Talladega Finish Closest In While

((HT: NASCAR on Fox/MT89Motorsport2))

The larger issue at Talladega Sunday turned out to be who your favorite driver would use as a dance partner. If Dave Blaney had Regan Smith instead of Kurt Busch ((who was involved in three incidents with other drivers)), we all would be heading to Blaney's steakhouse sponsor with any kid we knew for a free meal...

But Roush went with Roush, Hendrick was with Hendrick, and so on and so on...

The four Hendrick cars were in the mess at the end, and the mess ended up being .002- or the length of a fender- good enough for one of the wildest non-Big One endings in a while... the closest margin since 1996...

Have you ever...???

Jimmie Johnson wins Sprint Cup again...other drivers just shake heads

Jimmie Johnson/Courtesy: examiner.com

Can you say "The Dominator"? NASCAR actually had a fairly thrilling end to its season this year...for maybe the first time, well, ever.

Their version of the playoffs, the Sprint Cup, came down to the final race. To those who don't follow, we'll set the scene: One race left, Denny Hamlin with a slim lead in the points standings. Just 15-points behind, Jimmie Johnson, the guy who had won the previous four titles in a row. The only other guy close, Kevin Harvick. But Harvick self-destucts and speeds down pit road, costing him any shot at the title.

Short version, Hamlin has a horrible final day, Johnson didn't. Johnson catches him in the point standings and has now won the last 5 titles.

Oh by the way, Carl Edwards was your winner of the Homestead-Ford 400 on Sunday.

Read the summary from the Miami Herald RIGHT HERE

Yes, the rest of NASCAR is trying to catch Johnson who along with his team at Hendrick Motorsports, have this whole Sprint Cup playoff thing down pat. They peak at the end of the season, every season...and they win.

As for NASCAR, it wasn't the banner year they were hoping for. Truly, they, much like golf, need to figure out a way to keep more than the hardcore fans interested after football starts. While a dramatic last race like the one on Sunday will help.

Here is Jimmie's reaction to winning the title. Thanks ESPN:

Jeff Gordon Is Not A Happy Teammate, Johnson Admits Fault

Back to the end of the stock car event at Talladega from Sunday afternoon...

It was the first-time ever in the history of the Green-White-Checker format of "Overdrive" that we went to the third attempt to get it done...

Or as Fox's Mike Joy calls it: "Checkers or Wreckers"

Here's your checkers...
((HT: NASCAR on FOX/MT89MotorSports))


And here's your wreckers that took out Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton...
((HT: NASCAR on FOX/500bennu))


So, naturally, the 24 is not pleased with the 48...
Have you ever seen Gordon this way...???
((HT: NASCAR on Fox/StewartHaasNewman))


MONDAY UPDATE: The 48 has fallen on the sword in this one...

"I misjudged the closing rate," Johnson told The Associated Press. "We all make mistakes, I am no different.

"Certainly, that was my fault. I made the mistake there."

Johnson also said that he would have hung around the track had he known that Gordon was so pissed at him. He had already bailed by the time Dick Berggren asked the 24 what the burr was under his saddle...

"I would have stuck around if I knew what was waiting for me," Johnson said in a phone interview with Jenna Fryer.

"There's no doubt after the fact that frustrations are high, the wreck just compounded it," Johnson said. "I think he was speaking out of frustration."

Martin is "The Big Cheese" at Darlington

((HT: The State/Steve Wiseman))

On a night when Darlington Raceway celebrated 60 years of racing, the driver with the most first-hand experience was the life of the party.

Fifty-year-old Mark Martin ((Pictured, thanks Rich Glickstein/The State)), who nearly retired earlier this decade, survived a record-setting night of wrecks to hold off Jimmie Johnson and win Saturday night’s Southern 500.

The third-oldest driver to win a Sprint Cup race, Martin last won at Darlington in the 1993 Southern 500, a 16-year stretch between wins that is the longest such period in track history.

“I’m loving it,” Martin said. “That was so incredible, man. Once we got in front, it was easy.”

It was Martin’s second Sprint Cup series win in four races during his surprising comeback season.

The circuit’s lone stop at the historic, 60-year-old Darlington Raceway saw a track-record 17 cautions, the first coming on the fourth lap and the final coming on lap 342.

The events eclipsed the 15 cautions in 1995.

“It was a wrestling match for 367 laps,” said Tony Stewart, who finished third.

Martin, who started in the No. 12 position in his Chevrolet, stayed off the walls enough to take the lead on lap 322 when he and six other cars stayed off pit road.

“That’s definitely the toughest race I’ve ever run,” said Alan Gustafson, Martin’s crew chief. “It was not easy for a second. Nothing went our way. It was tough, except for the end. It was really special.”

Jamie McMurray and Brian Vickers brought out the night’s 16th caution on lap 335. Martin carried the lead over Jimmie Johnson into the yellow and off the restart on lap 338, and he hung on as he, Johnson and Tony Stewart were tightly packed.

The group took a break as Dale Earnhardt’s trip into the wall on lap 342 brought out the night’s 17th yellow flag.

After the green flag, Martin held off a strong charge from Johnson on lap 349, then extended his lead to five car lengths.

