Jimmie Johnson – A Deserving Champion November 22, 2009
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Jimmie Johnson will likely drive away with his fourth consecutive championship in 2009.
Jimmie Johnson deserves to win the 2009 championship. After winning Sunday at Phoenix, he’ll have to finish 25th or better to clinch an unprecedented fourth consecutive Sprint Cup championship. It’s certainly far from a done deal going into Homestead Miami Speedway – the race at Texas showed us that – but if the No. 48 team approaches the season finale like it has approached every other race this season, NASCAR fans will get to see history made.
A champion wins. Sunday’s Phoenix win was Johnson’s seventh of the season. He also has four poles this year. After he was involved in a wreck on lap three that resulted in losing more than 100 points of his lead on second place Mark Martin, Johnson, crew chief Chad Knaus and the rest of the team did what they always do, going out and qualifying third at Phoenix, leading 238 of 312 laps and cruising to victory. His lead over Martin is now 108 points going into the last race, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be resting on their laurels this week. (more…)
Kurt Busch Win Nets NASCAR Fan $1 Million November 8, 2009
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Kurt Busch celebrates his victory - and winning a fan $1 million - at Texas Motor Speedway by driving backwards around the track.
Kyle Busch didn’t make history by winning all three Texas Motor Speedway races this weekend, but Jimmie Johnson’s seemingly insurmountable lead in the points standings now seems surmountable and Kurt Busch’s win at the Dickies 500 earned a NASCAR fan $1 million.
The two Busch brothers battled each other throughout the race. Kyle led 232 of 334 laps, but Kurt was always within reach of his younger brother.
On the final run of green-flag pit stops, Kurt stayed out an extra two laps. He lost positions, but with the strategy, needed less fuel to make it to the end. Kurt said he was saving fuel in the race and knew, barring a miracle, his brother couldn’t make it, enabling him to cruise to the victory.
As for Johnson, on lap three, David Reutimann tapped the rear quarter of Sam Hornish Jr.’s No. 77 Dodge in between turns one and two, sending Hornish up the track and into championship leader Jimmie Johnson. (more…)
The Trick to Texas – Turns Two and Four November 8, 2009
Posted by admin in : Uncategorized , add a commentIf you’re looking for where the action will be during Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway, keep your eyes on turns two and four.
The trick about this 1.5-mile oval is that at the exit of turns two and four, the transition from the banked turned to the relatively flat straightaway comes very quickly…especially at 180 mph.
“You lose the banking in a hurry,” explained Sprint Cup Series pace car driver and former NASCAR racer Brett Bodine. “You’re not done turning the car, your speeds get faster and faster, but you’re losing banking. Prior to getting to that part of the racetrack, you have to be in the perfect position to get off of there and keep the throttle down and stay wide open.” (more…)
Two Down, One to Go for Busch Triple-Header Sweep November 7, 2009
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Kyle Busch receives the checkered flag after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series O'Reilly Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway
Kyle Busch continued his streak of NASCAR Nationwide Series wins at Texas Motor Speedway, earning his track record-tying fourth consecutive series win, but an impending potential points penalty could hurt his shot at clinching the Nationwide Series title next weekend at Phoenix.
Busch lead 179 of 200 laps. The last caution came out on lap 180, which came out for a wreck involving rookie Michael Annett and Steve Wallace, Busch said he wanted two tires, while crew chief Jason Ratcliff wanted to put four on the car. The two couldn’t come to a consensus, so Busch stayed out and maintained his lead. When the race restarted on lap 186, Busch flew away from the field and cruised to the victory.
“At this place, it’s just so hard to figure out if you can come back through traffic and you just don’t have enough time that late in the race,” Busch said. “It proved to work out our way and benefit us because we had some many cars who stayed out behind us. If there would have only been one, two or three cars that stayed out with us, it wouldn’t have been as beneficial as it looked.”
However, after the race, NASCAR officials said the No. 18 team will likely incur a points penalty after inspectors discovered improperly secured weights on opening day inspection. He currently holds a 272-point lead over Carl Edwards. (more…)
Reporter Takes the Heat from Casey Mears November 7, 2009
Posted by admin in : Uncategorized , 12commentsThere was a slightly awkward moment between Casey Mears and NASCAR Scene associate editor Jeff Gluck during the post-race press conference for Saturday’s Nationwide Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.
