As the #48 Lowe’s Chevy was dragged back to the garage area on Saturday night behind the wrecker, a loud roar of approval could be heard all the way to Charlotte. After a “wrong place, wrong time” incident that involved AJ Allmendinger losing his brakes and crashing hard into Jimmie Johnson, a large part of the crowd in attendance at Darlington Raceway made it known that they were glad to the see the 48 retired from the event. The reaction got me thinking, is Jimmie Johnson the new driver the fans love to hate?
Think back over your own time as a NASCAR fan. Who have been the sport’s most hated drivers? Names come to mind like Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace, Jeff Gordon, and the Busch brothers. What’s interesting to note about all of these guys, is just how polarizing they were and are. They would beat the brakes off the competition, wreck people, or get wrecked, and then get out of the car and whine, talk smack, or antagonize. Their attitudes and styles appealed to many, but were hated by others. We had Ironhead, Jaws, and Rusty the Whiner.
Flash forward to today, and instead of focusing their hate towards extreme personalities, fans now hate vanilla. Johnson has flat dominated NASCAR competition over the last four years, and yet he hasn’t done so much as ruffle one feather of a competitor on the track. He kicks ass, thanks his sponsors and crew, and moves on to the next track. There is no media bashing, interview flake outs, whining, or trash talk.
Besides the domination and his very moderate style, Jimmie has also come to represent to NASCAR fans all that is wrong with the sport today. Instead of the Allison’s and Cale Yarborough fighting on the back stretch at Daytona, we have drivers (like Jimmie) who are very corporate and choose their words and actions carefully. Fighting and on track clashes are entertaining, endless sponsor shout outs and boring interviews are not.
So far this season, it appears that all the Jimmie/Chad voodoo dolls might finally be working. Through eleven races, the team has already tripled it’s number of DNFs from all of 2009. Two of those having come within the last three weeks. And after some heated exchanges on the radio during Saturday night’s race, the team may be showing there are cracks in the armor.
As the season progresses, expect the cheers to get louder if Jimmie has bad luck, and the boo birds to be even more vicious if their luck is good. JJ has officially become the most hated driver in NASCAR.
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Only 16 more shopping days until Christmas! But before you head off to the mall, sit and enjoy the 52nd edition of ATIW. If you don’t know what this post is, we answer any and all reader questions every Wednesday, right here. So if you’ve got one, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send one to us. On to the questions…
1. From Michael in SoCal:
Question on the Nationwide COT – what will the spoiler look like? Will it be smooth all the way across, or notched at the ends? I’ve seen pictures of both from the test sessions, and was curious what the advantage of one vs. the other would be. Thanks.
I’m not 100% certain on this, but usually the spoiler with the notches is used at superspeedways like Daytona and Talladega (see the Truck Series). I’m sure NASCAR was probably testing both at different tracks to see how it affected handling, but usually that is how it goes. I would imagine that the regular spoiler will be used at all other races. But again, I’m not 100% certain on this. And I’m not an aerodynamics expert, but I believe the notched spoiler slows the cars a bit and makes them more stable at high speed. – T.C.
2. From Raymond:
This is a great deal… First time I got to read the Q & A… Here is my question… By the way I sent it to NASCAR and they didn’t answer. Ok here it is: what is the rule on pit lane stops during cautions, when are the cars penalized ? IE cars already in pit lane? Or those that enter before pit lane is open. Thanks for your help.
Once a caution flies, NASCAR will close pit road. Pit road doesn’t open until the field is under control of the pacecar and NASCAR has deemed it safe to open pit road. Any cars that pit before pit road is open must restart at the tail end of the longest line. Cars that enter pit road under green flag conditions, who are then caught there when a yellow comes out are not necessarily penalized. Often times, a team will lose a lap because they are stopped on pit road while their competitors are on track at speed. Some teams will pit before pit road is open on purpose, because they need extra time for damage repair or adjustments. – T.C.