Johnson, who started at No. 42 after a wreck in qualifying, made one more run at Martin on lap 354. But after approaching Martin’s bumper, Johnson could not pass him and backed off for the night.

“I pushed Mark as hard as I could,” Johnson said. “He made one little mistake, but I knew I wasn’t going to get by him. We had to go into a fuel-save mode at that point. I’ll take second on this night.”

The slip-sliding night of racing came a year after a major pavement-resurfacing project at Darlington. But last year’s maiden race on the new surface saw only eight cautions, covering 31 laps.

On Saturday night, 70 laps were lost to cautions.

“I felt like my car was 40 percent or 50 percent out of control,” Martin said. “So I stayed away from people.”

Here's the end of the race as Martin takes the checkered...
((HT: NASCAR/Fox))

Not How The 48 Wanted To Do Darlington

((HT: The State))

Jimmy Johnson said right before his lap, crew chief Chad Knaus' "final words were, 'Go like hell,' and off I went and didn't make it back."

Johnson qualified on owner's points and will start 42nd, his worst opening spot in 11career Cup races at Darlington.

"I hate that happened to Jimmie," Jeff Gordon said. "I know they've got another great car in the truck. They're a championship caliber team. They'll rebound, I'm sure, in a big way."

Kenseth's hopes his fourth career pole - and first since Kansas in October 2005 - leads to a rebound in confidence.

He won the Daytona 500 and then the next week at Auto Club Speedway in Los Angeles. However, he's just one top 10 finish in the past eight races.

Kenseth had felt good during practice, then came an afternoon rain that threatened to wash off much of the grip Sprint Cup drivers had spent the morning laying down.

To Kenseth's surprise, his car held its line and led to the quickest lap in Darlington's 60-season history.

"It's the most confident I've been in my car since, I don't know," Kenseth said.

Here's his run, thanks to NASCAR.com

Ryan Newman qualified third, followed by improving Sam Hornish Jr. and Darlington first-timer Joey Logano.

Defending Darlington champion Kyle Busch, who swept last week's Nationwide and Sprint Cup races at Richmond, will start 14th.

Brad Keselowski made it into his first Cup race since winning Talladega two week ago and starts 31st.

Jeremy Mayfield and Scott Speed failed to make the 43-car field.

Johnson, sixth in the points, had hoped a strong qualifying lap would end a run of bad races. He was 30th at Talladega and 36th a week ago at Richmond.

"Unfortunately, I tore up a race care but we have great backups and we'll be out there tomorrow night," he said. "I'm looking forward to it."

((HT: NASCAR/Speed))

Carl Edwards Is The Man

According to a NASCARmedia.com poll, Carl Edwards is the favorite to dethrone 3 time Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson in 2009. Here are the results of the NASCAR media poll:

1. Carl Edwards

2. Jimmie Johnson

3. Kyle Busch

4. Jeff Gordon

5. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

6. Greg Biffle

7. Kevin Harvick

8. Mark Martin

9. Jeff Burton

10. Matt Kenseth

11. Denny Hamlin

12. Tony Stewart

"It's just great." Carl Edwards said. "What Jimmie has done is spectacular. For the media to say they think that I might be able to stop that, is pretty neat."

By the way, Joey Logano was picked to win the Rookie of the Year.

Photo Courtesy: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images

Don't Be Changin' My Channel, The Race Ain't Over!!!

I learned a long time ago never to tick off a true blue NASCAR fan. They are the most loyal and most down to earth bunch I've been around, but don't cross them.

Well ABC did this weekend electing to switch the last 34 laps of the race to basic cable, or more specifically, ESPN2, for America's Funniest Home Videos. To NASCAR fans and it's insiders, it's not funny.

"We didn't like it, that was not what we had anticipated but we have talked to them repeatedly in the last couple days," NASCAR Grand Pooh-Bah Brian France said. "There were lots of circumstances that we have to consider. They have their own issues they had to manage around. Unfortunately we got the short end of that."

"I knew we were in trouble when I looked at the monitor and saw a monkey scratching its butt." one team member from Jimmie Johnson's crew said.

The switch happened between 7:30 - 8pm eastern & central time. In the 7 - 7:30 time slot before channels changed, ABC had a 4.6 rating.

So let's see, Jimmie Johnson is wins the race on the verge of making NASCAR history by capturing his 3rd straight Sprint Cup title and dad's getting kick in the balls by their kids is better and more compelling TV? Who's getting kick in the jimmie's here (no pun intended)

The Worldwide Leader was so anxious to get NASCAR back a few years back and ABC seemed ready and willing to go along for the ride but is obvious that the Sprint Cup races do not warrant airing to their conclusion like football, baseball or even golf. Would a network switch the conclusion of the next to last event in the Fed Ex Cup if Tiger Woods was involved and on top of the leaderboard? I don't think so and right now, Jimmie Johnson is as dominant in Sprint Cup as much as Tiger has been to golf. I can think of a few reasons why but will refrain at this time.

I talked to an individual today who covers NASCAR. He told me that now the sanctioning body has a good idea now where they stand now.

Hopefully the powers that be realize this cannot happen at the race this weekend at Homestead where Jimmie Johnson is set make history. Keep your remote handy though.

Brian France Photo Courtesy: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images
Jimmie Johnson Photo Courtesy: Christian Petersen/Getty Images