Jimmie Johnson Is Now A Seven-Time Cup Champion

via press release

Jimmie Johnson Makes History, Wins Record-Tying Seventh NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Ties Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for Most Premier Series Championships.

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History has been made.

Jimmie Johnson captured his record-tying seventh NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship with a stirring victory Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, tying NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt atop the all-time list.

Sunday’s win was Johnson’s 80th career victory.

To win the 2016 championship, the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet outdueled the other Championship 4 drivers Joey Logano (fourth), Kyle Busch (sixth) and Carl Edwards (34th) at Homestead.

It was a year of sevens for Johnson, who took over sole possession of seventh place on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series all-time wins list after his win at Auto Club Speedway earlier this season. His wins at Atlanta and Auto Club catapulted him into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Johnson breezed through the first round of the Chase, logging his two highest laps led totals of the season to that point at Chicagoland and Dover. When the Round of 12 rolled around, he added his all-time track-record eighth win at Charlotte, leading a race-high 155 laps on the way to a Round of 8 berth. Johnson was the first to lock up a spot in the Championship 4, winning at Martinsville Speedway for the ninth time.

At the age of 41, Johnson becomes the youngest seven-time champion. Petty was 42 when he captured his seventh title in 1979; Earnhardt was 43 in 1994.

All seven of Johnson’s championships were won under team owner Rick Hendrick and with crew chief Chad Knaus.

Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports, captured his record-extending 12th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. Along with Johnson’s seven titles, Hendrick has won championships with Jeff Gordon (four) and Terry Labonte (one).

Knaus cemented his legacy as one of the top crew chiefs in NASCAR history with his seventh title, one shy of the all-time record held by NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Inman.

Also on Sunday, Chase Elliott was named Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award.

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Daniel Suárez Wins 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series Championship

via press release

Daniel Suárez Wins 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series Championship Becomes First Latin American And Drive For Diversity Graduate To Capture NASCAR National Series Title

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 19, 2016) – It’s been a rapid rise for Daniel Suárez, who captured the 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series championship Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway by winning the Ford EcoBoost 300 in only his second full-time season of NASCAR national series racing. The driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota is the first Latin American, as well as the first graduate of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program operated by Rev Racing, to win a NASCAR national series title.

To take home the crown in “The Series Where Names Are Made,” Suárez, 24, outlasted his Championship 4 competitors Elliott Sadler (third), Justin Allgaier (sixth) and Erik Jones (ninth).

It was a year of firsts for Suárez, who burst onto the NASCAR XFINITY Series scene last season by earning its Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award and finishing fifth in the championship standings. In his sophomore campaign, Suárez became the first Mexico-born driver to win a NASCAR national series race (June at Michigan) and to lead the points standings in a NASCAR national series.

The Monterrey, Mexico, native dazzled from the outset of the season, racking up four top-five and nine top-10 finishes in his first 10 contests. Suárez led the points standings following 14 separate races in the regular season and made his way into the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase with his win at Michigan.

Once the Chase started, Suárez upped his performance to another level. He breezed through the Round of 12 with a win at Dover, sandwiched between a runner-up result at Kentucky and a third-place finish at Charlotte. Then, Suárez registered finishes of third (Kansas), fifth (Texas) and fifth (Phoenix) to set up his championship-clinching victory at Homestead.

Suárez is the third member of the NASCAR Next program to win a NASCAR national series championship (Erik Jones, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, 2015; Chase Elliott, NASCAR XFINITY Series, 2014).

Also on Saturday, Erik Jones won the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, a season after accomplishing the feat in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

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Predicting the Winner of the 2014 NASCAR Cup Season

This year is a unique year for NASCAR. Instead of wondering if driver A will finish 15th or better, letting driver B maybe win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship if he finishes 4th or better, and other such convoluted NASCAR algebra, this year, we have a straight up, whoever finishes the highest in the field of the four contenders will be the champion.

That even means if all four get wrecked and finish 39th to 43rd, whom so ever is 39th, will be the champion. Or that the best driver of the four could be eliminated by a bad tire, bad call by another team, or just bad luck.

But who might it be, that will take advantage of this TV ratings induced, newly kludged elimination points system and become the season winner?

Looking at the Homestead driver ratings for Joey Logano, Ryan Neman, Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick, the money is on Harvick!

Logano  71.2
Newman  84.8
Hamlin  93.4
Harvick 99.1

But I've seen Homestead throw wrenches in statistical performances in the past.

And the latest practice speeds, as I write this, are backing me up, where Harvick posted the faster speeds of the four contenders, followed by Newman, then Hamlin and Logano.

But practice time and race time are two very different beasts and despite the ranking right now, Hamlin has won here before.

