November 18, 2012
By Kim Roberson
Kim Roberson
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Well, here we are -- the last day of the 2012 NASCAR season.
Where has the time gone? When February rolls around, it always seems like the season is so long and we will be racing forever. Then we come to this day, the final race, the day we crown a Champion, and you wonder how can time fly so quickly?
I mean, we have the longest season in professional sports --how can it seem like it goes by in the blink of an eye? I try to think back on the events of the season and realize so much has happened in those nine months. Remember when it seemed it was going to be impossible to top the crazy Daytona 500?
How do you come up with better storylines than the first ever rain delayed 500, followed by Juan Pablo Montoya and the No. 42 car vs. the jet dryer and Brad Keselowski making the first ever Twitter update from the seat of the No. 2 as the jet dryer burned brightly ahead of him?
Who would have thought that Keselowski would be the man in the cat bird seat nine months later, just a 15th place (or better) finish away from hoisting the trophy that everyone in that race back in Daytona was setting their sights on?
One way or another, history will be made this afternoon. Either Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team will be able to bring home their sixth title, or Keselowski will bring Roger Penske the one racing trophy he has always wanted and never had: the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Fans are split on which driver they want to see hoisting the trophy at the end of today, but it seems most of them are in the Penske corner.
“I think Penske winning 1st title. For me, I would love to see a first time winner --fresh,” noted Paula.
Mary agrees. “I'm hoping for a Penske win.”
“Penske getting his first championship and Dodge getting its last,” is why Betty is also selecting the No. 2.
The NASCAR.com Superstore seems to be getting a jump on the Johnson bandwagon -- you can already pre-order a “Jimmie Johnson 6-Time Sprint Cup Series Champion Collage with Autographed Plate & Race-Used Champ Tire-L.E. of 148” for $349.99.
“I can root for Brad Keselowski because (Dale Earnhardt) Junior is the one who brought him in here. I’m not a Jimmie Johnson hater but I think he dug himself too deep a hole last week,” noted one fan on Sirius XM this weekend.
For Roger Penske, aka “The Captain, this would be the crowning achievement of a journey that began more than 40 years ago. “This is the pinnacle of achievements that we could get in motor racing. This NASCAR Sprint Cup and the competition, the 38 weekends, I heard Jimmie Johnson or someone say it's a war out there, and it is. And to be standing at the end with the American flag in your hand when it's all over and be the champion is something real special, and we've not achieved it. I said I was goal oriented earlier, and one of our goals is to win this championship. I kid these guys and say I don't want to sit down in the front row anymore, I want to be up on the stage so I see who's at the party."
That is saying a lot for a man who has 15 Indianapolis 500 trophies and 12 Indy Racing League championship trophies on his mantle.
"We are one race away from doing something that no team has been able to do, and that is give Roger Penske the Cup championship he deserves," said the crew chief of the No. 2, Paul Wolfe. It will be up to Wolfe to make the calls that lead his team to the finish that will garner that long-awaited trophy for the Captains mantle.
And what if Johnson, who is 20 points behind going into today’s race, wins his sixth title?
First off, he will certainly have earned it. Overcoming a 20 point deficit without the pressure of having a Championship riding on it is hard enough. Doing it when it is do or die requires focus and composure -- something that five previous Championships will provide you plenty of. The members of the No. 48 team have more experience in dealing with making a run at the title than any other team on the track right now, and you can’t trade that experience when the cards are on the line.
“The aha moment comes for everybody that's in that championship battle,” explained Johnson earlier this week about the team’s ability to get past the nerves of going for that title. “It's easy right now to focus on just the drivers because we're here with the mics and doing this whole press conference. But every guy that goes over the wall to perform the pit stops can have that moment and will have that moment. Every guy turning a screw, a nut, putting fuel in the car, crew chiefing the race, engineering the race, everybody has the same thing on their mind. You're protecting something. It is something we have all worked for our whole lives to get to this point. It is a huge, huge moment.”
Johnson says he understands that he can’t focus on anything but what he needs to do to bring home the trophy, and that includes ensuring Keselowski is far behind his rear view mirror.
“Well, if we're racing each other I'm in trouble. We need a big gap between where I am and where he is. That's really the bottom line. You know, this is a different championship battle for me, and I have no problem doing things that I typically wouldn't do. I mean, if I was coming down here as the points leader I would want to limit these moments, and since I'm not, I'll do anything you guys want and need. It's different. I've got to play the hand that's dealt to me, and anything I can do to be effective, I'm going to take that opportunity to do it. “
Regardless of who wins the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship this evening, it will have been well earned and deserved. Love the driver or hate him, you should at least respect him and what he and his team have accomplished in this long 2012 season.
Good luck to Jimmie and Brad and I look forward to an exciting race tonight.
Follow Kim on Twitter: @ksrgatorfn
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