3. From Christopher:
I noticed John Andretti missed the 35th spot by 100 points. I also noticed he did not race in the 11th and 12th races of 2009. It appears he didn’t even try to qualify, because he did not have any DNQ’s this year. In fact, he was in the top 35 at points in the season because he somehow got into races. Am I missing something? It seems like he should have done whatever it took to run all races, as it would have assured him a top 35 car next year.
John Andretti was 36th in driver points, but the #34 car was 35th in owner points. NASCAR uses owner points to decide guaranteed starting position. John missed those two races because he was qualifying for and then racing in the Indianapolis 500. During those two races, Darlington and Charlotte, Tony Raines was driving the #34 car. He maintained the position in the points. John though lost spots because he missed the races. – Journo
4. From Virginia:
I know tools have changed over the years. I would like to know what kind of tools were used by the teams when Nascar first started. Did any of the shops not have electricity? How have the change in tools affected the ease with which cars are built, set up and fixed?
I haven’t a clue. One would assume they all had electricity because NASCAR’s first sanctioned races were in 1948. I would imagine the tools weren’t all that different from the ones used today. Certainly the pneumatic tools weren’t available, but your basic tool chest would have been. Remember the cars in the early years of NASCAR were very stock cars. Working on them would be much like working on your own car in your own garage. As the years have progressed so has tool technology and the technology of the cars. – Journo
5. From Ric:
The winner of the race gets a checkered flag. But do they get THE checked flag, other than when Tony does his fence climb routine? I have noticed the checked flag they get to drive around with has a short handle, is there anything else special about it, or just some cheap flag that is thrown away after?
I believe the winner gets to keep the flag. There are also novelty flags given out to the crew guys in victory lane that have the race win printed on them. – Journo
6. From Ric:
I have seen a couple of videos clips over the year (maybe the same clip) where Chad Knaus is talking on the radio (walking away from the 48 car). He then puts his clip board up to his mouth to hide what he is saying (like you see NFL coaches do) while he is still talking. If anyone is that worried on what he is saying wouldn’t you just listen to his radio, which is public info, versus trying to read his lips!?! Any inside clue on why, or what am I missing?
I think what you are seeing is Chad shielding his microphone from the noise around him. Especially if cars are on track or engines are running around him, it will be very difficult to hear what he is saying. Spotters often have to do this when the cars come by them on the front stretch. They will shield their mics with their hands so the driver can hear what they are saying. Chad isn’t worried about spying lip readers, as if he wanted to keep something secret, he would just lean in the window and talk directly to Jimmie. – T.C.
7. From Mike:
Who all gets to go to the banquet? How much of the crew gets to go. I realize that this probably varies if you are in 1st or 10th and from team to team but I was just wondering.
It’s usually just crew guys from the championship winning teams that go to the banquet. And it’s the usual suspects; mechanics, pit crew guys, crew chief, etc. They put them up in the cheap seats and let them at least be in the building. I can’t say I’ve ever heard of any crew guys from the second place on back teams getting to attend a banquet. – T.C.
8. From Ric:
Do pit crews, crew chiefs, spotters etc. get chances to slip away for when nature calls? Or are you stuck there and hope it doesn’t happen. Are there facilities near, reserved for pit personal? I’m sure you don’t have to stand in long lines like the fans do.
Spotters don’t get the chance to take bathroom breaks. They are stuck where they are until their driver wrecks or the race ends. Guys on pit road are different. Most tracks have porta-johns on or near pit road, and crew guys can slip away for a second to relieve themselves. And yes, I do know of crew chiefs who have made race calls while using the facilities. – T.C.
And that brings yet another “Ask The Insiders Wednesday” to a close. Thanks to everyone who sent in questions. And remember, if you’d like to be a part of next week, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send your question in!