If we look at the season's driver ratings for these four drivers,

Newman 86.1
Hamlin 90.7
Logano 106.7
Harvick 109.9

Things look different. But this is a different weekend with all the pressures of an all or nothing race weekend.

I think, pending more practice and qualifying sessions, that this will be between Harvick and Hamlin.  My worries are that Newman might not be quite up to snuff and will pull one of his all or nothing moves by not taking four tires or some such stunt. He tries these a lot and most of the time they don't pan out.

So for lack of any other substantial info, numbers and one practice session say that Kevin Harvick will be the champion come Sunday afternoon.

But too many things can happen in this new and idiotic process that NASCAR has instigated at the behest of the TV networks. So we will see. For now, suffice it to say, the mostly better drivers are at the top of the field and we will have ourselves a first-time champion.

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Can Keselowski Beat Johnson And Take the 2012 Championship?

No matter what Jimmie Johnson does, if Brad Keselowski finishes 15th or better, he wins the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup championship, stealing the chance at a 6th title from Johnson.  In other words, it's Brad's to lose.

Or is it?

If you look at some statistics from Homestead for our two drivers, the past performance numbers make it look like this is going to be a close title contention race.

Average Finish from Homestead: Keselowksi (20.3), Johnson (13.5)

Driver Rating from Homestead: : Keselowksi (68.9), Johnson (95.2)

If, per the numbers, Johnson finishes 13th and Keselowksi 20th, Brad still wins the championship.  With that 20 point difference, Johnson has to have Brad finish 20 spots behind him.

But do you seriously think that will happen?

The past performance numbers say one thing... but Brad's 2012 performance is anything but like his past.  In 2012, his average finish has been 9.9 and Johnson's has been 10.5.

Ever since Brad broke his ankle, he's been driving better than prior to that injury last year.  What the heck was it about that wreck?

Probably a mental reset on his part as he looked at the challenge of driving a little bit differently.

Yet even though everything looks all but locked up for Keselowski to win the 2012 Championship, any number of things can happen to him.  As unlikely as it seems, a flat tire, a failed part, trash on a grill or even a glint of sunlight on the window can change fortunes in an instant.  Or one of them could find Clint Bowyer running after them sometime during the race!

Anything is possible, but Brad Keselowski being our next champion is more than likely.  How do you feel about that?

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Clint Bowyer is the Nationwide Series Champion!

with 52 laps to go, the intensity of the Nationwide series took a focus on the end lap.

Kyle Busch was looking to make history with an 11th win in one season, breaking Ard's 10-win record.

Carl Edwards was hanging on with his destiny completely out of his hands as he ran in the top 5 most of the day.

Clint Bowyer and his team performed beyond expectations as he manipulated his car up into the top 5, keeping his points buffer in front of Edwards. After 29 weeks of leading the points standings, it came down to a few laps.

Earlier in the race, the Championship contenders were tied for score, but as Clint moved up through the pack, that points lead grew.

With 45 laps to go, Bowyer held a 41 point buffer in front of Carl.
With 20 laps to go, it was down to a 21 point lead as Carl took the history making lead away from Kyle Busch.

At this point, the collective breath is held by all concerned, hoping against hopes of any tire or engine failures.

With 10 to go, Clint holds 5th, needing to finish 9th or better.

A Caution came out with 9 laps to go, bunching the cars up around the 3 drivers looking to make a bid for their own personal goals. With 4 laps to go, the unknown variable was Kyle Busch, looking for that 11th win, sitting behind Carl Edwards but nothing untoward happened to an of the drivers.

No tire issues, no engine issues, just plain old fashion race to the checkered flag.

Despite Carl Edwards winning the race, Clint Bowyer finished 5th and becomes the Nationwide series champion, BY 21 POINTS! The closest points race in "Nationwide" history.

Carl Edwards,
Kyle Busch,
Brad Keselowski,
Jason Leffler
Clint Bowyer

Round out the top 5 finishers of the Ford 300 at Homestead.

CONGRATS TO CLINT BOWYER


Nationwide Race Results | Points Standings



(Photo Credit: Robert Laberge / Getty Images for NASCAR)

Johnny Benson is the TRUCK Series Champion

Johnny Benson just took the Truck Series Championship by finishing 7th, 1 spot in front of Ron Hornaday Jr, who finished in 8th.
WOW! What a race. The whole night was a tight competition where at one point, Ron had 27 points on Johnny.

The last 40 laps were about these two drivers as they battled with each other throughout the end game.

A late race caution had Johnny stay out and Ron pitted, taking 4 tires and set himself back too far in the field. Another caution came out and it was a green / white / checkered and on the restart Ron was held up by a slow start by Scott Speed and he had just too much distance to make up to pass Johnny.

JOHNNY BENSON, the 2008 CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES CHAMPION.
The LAST Craftsman Sponsored Champion as Craftsman heads out to pasture and Benson's first Truck Championship.

