jimmie Johnson continued to make a serious run towards defending his NASCAR Nextel Cup Series championship.
The series points leader, Johnson posted the fastest time in Friday afternoon’s qualifying session and will start from the pole Sunday in the Dodge Dealers 400 at Dover International Speedway.
It was the second pole this season and 11th career for Johnson, whose Chevrolet Impala lapped the one-mile oval in 23.261 seconds, clocking 154.765 miles per hour.
I love watching the races at Dover. That place can be mean.
Jimmie Johnson Wins At California
While I congratulate Jimmie on his win, I must say the moment of the race was when Michael Waltrip’s car erupted in flames. I’m happy he got out unscathed though.
A few accidents and some bad luck since his last win had Jimmie Johnson worried he might not get a chance to defending his NASCAR Nextel Cup championship.
But a late-season surge, culminated by a victory in Sunday’s night’s race at California Speedway, has guaranteed Johnson a spot in the 12-man Chase for the championship and no worse than a tie for the top seed in the 10-race stock car playoff.
”I was certainly concerned,” Johnson said after winning the Sharp Aquos 500, his series-leading fifth win of the season and the 28th of his career. ”We had great race cars and bad luck. If you get four or five bad races in a row, you can get behind.”
[Source: Yahoo! Sports]