The last race of the season is upon us. Come Sunday night, the 2009 season will be over. But what won’t end, is Ask The Insiders Wednesday. We’ve got our 50th batch of questions and answers for you. If you don’t know what this post is, until further notice, we will be answering any and all reader questions every Wednesday, right here. So if you’ve got one, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send one to us. On to the questions…
1. From Nick:
The last time I was @ Hendrik Motorsports, Jeff Gordon’s “T-Rex” car wasn’t there. Do you know where they moved it?
I have absolutely no idea. Was it in the museum? I’m sure they try to rotate the cars in the museum to keep things fresh. Too, the museum was redone earlier this year, so they might have changed some things out. – Journo
2. From Big Mike:
I don’t understand how an experienced winner in all three series of ARCA, Trucks, and Nationwide, Rookie of the Year, 3 Cup Poles, can be overlooked for any job in any series. I’m speaking of Scott Riggs. Scott’s a great driver who doesn’t go around with a swelled head. He’s a clean driver 99% of the time and would do a great job for any team. Do you think the fact that he was man enough to stand up and admit on the air that Tommy Baldwin asked him to start and park has hurt his chances to secure another ride? Let’s face it the last 5-6 cars every week who squeeze in and have no chance of winning are there to rip off the gate. So what is your take on Scott’s future?
I haven’t heard a thing about Scott Riggs and as far as I know he isn’t really very visible around the garage. The problem is there are a glut of drivers and not enough rides. Unless you’re bringing with you money or proven talent (and money) it’s going to be hard to find a ride. I don’t think there were any hard feelings over the TBR deal. Tommy just realized he couldn’t afford to keep running the full races and starting and parking wasn’t something Scott wanted to do. As far as Scott goes though I haven’t heard anything about him for 2010. He may be working on something, he may not. – Journo
3. From Savannah:
Here is a what if question. Since Dale Jr has struggled this year, do you think that Rick Hendrick considered moving a successful crew chief, ala Chad Knaus, to the 88 team for next year? Even with the recent crew chief change, Dale Earnhardt has not improved as quickly as some fans hoped. Just curious if you think that this option was considered.
If it was considered I would think it was for only a fleeting moment. Rick Hendrick is not the type to kill a successful pairing like Chad Knaus and Jimmie Johnson. Was it thought about? I’m sure every scenario was considered, but I doubt this was a likely solution. – Journo
4. From Dave:
When NASCAR takes a team’s car to Concord for further inspection, how does it get there? Does NASCAR take it on one of their haulers or does the team? Once there how does the team get it back if NASCAR releases it? Y’all have done a great job all year and I hope this continues after the season ends.
NASCAR has transporters they use to take the cars from the track to Concord. After they’ve finished inspecting the car you get to come get it yourself (doesn’t seem fair right?). And thank you! – Journo
On the #48 team, what is the garage feelings about them. Do they mirror the fans? Is their dominance hurting NASCAR?
I’m not sure I can speak for everyone in the garage, but I don’t personally feel the way some of the fans do about Jimmie. Yeah, I wish the competition was closer, but I respect what amazing things they have been able to accomplish. I certainly don’t dislike Jimmie or the #48 guys because of their run. I wish that on some level, people could step back from their allegiances and see just how great this team has been. – T.C.
About how long does it take the winning driver / team to make it thru all the pictures and interviews after a race? What is the longest you have heard of?
The drivers take a lot longer then the rest of the team. After the main celebration and hat dance is over, the crew can take off to start loading the hauler and tearing down pit road. The driver has to stay longer for more pictures. Usually the bigger the race, the longer it takes. The Daytona 500 victory lane activities can go on for a while. I’m not sure I could tell you an exact time though, as I don’t normally hang around for the driver part. – T.C.
7. From Ric:
Who supplies (pays for) the champagne in the winners circle? What is on the bottles, looks like the Sprint Cup Logo? About how many bottles do they go thru after a race?
