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Prep Roundup
Columnists Brian Meadows Brad NormanMembersLocal Connection› Iredell County Young Athletes Association› South Iredell Athletics Association › SHS athletics › WIHS athletics › NIHS athletics › SIHS athletics › LNHS athletics Syndicate RSSAP NASCAR NASCAR Features A look at this year's schedule A look at this year's drivers Differences between stock car and open-wheel racing NASCAR Research & Development Petty Enterprises splitter testing Aerodynamic testing in Concord's wind tunnel Top 10 moments in Daytona history Site StatisticsThis page has been viewed 245363 timesPage rendered in 0.2164 seconds Total Stories: 2136 Total Comments: 34 Most Recent Entry: 08/15/2008 12:53 pm Most Recent Comment on: 04/17/2008 10:54 pm Most Recent Visitor on: 09/07/2008 10:29 am |
• Racing
2007 Nov-09
Johnson bags two for oneBy Larry Sullivan
Mooresville’s Jimmie Johnson picked up a pair of first-place finishes for the price of one on the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series circuit last weekend. Johnson, a member of the talented Hendrick Motorsports organization, continued his late-season surge by cooking up his third straight win and circuit-best ninth triumph of the season overall with his topping of the field in Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. In so doing, Johnson parlayed the performance into assuming the overall lead in updated championship points standings, a feat he also accomplished at the same track at nearly the same time a year ago on his way towards winning his first career crown. “I do know we’re racing for the championship,’’ assured Johnson, “and now we have control of it, I guess.” He guessed right. Johnson emerged from the affair’s fifth restart following a caution with four fresh tires and in fifth place with less than 30 laps left to run at the 1.5-mile oval track. Johnson then caught the race leader and engaged in a tight tangle for the edge, the two cars even bumping fenders at least once. After a neck-and-neck battle that showed the two cars dead even as late as two laps from the finish, Johnson produced just the space he needed to post the victory by about a 10 car-length distance. “I expected a good fight,’’ acknowledged Johnson. “There wasn’t much time left to get it done. It came down to a full-blown brawl.” By doing it, Johnson assumed the position of new overall points leader. He now takes a 30-point advantage over the next nearest challenger in the enlarged 12-driver Chase for the Championship field as that playoff-like phase of the season heads into its next-to-the-last race of the season. He becomes the new sheriff in town, fittingly taking over the points lead in a race held in Texas. It continues a trend for Johnson that he first started when banking together three straight runs to make a late charge at the points title in 2004. While he fell just short that year, he logged in with one win and a quartet of second-place finishes last year that sealed his first career points championship title. “I don’t look forward to those pressure-packed situations,’’ noted Johnson, who started in the eighth-place position, “It’s not like I sit up at night and hope they develop. When I am in them, I seem to do a decent job.” He did the best job of any other area-based pilot involved in the current Chase. He was one of several in the mix to collect valuable bonus points for serving as a race leader at least once. Others in the championship drive pulling off that achievement included Martin Truex Jr., with Mooresville’s Dale Earnhardt Inc., Mooresville’s Kyle Busch with Hendrick Motorsports, Mooresville’s Kurt Busch with area-based Penske Racing South, and Mooresville’s Matt Kenseth with Roush Fenway Racing. Also from the area and taking a tour as a race leader at least once included Mooresville’s Dale Earnhardt Jr. with DEI, Ricky Rudd with Mooresville’s Yates Racing, and Lake Norman’s Ryan Newman with Penske South Racing. With Johnson’s win paving the way, Kenseth provided the biggest challenge before settling for second place following an 18th-place start. He continues to reside 10th in points. DEI’s Truex Jr. checked in third, after starting on the pole, and combined his efforts to remain 12th in points. Kyle Busch continued the jam-packed local trend near the race’s top with his fourth-place finish following a 17th-place starting nod. He remained fourth in points. And Newman, out of the Penkse shop, chalked up a fifth-place finish following an 11th-place start that kept him in the 14th-place spot in points. Kurt Busch, with Penske, checked in eighth after starting sixth and stayed put in ninth place in points. In the second 10: Earnhardt Jr. wound up 14th after starting 12th and sits 13th in points and Rudd placed 15th after starting 39th. Elsewhere: Mooresville’s Jeremy Mayfield wound up 22nd after starting 36th; Brian Vickers with Mooresville’s Red Bull Racing landed 23rd after starting 22nd; David Gilliland with Yates Racing checked in 28th after starting 34th; Paul Menard with DEI placed 30th after starting 16th; Greg Biffle with Roush Fenway Racing wound up 33rd after starting 23rd; Mark Martin with DEI settled for 34th after starting 10th; Mooresville’s Joe Nemechek landed 35th, right where he started; and A.J. Allmendinger with Mooresville’s Red Bull Racing wound up 39th following a fifth-place start.
Area teams and drivers, especially those involved in the Championship Chase, now steer their attentions towards this weekend’s race, the Checker Auto Parts 500, set for Phoenix International Raceway Sunday afternoon.
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