NASCAR wants you to believe the Sprint Cup title isn’t a slam dunk for Jimmie Johnson as the series hits Homestead for the season finale. Mathematically, of course, that’s true. He could, as he did at Texas, get caught up in somebody else’s trouble and finish 40th or so.
NASCAR faces an interesting situation with its Nationwide Series. Does it want the series to be the training ground for future Sprint Cup drivers, or do officials want the series to be more popular with fans and make more money?
NASCAR is different from every other professional sport in that it's both an individual and a team sport. A great driver won't be very good with a mediocre team, and vice versa.
You can tell it’s a slow news time in NASCAR when it makes headlines that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is frustrated. I mean, really, what’s he supposed to be late in a winless season as his three Hendrick Motorsports teammates duke it out for a title?
OK, so the Chase is over, right? I mean, Jimmie Johnson already is past his worst Chase tracks, won at California and now has slam dunks ahead of him at Charlotte and at Martinsville.
Fans may not like it, but expect this Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship to be decided by pit strategy more than anything else. At least that is the opinion of Tony Stewart, who won last week after he took two tires to gain track position late when several other contenders took four.
After sampling a few online articles following Sunday’s Chase opener at Loudon, I find it interesting that most members of the NASCAR media (i.e., anyone with access to a blog) still find the Chase boring.
Anyone who's familiar with this column knows predictions aren't my strong suit (you should see my fantasy team), but we all have to do it at this time of year. And, hey, they can be fun at times, like the year I picked Elliott Sadler, or was it Jeremy Mayfield? I forget.
If it’s drama you want, then Saturday night’s Sprint Cup regular-season finale at Richmond should provide plenty. Only the top four spots heading into the race are locked into the Chase for the championship.
Though I’m sure NASCAR would prefer a couple of other names be involved (wink, wink), there is at least some drama left in the cut to the Chase this year.