2009 Setting The Stage For Impressive Championship Race
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns on Sunday, April 18 in Phoenix, Arizona for the Subway Fresh Fit 500. With seven races complete, 2009 has set the stage for one of the most anticipated championship races in years. Four of the top five in the point standings are previous series champions with a combined total of 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup titles. This is about as good as it gets this early in the season.
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet), the standings leader, has four series championships (1995, 1997, 1998, 2001) and 82 career series victories; fifth on the all-time wins list, one behind Cale Yarborough. His win at Texas last week extended his lead to 162 points over second.
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet), second in the standings, has three consecutive championships (2006-08) and 41 career series victories. His win two weeks ago at Martinsville and his second-place finish last week at Texas moved him up six spots in the standings. Johnson has won the last three NASCAR Sprint Cup events at Phoenix International Raceway.
Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge), third in the standings, has one championship (2004) and 19 series victories. Busch has one win this season (Atlanta) with two top fives and four top 10s. Busch won at Phoenix in 2005.
Clint Bowyer (No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet), fourth in the standings, is the odd man out when it comes to championships, but has two career series victories. Bowyer’s momentum has been built on consistent finishes this season, three top fives and four top 10s.
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Tony Stewart (No. 14 Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet), fifth in the standings, has two series championships (2002, 2005) and 33 series victories. In his first season as an owner/driver, Stewart has posted two top fives and five top 10s. He won in his first start at Phoenix in 1999, starting 11th.
In total, 191 points separate first from fifth in the point standings after the season’s first seven races.
Gordon Has Chance To Settle Some Unfinished Business
Jeff Gordon is back on his game after capturing the checkered flag at Texas Motors Speedway last Sunday, officially ending his 47-race winless streak that dated back to Oct. 13, 2007.
Gordon has done a lot over his 18-year NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career, but he is using this season to settle some unfinished business.
Gordon leads all active drivers in wins at different tracks, including 21 of 22 tracks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule. The one track left on the active schedule where he hasn’t won is Homestead-Miami Speedway. Winning there would be big, but Gordon has set his eyes on a bigger prize.
Most notably on his list of “have yet to dos” is winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship in the Chase format.
His two highest finishes in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup were third in the 2004 Chase, and second in the 2007 Chase.
Gordon leads the standings after the first seven races of 2009.
“It’s great to be leading the points,” Gordon said. “But you want to be the guy to beat for the championship. If you’re going to win this championship, you’ve got to show that you’re strong, you’re consistent and you can win.”
Drivers With The Most Wins At Different Tracks
Below are the active leaders for wins at the 22 different tracks currently on the NSCS schedule.
Rank Driver Number of Tracks 1. Jeff Gordon 21 2. Tony Stewart 19 3. Jimmie Johnson 16 4. Mark Martin 16 5. Kyle Busch 13
Standings Shuffle: Big Names Knocking On Top 12’s Door
The standings continue to shuffle like a deck of cards and last Sunday was no exception. Jeff Burton (No. 31 CAT Chevrolet), driving for Richard Childress Racing, finished ninth at Texas Motor Speedway and moved up to 12th in the standings, the cut-off spot for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Burton has posted one top five and three top 10s so far this season. When the series returns to Phoenix, Burton will use his previous experience of two wins, five top fives and 11 top 10s in 19 starts to continue his momentum in the standings.
Currently, 67 points separate positions 12th - 16th so don’t be surprised if the following drivers are right on Burton’s bumper.
Juan Pablo Montoya (No 42 Target Dodge), driving for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, is 13th in the standings, 16 points behind Burton.
Montoya has posted two top-10 finishes this season, including a seventh at Texas last Sunday, his third consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series top-15 finish and a NASCAR career-first for him.
Montoya has four starts at Phoenix International Raceway with his best finish coming last season in the Subway Fresh Fit 500, where he placed 15th.
Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet), driving for Richard Childress Racing, is 14th in the standings, 39 points behind his teammate Jeff Burton in 12th.
This season Harvick has posted two top fives, three top 10s and one DNF (did not finish).
Harvick has made 12 starts at Phoenix with two wins (he swept the two events in 2006), three top fives and six top 10s.
Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford), driving for Roush Fenway Racing, is 15th in the series standings, 60 points behind Burton in 12th. His third-place finish at Texas moved him up nine spots in the standings.
Biffle has posted two top fives, three top 10s and two DNFs in the first seven races of the season.
Biffle has made 10 starts at Phoenix, posting two top fives and three top 10s. He finished ninth in last year’s spring event.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy/ National Guard Chevrolet), driving for Hendrick Motorsports, is 16th in the standings, 67 points behind Burton in 12th.
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Earnhardt hasn’t started the season like he had hoped having posted two top-10 finishes and one DNF.
A two-time winner at Phoenix, Earnhardt heads to PIR looking to rebound. He has posted four top fives and seven top 10s in 13 starts at Phoenix.
When asked what he would be doing during the off week Earnhardt responded, “I’m going to go to Whiskey River and I’m going to go on vacation during Easter and take it easy, man.”
Johnson And Knaus: A Combination Not To Ignore
Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus, crew chief of the No. 48, have been the most dynamic duo in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage for the past three seasons, and this season is proving to be no exception.
Johnson and Knaus have been working together for the past eight years in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. But the past three years they have been dominant, posting three consecutive championships, 22 wins (eight of which were Chase races), 48 top fives and 70 top 10s.
In 2008 Knaus became the first crew chief in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships.
In 2009, Johnson and Knaus are at it again. With much of the focus placed on his Hendrick Motorsports teammate and standings leader Jeff Gordon, Johnson has been able to move up to second in the standings after finishing second at Texas Motor Speedway.
In the first seven races of 2009 Johnson has posted one win (Martinsville), three top fives and five top 10s.
When the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to action at Phoenix International Raceway, watch for Johnson to be up front. He has won the last three races (2007 fall event and both 2008 events) for a series-high at Phoenix.
Johnson has the chance to become the only active driver to win four consecutive races at two different tracks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule. Lowe’s Motor Speedway is where Johnson has four consecutive wins.
NASCAR Pre-Race Loop Data for Phoenix has Johnson on top of several key categories: ranked first in Driver Rating (122.0); first in Average Running Position (4.9); and first in Laps In The Top 15 (95.4%).
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