Today’s Season Preview Topic: Dale Earnhardt Jr. is coming off the worst year of his career, but kept Lance McGrew as his crew chief. Was that the right move, and was McGrew’s bold prediction of making the Chase the right thing for a man whose struggled with confidence since moving over to Hendrick?
I think Mark Martin has either retired, semi-retired or threatened to retire more times than Tommy Smothers. But this year, he was firmly committed to running a full season and even competing for that elusive championship at age 50. Martin did, in fact, win five races and made a valid and competitive drive for the title.
The ponderous, clanking, larger than life beast that was the 2009 NASCAR season finally stumbled across the finish line at Homestead, completing its nine month marathon. By that point, it was smoking badly, listing to port and shedding parts like a leper on a trampoline; but somehow it did complete the marathon. Some folks tuned …
Give me a minute… I’ll think of something. Seriously, there weren’t a lot of high points for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in what was the worst year of his Sprint Cup Series career.
Did You Notice? That with only one week left to go in the season, there’s plenty more to focus on than just the championship. Continuing the theme I had last week, let’s look at some small knickknacks people might have forgotten about with Jimmie Johnson mania on overload. That’s right, it’s time to actually adhere …
Jimmie Johnson is now on the cusp of history at Homestead, needing only to stroke it and post a 25th-place finish to clinch. Looking back over this year’s Chase, is there any type of format that would have guaranteed a closer finish during these playoffs?
As the sun sets on the 2009 Sprint Cup season many unknowns float around the garage, such as the destinations of free agent drivers, the future of unsponsored teams, and the next step for the dozens that already have been laid off from race teams, or soon will be. One question that seems answered already …
Jimmie Johnson’s crew got their driver off pit road first on the final set of pit stops. Once the No. 48 car had clean air on its snout, it was unstoppable.
In his 25th year in Sprint Cup, Rick Hendrick hasn’t just reached the peak of his sport… he’s carving a new mountain upon which all others must climb. With just one week left in 2009, his driver Jimmie Johnson stands poised to win a fourth straight title, with team cars Mark Martin second and Jeff …
Sure, I called him to win this week, but hey, I was close! Jeff Burton finished a solid and hard-raced second at Phoenix, his best run of the year. Burton has suffered through the mysterious malady that has plagued all four Richard Childress Racing teams this year, but Phoenix is Burton’s third top-10 finish in the last three races – a sign that things are turning around?
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