Jimmie was kind of upstaged by Mark at the Champion's Week ceremony

Mark stepped to the stage and let his charisma and understanding of life and NASCAR come out in words that sparked energy in the crowd and stole the show from Jimmie Johnson. Listening to Mark’s words had me a little misty around the eyes and made me think of other racers who hadn’t quite been able to win it all during their racing careers.

The week long celebration begins on Monday as Jimmie Johnson and his wife Chandra will handing out about $1 million in donations to various schools around California, North Carolina, and Oklahoma, and giving something back to their fans.

On Tuesday Jimmie will show up at the Auto Club Speedway to have breakfast with and answer and ask a few questions with about 700 fans and friends.

Wednesday Jimmie is scheduled to take part in a photo shoot as he travels around to various spots along the Las Vegas strip. Jimmie will then spend a little quality time with the other racers he was competing against during the year and I bet he can expect a little fun pay back for his four years of making them second best.

On Thursday Champion’s Week heads to the real celebration and the official crowning of Jimmie Johnson as a four time Sprint Cup Series Champion. They’ll be having a parade where Jimmie’s fans can watch him come down the street and wave as he heads toward a strip where they’ll be a few burn outs planned, before they head over to have lunch.

On Friday they’ll bring the affair to its pinnacle with the annual Sprint Cup Series awards show at the Wynn Las Vegas and this is when the party will reach its peak and they’ll start to head off to their private parties.

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Jimmie Johnson at Champion’s Week

2009 was an eventful year on the NASCAR track

Also notable in 2009 was the financial problems of NASCAR and the state of the financial institutions around the world, which definitely made the ground the racers’ were racing on a little more hazardous and put the future of some teams and races in jeopardy. Chevrolet and Chrysler were on shaky financial ground the whole year and had to make cut backs in the spending of teams in order to make it through the season. We saw teams merge and a few had to put the wraps on their racing and hundreds of NASCAR industry professionals lost their jobs. Still others went with a start and park routine to try to reduce costs and keep the teams working. The drug problems of a few racers surfaced during the year and took the focus away from the racing, and Danica Patrick’s continuous talks with team owners kept interrupting the racing.

Add to these problems reduced attendance at many of the race venues, which certainly can be partly blamed on the financial crisis for many Americans, and 2009 wasn’t the best year in NASCAR history. Media professionals also saw a decrease in advertising budgets and revenue, which resulted in cut backs and downsizing in order to compensate for the reduced funding. 2010 is expected to be a better year for NASCAR, but things can change so quickly that making assumptions can cause real problems.

Jarrod Breeze’s problems with NASCAR dominated the events in the last few days of the season and this still has yet to be resolved. Jarrod’s problems could just be starting and the facts surrounding this whole affair could bring an end to his career. He may win the fight, but his chances of getting behind the wheel of another race car in a NASCAR race, is probably zero.

The events and facts of the 2009 season were often more about the events surrounding the races and racers, than the actual races. Hopefully, in 2010 we’ll get back to concentrating on the racing, as long as the financial situation settles a little and the financial ground becomes a little more secure for the teams and racers.

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2009 Nascar Wrap-Up

Denny Hamlin is expecting to have a better year in 2010

Every body is feeling sorry for Mark Martin, but they should be praising him for being able to keep his mental focus and not to take the second place finishes in the Sprint Cup Series as a personal thing. He finished his first full year in the Sprint Cup Series a shade behind one of the greatest Sprint Cup racers ever to slip behind the wheel and he has lots to be proud of. He finished the year with five wins and seven pole position starts, which in itself is an amazing feat when you think about the level of competition on the track.

Is it possible to finish third in the Sprint Cup Series and still feel like you left lots on the track and didn’t meet your own and team expectations for the season. This is probably how Jeff Gordon feels after a less than stellar year that has left him wondering what could have been. Jeff was expected to win more than once in 2009 and 2010 is going to be a watershed year for him and he needs to rise to the occasion and give Jimmie another challenger to the title. Jeff Gordon will also be seeking his fifth Sprint Cup Series title in 2010 and he’s probably tired on running second to Jimmie, which is going to make the 2010 Sprint Cup season a real barn burner.

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2009 Sprint Cup: The Bottom Line

Mark is sitting and wondering about 2010

Mark Martin and team tried their hardest to put together ten races during the Chase that would give them their first Sprint Cup Series Championship, but in the end they found themselves brides maids once again and looking in as Jimmie enjoyed all the accolades. Mark Martin just didn’t appear to have a strong enough car to allow him to catch Jimmie, but he kept his hands on the wheel and foot on the gas pedal and gave it his best try through ten of the hardest races of his career. The adjustments they made in the pits during the race didn’t seem to provide the change in performance and handling they needed to win, and Mark found himself trying to keep his car straight and fast, rather than actually being able to race with Jimmie.

