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Live Ford 400 Chat From Homestead

Motorsports FanHouse — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

by Holly CainJoin me trackside from Homestead Miami Speedway at 2 p.m. ET Sunday, just prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' season finale Ford 400. Any way you look at it history will be made. Will Jimmie Johnson hold on to become the first driver in NASCAR's 61-year history to win four straight titles or will 50-year-old Mark Martin, a four-time champion runner-up, finally win his first title and become the oldest driver to do so?

Is the recent Hendrick Motorsports domination bad for the sport or a feat to be celebrated? What will it take to stop Johnson's No. 48 team next year? How would the Chase for the Championship be different if Kyle Bush were in the title hunt? Will Roush Fenway Racing get it together for next year?

Join the discussion and help FanHouse wrap up the NASCAR season.

Live Ford 400 Chat From Homestead originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

Motorsports FanHouse — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:20:00 +0000

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

Championship-Worthy Seasons Not Enough for Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

Motorsports FanHouse — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:00:00 +0000

by Geoffrey Miller

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

Championship-Worthy Seasons Again Not Enough for Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jimmie Johnson Wins at Phoenix to Cruise Into Finale

Motorsports FanHouse — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:03:00 +0000

by FanHouse Newswire

Filed under: Jimmie Johnson, Chase for the Sprint Cup

AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- Jimmie Johnson rebounded from a rare bad race with a dominating victory at Phoenix International Raceway that pushed him to the edge of a NASCAR record fourth consecutive championship.

Johnson led 238 laps Sunday to win for the fourth time in the last five races at Phoenix. It was his seventh victory of the season, and fourth since the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

More important, it stretched his lead to 108 points over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Mark Martin heading into the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Johnson needs to finish 25th or better next week to grab a spot in NASCAR's record books.

More: Race Results | Sprint Cup Standings

Jimmie Johnson Wins at Phoenix to Cruise Into Finale originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:03:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FanHouse Warmup: Checker 500

Motorsports FanHouse — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:23:00 +0000

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.

FanHouse Warmup: Checker 500 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:23:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint Cup Crown Remains Jimmie Johnson’s to Lose

Motorsports FanHouse — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:55:00 +0000

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.

Sprint Cup Crown Remains Jimmie Johnson's to Lose originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint Cup N’s & Q’s: Dickies 500

Motorsports FanHouse — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:24:00 +0000

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.

Sprint Cup N's & Q's: Dickies 500 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:24:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jimmie Johnson’s Extra Motivation

Motorsports FanHouse — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:45:00 +0000

by Holly Cain

Filed under: Jimmie Johnson, Chase for the Sprint Cup

Turns out everyone was a little ahead of themselves.

The wild-card race wasn't last week at Talladega, Ala., but Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. At least as far as NASCAR championship points leader Jimmie Johnson is concerned.

All week the three-time defending Sprint Cup Series champ refused to buy into everyone else's hype that he had a historic fourth consecutive title wrapped up. He cautioned, chastised and -- as it turned out, correctly predicted -- that the 184-point lead over the field he took into Sunday's race wasn't enough to seal the deal.

After being collected in a crash only three laps into the 334-lap Dickies 500, Johnson's nearly one-race points advantage has shrunk to only 73 points over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Mark Martin with two races remaining.

More: Kurt Busch Wins in Texas | Results | Cup Standings

Jimmie Johnson's Extra Motivation originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kurt Busch Wins at Texas, Wreck Cuts Jimmie Johnson’s Lead

Motorsports FanHouse — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:11:00 +0000

by FanHouse Newswire

Filed under: Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Chase for the Sprint Cup

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- Jimmie Johnson's drive to history took a hard hit against the wall and Kyle Busch ran out of gas trying to complete an unprecedented NASCAR trifecta.

Kurt Busch won at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, taking over the lead with 2 1/2 laps left when his younger brother's car suddenly slowed on the backstretch after leading 232 of the 334 laps.

Johnson, the series points leader trying to become the first Sprint Cup driver to win four consecutive season championships, wrecked on the third lap.

More: Johnson Wrecks on Lap 3 | Results | Cup Standings

Kurt Busch Wins at Texas, Wreck Cuts Jimmie Johnson's Lead originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:11:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jimmie Johnson Wrecks on Lap 3 at Texas Motor Speedway

Motorsports FanHouse — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:39:00 +0000

by Holly Cain

Filed under: Jimmie Johnson, Chase for the Sprint Cup

NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series championship got a little more interesting only three laps into Sunday's Dickie's 500 at Texas Motor Speedway when points leader Jimmie Johnson was collected in a crash, his No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet suffering major damage.

Johnson was able to continue but lengthy repairs were necessary in the garage resulting in a potentially substantial change in his hefty points lead. Entering the race, Johnson held a 184-point lead over second place Hendrick Motorsports teammate Mark Martin, nearly the equivalent of one full race.

Jimmie Johnson Wrecks on Lap 3 at Texas Motor Speedway originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:39:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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