I’m not 100% sure who pays for it, but I would assume it’s supplied by the marketing company that handles Sprint’s NASCAR efforts (which I believe is Octagon). As far as how many bottles they go through, upwards of half a dozen maybe. – Journo
8. From Roger from Colorado:
Last week I was on a hunting trip traveling on I-20 towards Dallas from Colorado. It was Monday and I noticed quite a number of Cup and Nationwide haulers going west towards Phoenix for the weekend race there. I saw the 48 hauler and wondered what they had inside after the big wreck. I got to thinking about what all of them had on the trip to Phoenix. I assume that a different car is used at Phoenix (a smaller flat track vs the big, banked Texas track). Does another hauler meet them at Dallas and switch equipment and cars for the different style track? There were a bunch of busted up cars after the Texas race that were junk. Sure too far to return to NC and then come back out to Phoenix with more equipment.
Actually most teams have somebody meet them in Texas with the equipment they need for Phoenix. They’ll trade out everything that needs to be traded out and then head their separate ways. At Texas these guys were actually waiting in a lot outside the track ready to make the switch. – Journo
9. From Scott:
Hey Guys, after Johnson’s win this past weekend its going to be tough for Mark Martin to win the championship, but as we know anything can happen. I think we all know the fans are divided between frustration, hatred and awe of what the number 48 has done (again) this year. My question is how do your peers feel about in the garage? Do they feel the same as the fans? What about the drivers? And just to add some fuel to the black helicopters out there, is there any driver out there that could hold Johnson up or make his day difficult enough to give Mark Martin a run at this thing? Ok, I’m caught! I’m a big Martin fan and it saddens me to see him be a bridesmaid again. Not to take away what he’s accomplished this but jeez! Thanks again guys.
Like I said above, I can’t speak for everyone, but I do wish the competition was closer. You never want to see one driver or team dominate a sport. But there really isn’t the hate and discontent in the garage area for Jimmie that you will find among some fans. Unless it’s a freak deal, I think you will see most drivers steer clear of Jimmie during the race. Nobody wants to be that guy. – T.C.
10. From Ric:
Let’s say you have a car that just won a race, it stayed out of all the wrecks, the driver wants to race it later in the year. What needs to be done to the car to get it ready for that next race? What is (or not) changed / replaced / redone?
After a race, cars are completely torn down. Everything from the engine to the suspension is taken out and off. The cars are checked over and then placed back into rotation to be set up again for the next race in which it will be used. – T.C.
11. From Tommy:
I know NASCAR takes the top two cars and others for post race inspections. What do they look for in the engine? Is it just they meet certain specs like cylinder size? Do they put it on a dyno and determine how much horsepower it has? Rick Hendrick admitted his engines may vary from 5 – 15 horsepower. I wonder if Jimmie has more horsepower than the other 42 drivers?
I don’t believe that NASCAR puts engines on the dyno in the course of their normal post race inspections. What they usually check the engines for is that they meet all the specs in the rule book; compression, displacement, etc. And while Hendrick’s engines are certainly a part of their success, a few horsepower over other competitors isn’t why Jimmie has won three straight championships. – T.C.
12. From Tom Gulf Coast
If NASCAR chooses to go with a larger tire, what else would have to be changed with the car? Do you know if its a larger wheel or just a taller tire? I think the 15 inch wheel is about the only thing that has always been the same over the past 50+ years.
From what I understand, the tire is wider and would require a change to 17 inch wheels. A larger wheel and wider tire would require teams to make some big changes to the current cars. Bodies would need to be different, as the wheel openings would need to be larger. Also, I would imagine that both front and rear suspension geometry would change because of the larger combo. Also, fender wells and crush panels would need to be different. – T.C.
You’re not happy when he’s winning. You’re not happy when he’s finishing 38th, 129 laps down. What do you want out of Jimmie Johnson? We should hash this out though, because he’s not going anywhere for a while.
Over on twitter and on message boards across the Internet this week people have been angrily asking why Jimmie’s car didn’t get inspected and then they were accusing him of not maintaining minimum speed during the race.
