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Image by Getty Images via @daylife I’m not sure if he was the first to say it but this simple phrase captures the heart and soul of the man we knew as “The Intimidator.” His fierce determination to never settle for anything less than first place resulted in seven championship titles. The history [...]  Image by BiggerPictureImages.com via Flickr Jimmie Johnson grabbed his fourth win of the season at Sonoma today with a little help from Marcos Ambrose. It was his fourth win this season and his 51st career win. While Johnson was celebrating his victory, the rest of the NASCAR world was still in shock at the heartbreaking mistake that handed him the win. On the final caution of the race, Ambrose failed to keep up with the pace car and maintain his position during the caution laps. This unfortunate error gave the lead to Johnson who easily cruised into victory lane. Marcos talked to the media after the race. “Just cut the motor off, trying to save a bit of fuel there,” Ambrose said. “It’s NASCAR’s house, you play by their rules. I don’t agree with it. I don’t like it, but that’s the way it is. Movers and Shakers: The biggest gain in the points standings was made by Jimmie Johnson who moved up four spots to second place. He is now only 140 points behind leader Kevin Harvick. Johnson also made some history today. His 51st career win puts him 10th on the all-time winners list. Hendrick Motor Sports broke another record with its 15th victory on a road course, the most for one organization. Jeff Gordon moved up two spots to fifth place in the standings but seems to have lost the respect of some drivers in the process. His controversial run in today’s race puts him firmly in the role of villain, so more about him later. Continue reading →  (c) Mary Hodge/NASCAR Red Farmer is one of NASCAR’s racing legends but his life hasn’t followed the typical path. His story begins in Nashville, Tennessee but the date of his birth is somewhat uncertain. The International Motorsports Hall of Fame lists his birth year as 1928, but other sources, including his wife, give his birth date as October 15, 1932. When asked about the mystery surrounding his birthday, Farmer once said, “Hey, I ain’t sure. When I was born I was too young to read the birth certificate.” Farmer moved with his family to Miami, Florida when he was about 14 or 15 years old and in 1962 they moved again to Alabama. He settled in Hueytown, Alabama and considers that his hometown. Most NASCAR fans are familiar with Farmer who became famous as a member of the original “Alabama Gang” along with Bobby Allison and Donnie Allison. But there’s so much more to his story. Farmer didn’t start racing when he was five years old. He wasn’t groomed from an early age to learn how to speak to the media and project the perfect sponsor image. His lessons were learned the hard way. Farmer made his living as an electrician and began racing part-time during the summers. He sometimes drove twenty or thirty hours, hauling his car on a trailer and sleeping in truck stops along the way. Continue reading →  Image via Wikipedia The Samsung Mobile 500 finally got underway on Monday and pole sitter Tony Stewart led the field to green. Stewart was strong all day but the competition was fierce. Teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson were up front much of the day and raced each other aggressively, making contact at one point. Dale Earnhardt Jr led 46 laps but lost the handle of his car and wasn’t a factor at the end. But the most excitement came suddenly on lap 318 when Carl Edwards and Stewart made contact coming off Turn 4. Stewart then hit Gordon and after the dust cleared, a total of nine cars were involved. Jeff Gordon saw another win slip away and Denny Hamlin saw his chance. The race was re-started and Denny Hamlin pulled ahead for the lead. With two laps to go, Jimmie Johnson was in second place trying to close in on Hamlin, but he ran out of time. This is Hamlin’s second win this season and his 10th Sprint Cup victory. More importantly, this win brings him one step closer to his ultimate goal of becoming a championship contender. Rounding out the top five finishers were Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne. Continue reading →
Johnson also raced his way into the record books with his 50th career win. He is now tied with Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson for 10th on the all-time Cup win list. A critical decision on the last pit stop to take four tires gave Johnson the edge he needed and he took full advantage. “We have worked so hard for this,” Johnson said in victory lane. “I thought we were in trouble. But the four tires were everything.” Rick Hendrick summed up Johnson’s accomplishment by stating what should now be obvious to everyone. “He’s one of the best that’s ever done this.” Continue reading →
Now that the 2009 season is over, NASCAR fans are left with a sense of emptiness as they eagerly anticipate 2010. But before we put this season to rest, let’s take a look back at the highlights, disappointments and surprises of 2009. The season ended with a bang as Jimmie Johnson made history by winning his fourth consecutive Sprint Cup Championship. With a second place finish by Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon finishing third in points, HMS once again shone as the team to beat. And though Mark Martin finished second for the fifth time in his career, his love of the sport and his humility make him one of NASCAR’S most respected drivers. “I’m very proud of what we accomplished and on top of all that, I had more fun than anybody.” Continue reading →  Image via Wikipedia Wherever NASCAR is discussed, or opinions are solicited, there is a strong likelihood that the topic of the Chase for the Sprint Cup will be debated, denounced or roundly criticized. It is very easy to see that there is very little middle ground on this topic. Fans either love the Chase, or they hate it. And for the past five years, at this point in the season, the media tends to try to stir the pot with the questions they pose to drivers both in and out of contention for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Most recently, Tony Stewart was asked about his feelings around going from first in the standings to third at the start of the Chase. Continue reading → |
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