Johnson Sweeps Dover, Edges Closer to Points Lead September 27, 2009
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If Jimmie Johnson wins a fourth championship, his win at Dover will be remembered as the place where his championship run began.
If Jimmie Johnson wins a NASCAR-record fourth consecutive championship in 2009, his win at Dover will likely been seen as the start of the historic run.
Johnson, who won the first Dover race earlier this season and started Sunday on the pole, dominated the 400-mile race, leading 271 laps and pulled within ten points of the championship lead.
“I certainly hope that our performance today scares some people and affects them in a way that benefits us,” Johnson said.
While the No. 48 team’s performance was impressive, other Chasers were close by, as nine of the top 11 finishers are competing for the Chase playoffs.
Points leader Mark Martin finished second, but was in awe of his Hendrick Motorsports teammate.
“I’m pretty sure that dude is Superman,” Martin said. “I’ve seen that dude up close and I see why he’s so successful. He works harder at it than anybody else, I think, on the circuit.” (more…)
Martin Keeps Lead With New Hampshire Win September 20, 2009
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Crew members pit the #5 Kellogg's/CARQUEST Chevrolet driven by Mark Martin during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sylvania 300 at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway
It took Mark Martin all 26 races in NASCAR’s “regular season” to secure his place in the Chase. But once he got there, he took his spot atop the points standing by virtue of his series leading four wins this year.
This weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Martin solidified his position, taking the first checkered flag of the Chase.
Martin held off fellow Chaser and race pole sitter Juan Pablo Montoya in a three-lap final run to the checkered flag, something Montoya wasn’t pleased with after the race, and accused Martin of slowing down to keep Montoya from making a potential race-winning pass, and relegating Montoya to third behind Denny Hamlin. After the race Montoya told his crew he could have wrecked Martin. (more…)
2009 Chase Field is Set September 13, 2009
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The top 12 drivers who will race for the Sprint Cup championship.
As Virginia native Denny Hamlin celebrated his first win at Richmond International Raceway, 11 other drivers celebrated making the cutoff for the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
The Chase field is set, and in a season that’s been marked by economic turmoil, eight different organizations have drivers in the field of 12 that will battle for the 2009 Sprint Cup.
Last year, four teams – Hendrick Motorsports, Roush Fenway Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing and Richard Childress Racing – dominated the Chase field, each putting three drivers in the Chase. But the number of teams in the Chase doubled in 2009, thanks in no small part to the testing ban NASCAR enacted before the start of the 2009 season. (more…)
Kahne Wins, Strengthens Chase Spot September 6, 2009
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Kasey Kahne's win at Atlanta moved him five spots in the points standings and closer to a Chase berth.
Kasey Kahne jumped five spots in the points standing and is on his way to making the Chase with his win at Atlanta Motor Speedway Sunday night. With one race to go, and now two wins under his belt this year, Kahne sits in sixth in the points standing.
Kevin Harvick, who’s had a miserable season this year, was in position to sweep Saturday’s Nationwide Series event and the Cup race, but teammate Clint Bowyer spun out with 15 laps to go, bringing out the caution. After the restart, Kahne took the lead, and the checkered flag. (more…)