As we all saw last weekend Jimmie wrecked in the opening laps of the race and spent the next hour in the garage as his team tried to fix the car. He came out, I believe, 113 laps down.
I’ve read during the race Chad Knaus came over the radio and told Jimmie that NASCAR told him, Jimmie was under minimum speed, which was 33.27 seconds, or 162ish MPH.
Of course everyone (well maybe not everyone) is calling foul.
The problem is, NASCAR generally warns a driver before throwing the black flag. Here was his warning. I’ll be honest with you, I’m not 100% sure how exactly they decide to throw the flag, but I don’t think this was a situation that called for it.
TC and I worked some calculations and found based on the number of laps he lost between when he came back out and the end of the race, he was losing a lap every 14 laps (give or take). If he’d been the five or so seconds off the pace that would have been necessary, he would have been losing a lap every six laps. That didn’t happen.
And then there are all those screaming about Jimmie’s car not getting inspected after the race. Why would NASCAR have inspected a car that finished 38th, 129 laps down? I suppose they’re also advocating for regularly sending Joe Nemechek’s, and Tommy Baldwin’s cars to be inspected too (you know to make sure it actually was a vibration that brought them into the garage). That makes sense.
At the track the top-five cars are typically taken in for an inspection. Here is a good explanation of both the pre and post race inspection process. In addition to that, the engines of the top two finishers are taken back to the NASCAR R&D Center in Concord, NC to be inspected. The car of the winner and one randomly selected car are also brought to the R&D Center. Here is an explanation of what happens there.
So was it possible that Johnson’s car could have gotten selected? Sure. Did it? No. And let’s be honest, it wouldn’t have done anybody any good.
I’m not really sure where all the anger toward this team comes from, but I think it’s misguided. I understand you may not like Jimmie, and you may want to see him fail (that’s fine), but there is absolutely no reason to believe or suspect this team isn’t doing this honestly (at least as honestly as everyone else).
Likewise this idea that NASCAR wants Jimmie to win four straight championships couldn’t be farther from the truth. Jimmie’s dominance has not done any favors to their Chase format and continues to drive people off. If you think they want that you’re crazy.
I understand and respect the passion, but looking for trouble where there isn’t any is not a good use of time.
We’ve got a good batch of questions for you this week, and many from some new names which is great to see! Remember, there are no stupid questions here, and even if we’ve answered a question in the past, we will answer it again. If you don’t know what this post is, until further notice, we will be answering any and all reader questions every Wednesday, right here. So if you’ve got one, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send one to us. On to the questions…
1. From Scott:
How are the rims handled in NASCAR? Does Goodyear haul them from race to race? If Goodyear always has the rims do they check them for damage and how are old and new rims rotated in and out of the line up? Thanks, and I love your website!
A company called Champion Tire & Wheel hauls all of the wheels for the teams to the track, and they also store them and check them for damage before the races. Champion also transports the pit boxes and some other equipment for most Cup teams and many of the Nationwide teams. – T.C.
2. From Donald:
What happend to Scott Riggs. I haven’t heard his name anywhere for the last 2 months.
As far as I know he’s out there looking, like a lot of other guys. I don’t really know anything specific, sorry. – Journo
3. From Sue:
Does NASCAR prior to qualifying ever check the fuel in the cars to verify that additional additives such as more alcohol were not added by the teams?
If NASCAR wants a fuel sample, they usually do it after qualifying is over. – T.C.
4. From fanwanzabee:
Were there as many empty seats at Saturday’s race as it seemed to me watching on TV. This is bad news for all, When I go to a race, about half my money goes to other things than tickets.