CONGRATS TO JOHNNY BENSON!!!!!

Oh, yea... Todd Bodine won the race... almost forgot!! Rounding out the top five were Brian Scott, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Dennis Setzer.

Johnny Benson (23) and Ron Hornaday Jr. race side-by-side during the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Benson finished seventh and Hornaday finished eighth, giving Benson his first series title.
(Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Truck Results | Points

Johnny Benson photo cr: Marc Serota/Getty Images for NASCAR

Field for the Sprint Cup Series Race Cup Chase

After Richmond, the field is set for the Chase for the Cup.

Here's a quick, terse list of who we have to follow for the last 10 races of the 2008 season:

No. 18 Toyota of Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 99 Ford of Carl Edwards, Roush Racing
No. 48 Chevy of Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports
No. 88 Chevy of Dale Earnhardt Jr., Hendrick Motorsports
No. 07 Chevy of Clint Bowyer, Richard Childress Racing
No. 11 Toyota of Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 31 Chevy of Jeff Burton, Richard Childress Racing
No. 20 Toyota of Tony Stewart, Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 16 Ford of Greg Biffle, Roush Racing
No. 24 Chevy of Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports
No. 29 Chevy of Kevin Harvick, Richard Childress Racing
No. 17 Ford of Matt Kenseth, Roush Racing

Basically, here's some observations from the Chase:
-We've got three a manufacturer fight for the championship. It's Chevy vs Ford vs Toyota.
-Apparent obvious no-show of a Dodge in the field.
-The only Toyota representation is from Joe Gibbs Racing.
-The four teams with 3 cars each, are (In no particular order)
Joe Gibbs Racing,
Roush Racing,
Hendrick Motorsports &
Richard Childress Racing (3 teams)

So who do we think is gonna pull off the seasonal win? We'll know in 10 races, but I'd love to hear some opinions.

Amy says Jimmie has nice hair, but go Carl! (A fervent fan who communicates often with me)

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion

The Place: Homestead Florida
The Event: the Ford 200
The Series: NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series

Johnny Benson won the race. (I didn't want to keep you in suspense about the race winner)

The early part of the race saw Mike Skinner and Jon Wood having the dominant trucks of the night. I had chalked the championship up to Skinner because initially, it looked like Hornaday was struggling to make 5th. But the hand of fate reached in and Mike Skinner's truck fell apart at the left rear wheel hub, setting him back 10 laps and Ron Hornaday Jr. just had to stay in the running.

No flats, no crash aftermaths, no debris - that's all.. and sure enough, he finished on the lead lap in 7th and got his 3rd truck series championship.

Congratulations Ron, Congratulations Kevin Harvick Inc...

foxsports.com (article)

scenedaily.com (results)

Will there ever be another "King"

Richard Petty is known as 'The King'. He's got records that will never be broken. He holds SEVEN championships, matched only by Dale Earnhardt. He's won 200 races in his career, winning the Daytona 500 seven times. He's won 27 races in one season; a record # of poles (127) & 700 top ten finishes. All in 1,185 starts.

But these records were set in a different era of NASCAR when the good 'ol boys backed each other up, or threw each other around to resolve differences. And that was how it was.

I don't see the breaking of Petty's records for the mere reason that NASCAR is always on the ball, answering to sponsors and making sure that parity is part of the process, making competition fair to all, and taking action to make sure that the integrity of the sport is maintained.

When drivers try to resolve issues amongst themselves (At least on TV), they get fined and put on probation. When the lug nut bolts are found to be hollow to give a slight weight advantage, the teams (driver, crew chief, car owner), are docked points or fined or if severe enough, (and usualy the severe incidents are warranted), suspended from competition.

But the biggest change made was the bringing about of the "Chase for the Cup". This was already in the pipeline when, to point to one incident, Matt Kenseth won his championship in 2003. He won that season on consistency, not wins. He only won one race that year. NASCAR has tried to eliminate consistency as a chance contender and instigated the "Chase". Additionally, they've modified the allotted points for winning this year too, to emphasize winning.

The Chase for the Cup is designed to give the top 'x' contenders, (Originally it was 10, but this year, it's 12, or 27.9% of the field) the opportunity to compete against themselves as their points are reset to such a degree that only the top 12 contenders have a chance to win the Championship. It answers the need for more exciting television to some degree.

Old school fans are being left behind as some old tracks aren't cutting it in attendance and new formats and coverage are coming on strong to capitalize on new demographics.

NASCAR is a victim of it's own growth, propagating the need for all the penalties to appease the big time sponsors they are attracting. It's the price of growth and we can either adapt to it, or find ourselves disappointed in skewed expectations.

In the end, I don't think we will ever see another Richard Petty dominate the scene like he did.