October 25, 2008
By Loren Dorrell
With just four races left to decide the Sprint Cup Championship, it looks like it’s just about time to stick a fork in this season. I know it ain’t over 'till the fat lady sings, but hey, if past history means anything, then I do believe NASCAR will have its first “three-peat” since Cale Yarborough set the record thirty years ago.
Before anyone gets their nose out of joint, just take a look at Jimmie Johnson’s record the past two years; in 2006, he dropped seven spots after first race for the Cup, falling from second to ninth; over the next four races, he gained just two back, moving into seventh following Charlotte, 146 points behind Jeff Burton.
Then he won at – guess where? MARTINSVILLE! He gained four spots and moved to within 41 points of the leader, Matt Kenseth. Then he reeled off three consecutive second place finishes at Atlanta, Texas and Phoenix to take the points lead for good.
In 2007 Johnson was in first place going into the Chase, only 20 points up on Jeff Gordon. After a sixth place finish at New Hampshire, he and Gordon were tied for the points lead; Johnson slipped to third after Dover, nudged ahead by less than ten points after Kansas, dropped back to second by the same margin, and after Jeff Gordon won at Charlotte, a lot of pundits were certain that the “drive for five” was all but in the bag and Jimmie would finish second to his teammate.
But then Johnson bagged four consecutive wins (beginning where? MARTINSVILLE!) on his way to a second championship.
And now, in 2008, just when the world had figured God had anointed Kyle Busch as the chosen one, here comes Jimmie Johnson. Sure, Rowdy has had his problems, but all year long Johnson seemed to be flying under the radar, gathering in four wins before the chase and seeded third behind the seemingly unstoppable Busch.
And just as Kyle began to falter in his quest for the Cup, there, waiting in the wings, was Mr. Johnson. Winning at Kansas and again at – yeah, you guessed it – Martinsville.
Hmmm, sound familiar? Now, I’m not a big Jimmie Johnson fan, and I never put much stock in fate and destiny – but even I can see the writing on the wall. Matter of fact, I’m willing to bet real money that it may take a miracle of Biblical proportions to deny him his 3-peat. Any takers?
I know what you’re thinking: there’s still four races left, anything can happen, there’s at least three teams within striking distance of the 48 and well, Chad Knaus could still get caught cheating; or maybe make a bonehead call like he did at Homestead a couple of years back (hey, Chad, how many people have to tell you your driver has a tire going down before you believe it?).
Keep dreaming. No-one on the Lowe’s team is going to be that stupid, not this year; not when Jimmie’s on the verge NASCAR immortality.
Jeff Gordon my have four titles, but three-in-a-row would put Jimmie a notch up on the boss, and who doesn’t dream of that? So just sit back, relax, pop another cold brewski and just accept the inevitable. It could be worse. Just ask a Kyle Busch fan.
Of course, there’s a couple of Roush-ka-teers that might disagree with me; not to mention Jeff Burton and maybe even Clint Bowyer (though that may take another Old Testament-style intervention) and Jimmie could run into a string of bad luck like Kyle Busch has and let someone else snatch victory, etc., etc.
Yeah, right. And this is the year the Raiders win the Super Bowl and Tampa Bay sweeps the Phillies in four.
The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.
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