Yes. I’m not good at estimating how many were in the crowd, but attendance was the worst I’ve ever seen at Lowes. Tom Sorenson at the Charlotte Observer wrote a little bit about it. This season has definitely been different. Charlotte in the last few years has been one of those tracks where you could get tickets up until race time, but the crowd has always been pretty good. It’ll be interesting to see how attendance does next season. – Journo
5. From Woogeroo:
With all the hullabaloo over consistent start times and things, I started wondering what exactly that meant. Talking heads start time? National Anthem singing? The fly over? Green flag waving? I miss the days when you turned on the race and they were on the parade lap. I’m glad NASCAR gets coverage and all, but jeez… I really only care about the race. -W
All that means is that the official start time will be standardized. That still means the race won’t start for 15-20 minutes after that “start time.” – Journo
6. From Anonymous:
What is it that is making the 48 team so good? I do not believe Jimmie is a better driver than Tony, Jeff or even Carl and Kyle. It’s hard to believe other teams haven’t figured it out yet. Are the resources and “under the hood talent” that much different between the A level teams??
Like I said in my post today, if I knew exactly what the answer to this question was, I’d be a rich man. My guess is that it’s not necessarily that one of the parts is better, it’s that the sum of the parts is just a bit better. Jimmie + Chad + Hendrick equipment + team 48 = success. I promise you though, teams are working overtime trying to figure out how to beat the 48. – T.C.
7. From Ella:
I don’t understand how there can be such a difference in performance in COT cars from the same stable. It is said that the crew chiefs share information among themselves but then you have Carl Edwards limping along while his teammates run much faster. Same with Earnhardt and his team mates. One would think there would be more parity. What things make a difference?
You’ve got to remember that every driver wants their car setup differently. What works for Jimmie Johnson might not necessarily work for the other three Hendrick drivers; and vice versa. So copying the 48’s setup exactly won’t make Jeff Gordon run as good. The teams share information, but drivers and crews need to know how to use and apply that information the best possible way to go fast. And you also need to keep in mind that we are still very earlier in the life cycle of the COT. Teams are still doing a ton of R&D to figure out what the car needs to be really good. - T.C.
8. From Big John:
Great site guys! If a team picks up a new sponsor during a race weekend, is there a grafix company that travels the circuit that can make decals for the cars?
I don’t believe any of the graphics companies have a mobile operation, but I do believe that they will overnight decals to a track if they have enough warning. If it’s too late for that, I’d imagine a team would have to track down somebody locally to get the printing done. Maybe if somebody from TDS or Motorsports Designs reads our blog they could give us more details. – T.C.
9. From Ron:
We tend to take for granted improved safety in NASCAR, thanks to advancements like the COT, SAFER barrier, etc. My question is, has any Cup driver missed seat time this season due to an injury received on the track? I can’t recall any.
Not any Cup drivers. We’ve seen some pretty gnarly wrecks, but thankfully, thanks in large part to these safer features, no one has been seriously injured. Off track is a different story. Turns out walking on your dock and playing Frisbee is more dangerous than driving a stock car. – Journo
10. From Roger:
Todays post about the #48 got me thinking a little about cautions that are called. Sometimes (especially late in a race), a caution will come out for debris which turns out to be a water bottle, obviously thrown out of one of the cars. A situation like this usually ends up with 3 to 5 laps under the yellow and everyone (who wants to) pitting. This changes the strategy and dynamics of the race and could be blamed on a driver (at least in my mind!) Why does NASCAR treat an obvious and possibly planned strategy as it does? In my opinion, they should check/clear the track as necessary and get back to racing with the pits closed all the time during that yellow.
Unless there is video of a driver doing something blatant, there really is no way to know where debris came from. It could have been a water bottle out of the stands. I know in the past drivers have tried to tear off pieces of roll bar padding and throw them out windows to cause a caution. Sometimes they got away with it, and sometimes they got caught. Wasn’t it Carl Edwards that got busted a few years ago for this? Either way, I don’t think NASCAR is going to start saying which caution periods you can and can’t pit during. If they did, people would probably start saying that NASCAR was only allowing teams to pit during a certain caution because it benefited a Dale Jr. or a Jimmie Johnson. -T.C.
