In an uncharacteristically poor year which saw Jeff Burton and company flounder outside the top 20 in points for the majority of the season, there are only a handful of races that can be considered when choosing a season high point.
Tony Stewart was able to pass Carl Edwards on the final restart. The outside move wasn’t as impressive as passing Johnson on the outside at Martinsville, but it was still pretty nifty.
Talk about a gamble. When the caution flew with 41 to go, Chad Knaus left leader Johnson on the racetrack… while almost every car on the lead lap pitted. Four tires had proven to be the key to gaining and keeping track position, so the call was a roll of the dice at best… and in the end, it cost Johnson the win by a car length. Did the poor pit work by the No. 48 crew for much of the year cause a lack of trust that they could keep Johnson in the lead if they pitted? Whatever the reasoning is, it’s the second time in two weeks that Knaus’s decisions have cost Johnson, coming on the heels of a decision to keep Johnson at the back of the field at Talladega. That choice, which some have forgotten in light of his comments on the radio ultimately cost the No. 48 team any chance they had at a sixth straight title.
Kevin Harvick caught a late caution, creeped in front of Jeff Gordon on pit road, then held off an assault by Cheez-It Crackers (err, Carl Edwards) to win one of the most bizarre short track races in recent memory.
_Welcome to Running Their Mouth! Each week, we’ll go through media reports, interviews, PR, and all of our own stuff to find the best quotes from the Sprint Cup race, capturing the story of how the weekend unfolded. It’s the most original commentary you’ll ever find: the truth, coming straight out of the mouths of the drivers, crew members, and car owners themselves. This week, here’s a sneak peek at what they all were thinking following Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway:_
*Best Quote:*
“Are you kidding me? Pinch me man, pinch me.” _Race Winner Jeff Gordon_
After nearly three months of hibernation, the green flag drops on NASCAR’s 2011 points championship this week. As usual, there are several new obstacles for the teams to deal with as they get ready to compete in the Sprint Cup Series this year: A new type of racing fuel, a new fuel delivery system, one …
For the second time in the organization’s history, Richard Childress Racing will head to Daytona for the season opener as a four-car team.
Following an early-season stretch of inconsistent finishes that led up to a 32nd-place finish at Talladega and some bad luck sustained following a wreck with Jeff Gordon, Jeff Burton’s No. 31 team suddenly found itself some speed.
In a sport that’s become so homogenized it makes Romper Room look risqué, Sunday’s Cup race from Texas was notable in that three drivers in particular showed some genuine, if not entirely polite, displays of emotion.
Texas Motor Speedway became Denny Hamlin’s personal playground on Sunday, when he unseated Jimmie Johnson from the top spot in the standings for the first time this late in the season since 2005. Johnson was plagued with pit road issues, which led to the No. 24 team moving over to pit him – a move …
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