Mears drove the No. 29 car, subbing for Jeff Burton, who sat out of the race as a precautionary measure after hitting the wall with his Sprint Cup car during practice. He finished second. Gluck asked Mears what the challenges were when in hopping in a different racecar last minute.
Mears apparently took issue with a column Gluck wrote. I couldn’t find the exact story on the weekly publication’s Web site. [Although this blog post probably didn’t bolster the Mears/Gluck relationship.] It’s also funny that after Gluck recently wrote about a confrontation between a reporter and Juan Pablo Montoya, he had his own mini-encounter Saturday.
After Gluck asked Mears his question, the driver sort of glared at him from across the stage.
[Three-second pause] “Same Jeff Gluck, correct?” Mears asked. [Deep breath, five-second pause] “Cool.” (more…)
Why Won’t Chevy Race a Nationwide Camaro? November 7, 2009
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Jeff Burton tests Chevrolet's version of the Nationwide Car of Tomorrow at Talladega Superspeedway. While Ford and Dodge will race pony cars, Chevy's sticking with the Impala.
Hours before Saturday’s Nationwide Series race at Texas Motor Speedway, race fans are strolling through the track’s main concourse, collecting all the sponsor swag they can carry.
For manufacturer Chevrolet, it’s a perfect opportunity to market its products to the legion of race fans that will pack the stands of the Fort Worth track this weekend. At the display, race fans can climb in a number of vehicles from the Chevy stable, take their picture in front of Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Sprint Cup racecars and check out the automaker’s new hybrid plug-in car, the Volt.
Fans who sign a waiver and pass a breathalyzer test can test drive a number of Chevrolet vehicles, including the new Camaro. The new Camaro is a shining spot for parent company General Motors, a corporation whose imaged has some bumps and scraps on it from its struggle in the recession and bankruptcy reorganization. (more…)
Busch Bumps Hornaday for TMS Truck Win November 6, 2009
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Kyle Busch takes his signature bow off the back of his race truck after winning Friday's Winstar World Casino 350 at Texas Motor Speedway.
Full-time NASCAR Truck Series drivers Ron Hornaday and Matt Crafton are battling for the season championship, but it was part-timer Kyle Busch who stole the show Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway.
Busch put a bumper on Hornaday to make the pass and take the lead on lap 97, and stayed out front the remaining 50 laps to win the Winstar World Casino 350 at TMS.
In the past five Truck Series races Busch has entered, he’s won, bringing his season total of wins in the Truck Series to seven. (more…)
TMS Pays Respect to Fort Hood Victims November 6, 2009
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The new logo added to the infield grass at TMS pays tribute to the soldiers and families at Fort Hood.
NASCAR’s support of the armed forces and the U.S. servicemen and women is well-documented. There’s been considerable discussion around the garage about Thursday’s shooting incident at Fort Hood.
Texas Motor Speedway has been quick to react to the incident, adding a new logo to its infield grass in support of the troops. The logo reads “God Bless Our Fort Hood Troops,” and is located on the portion of the infield grass near the exit of pit road.
Gordon Wins TMS Pole November 6, 2009
Posted by admin in : Uncategorized , add a commentJeff Gordon will start from the pole at Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.
It’s Gordon’s first pole of 2009, and 68th of his career. With three races to go in 2009, winning the Texas pole keeps Gordon’s streak of 17 consecutive seasons with a pole going strong.
“We weren’t waiting,” Gordon said of finally getting a pole in 2009. “We’ve been really close; there have been times when I really thought we had a pole.” (more…)
As Long as He’s Winning, Martin’s Ok with Points Standing November 6, 2009
Posted by admin in : Uncategorized , 1 comment so farA somewhat emotional Mark Martin reflected on his NASCAR career during a press conference at Texas Motor Speedway.
Martin’s finished second in the points four times in his career, and currently sits second behind teammate Jimmie Johnson. All season long, Martin’s said he’s content not winning a championship, and took the ride in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 car to win races, which he’s done five times in 2009.
“I have learned a lot and I have seen a lot and I have come to realize that I’m no Dale Earnhardt. My record don’t stand up to his…just doesn’t. And when you stand me up against Jeff Gordon…it just don’t stand up to it man. I understand that,” Martin said. (more…)