11. From Ben:
Now that the #48 and #5 have passed NASCAR extended tech inspection 3 weeks in a row has Jack Roush backed off on his “Hendrick is cheating” rant. Reminds me his “Tiregate” accusations…
Jack Roush is a little like Felix Sabates. He likes to open his mouth from time to time and complain or just say generally outlandish things. He’s Jack Roush though and he can get away with it. – Journo
12. From Chris:
If JPM were to win the Championship would this give F1 fans bigger egos about being better drivers?
I don’t think so. I think it would be a testament to Juan’s talent though. – Journo
As we near the end of the season, and what some are already predicting could be a fourth straight championship for Jimmie Johnson, it seems the negative feelings toward driver 48 are growing. Some have even hinted that Johnson’s dominance is to blame for the decline in ratings and attendance recently. The argument is that when one team dominates, it makes the races less interesting to watch. But instead of blaming Johnson and his team for being too good, why aren’t you blaming your favorite driver and team for not being good enough?
I agree that it can suck when one team seems to win everything. But when my favorite college football team isn’t doing well while another is, that doesn’t make me watch less football. The same can be said about my other favorite teams. I’m still going to tune in each week, go to games when I can, and support my team. I don’t understand why the same can’t be said about racing.
We’ve been asked before by fans what exactly the 48 team does differently then everyone else. I think we may even have at least one of those for tomorrow’s “Ask The Insiders Wednesday.” The answer is, that I have no idea. If I did, I’d probably be a rich man. Whatever it is though, it’s working, and you can’t blame Chad Knaus and his guys for doing it right. And instead of getting angry and calling Knaus a cheater, why can’t we take a step back and realize how amazing this run has been? What if Johnson really is that good?
And while we are on the subject of Chad Knaus, how come we hear so often that people want NASCAR to give the teams more freedom in being creative with the cars, yet you get angry when somebody like Knaus pushes the envelope? It is the responsiblity of these teams to push the tolerances to the limit, because that is what it’s going to take to be successful in this age of NASCAR. Like they saying goes, don’t hate the player, hate the game.
You are going to call me a NASCAR homer for saying this, but I don’t care, I’m going to say it anyway. NASCAR is not playing favorites with the 48. As many are starting to get turned off by it, it doesn’t suit NASCAR’s interests to give them some sort of advantage over everyone else. They would be better suited to give Mark Martin or Juan Pablo Montoya the edge, because those would be bigger stories. The black helicopters have been winterized and stored away for the season.
I will agree that some of the debris cautions can be very suspicious, but if NASCAR is really throwing them to affect the race, they are trying to close the fields up for better racing; not to benefit one driver or another. Even Johnson has been the victim of these cautions.
With the Cup Series headed to Martinsville this weekend (one of Johnson’s best tracks) it would appear that his hold on the points lead could grow even further. But as quickly as Johnson has moved to the top, he could just as easily fall. I would caution you in writing off guys like Mark Martin, Tony Stewart, and maybe even a resurgence from JPM. The season is far from over, and if a points lead after five races meant you’d win the championship, the year would be over. But it’s not. We’ve still got five more races to go. Anything can happen. Don’t forget that races are played out on the track, not in statistics or on paper. And ease up off the venom for Jimmie.
Now it’s your turn. Are you becoming turned off by Johnson’ dominance? How come? Do you think one team dominating hurts the sport? Would you feel the same way if it was your favorite driver who was kicking ass? What if it were somebody like Kyle Busch dominating? The floor belongs to you, don’t forget to play nice!
Filed under: Jimmie Johnson, Juan Pablo Montoya, Lowes Motor Speedway, Chase for the Sprint Cup
Chasing Jimmie: Contenders Fading Fast originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 01:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Hendrick Motorsports
NASCAR 'Warns' Johnson, Martin Teams originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:34:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.