The 2010 Sprint Cup Series is going to be interesting as we can certainly expect Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson and the rest of the boys will be out to win it all. Mark can win it all, next year I believe, as can a few of the other racers, but Jimmie will still be the one to beat. In the end the racer with the most consistent car will probably win and take home the Sprint Cup Series title. Hopefully we’ll get to see another barn raising affair that will leave us wanting more.

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Mark Martin Left Wondering at the Line

Jimmie Johnson celebrates his win in the Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500

One can almost feel sorry for Mark Martin, until one remembers that he’s a racer in one of the most popular and well paid motorsports in the world and has a great life. Just because you don’t win it all, doesn’t mean you should hang your head. Mark has had a tremendous year and unfortunately for him, he has been racing against a better overall package the last few years. Jimmie and his No.48, along with his team, have consistently been the best for four years running and it doesn’t look like they plan on making any changes, so there could be a difficult few years for his competition ahead.

One could make an argument for Jimmie Johnson being the best to ever sit behind the wheel of a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race car. Jimmie is best when closing on the line of his goal, which is usually the line of a NASCAR competition, and now that he has gotten his bearing and line on the track back, the 2009 Sprint Cup Series could be over. He might have let off the gas a bit in Texas, but now he’s back on the pedal and his line to the Chase finish line appears to be clear ahead of him.

Jimmie will come to Homestead Miami Speedway confident and only really needing to stick to his lines and stay out of traffic that could possibly take him out of the race and it should be good enough for the win. This is Jimmie Johnson were talking about and he’ll come out and see if he can win the race, not play it safe. Legends are legends for a reason and Jimmie isn’t someone to play it safe or he wouldn’t be out on a NASCAR track. This doesn’t mean he’ll be reckless, but I do expect him to try to win, if the chance shows itself.

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Jimmie Johnson Closing on the Finish Line

Jimmie Johnson is still out front, but for how long

Jimmie Johnson is still the front runner, despite his precarious position at the center of every driver’s target, and he still has the best chance of winning. He needs to continue to believe and race fast and consistent in the next two races and he has a good chance of winning.

Mark Martin might be in the best position of all the racers, just behind the leader with only two races remaining and all the attention on the leader. He has played it pretty cool up till now, but don’t be fooled by his exterior, he wants this as bad as anybody. Mark has been racing for years and never achieved the ultimate goal for a NASCAR racer and he’ll probably never be this close again. He has nothing to loose and everybody probably considers him second best, which is great for him, because he’s as good as any on the track and he has the experience. Mark is my sleeper, who I expect to win, if Jimmie isn’t able to pull it off.

Jeff Gordon is 112 points behind Jimmie, with 398 points still available in the two remaining races, in a perfect NASCAR world he still has a good chance to win in the last two races. He needs to take command in the next two races and hope that the two racers in front of him don’t have their best days to win, but anything is possible on a Sprint Cup track.

Kurt Busch is 171 points behind Jimmie and looking forward at a challenge that’s going to be tough to achieve, but it’s still possible. Lady Luck is going to have to give him a hand for him to win and everything is going to have to roll perfect, but don’t count him out just yet.

Tony Stewart sits 178 points behind Jimmie Johnson, but still within reach of the Sprint Cup Series championship. Tony is a dark horse in this affair but still someone to watch in the last two races.

Juan Montoya is 236 points behind, just ahead of Greg Biffle by 11 points. They are still both within reach and can’t really be excluded just yet, maybe after the next race.

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Two Races Left in Sprint Cup Series Season

Kyle Busch won his second race of the weekend Saturday

Busch was able to pull away from Casey Mears during a restart on Lap 187 and in a race to the finish line was able to cross the line 3.154 seconds ahead of Mears. This win is the eighth of the 2009 Nationwide Series season for Kyle Busch, the 29^th of his NASCAR career and his fourth Nationwide Series win in a row at Texas. Kyle Busch moves 272 points in front of his nearest competitor with this win, ninth place finisher in the O’Reilly Challenge Carl Edwards and can clinch the 2009 Nationwide Series title Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway by placing better than sixteenth place. He still has two races after that where he only needs to place at least 34^th to also clinch the title, so things are looking pretty good for him to win the Nationwide Series title for 2009.

Casey Mears took advantage of a ride he received because of a crash Friday during Sprint Cup Series practice for Sunday’s race by Jeff Burton to finish second with a great run that left him just short. Burton was not seriously hurt but team owner Richard Childress decided to make the change anyway as a precaution. Hats off to the gentlemen for thinking of Burton’s health first and not his ego, there ‘s no point in taking the chance with the lives of people on the track and it’s always better to error on the side of caution.

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Kyle Busch Wins O’Reilly Challenge

Friday's practice wasn't as enjoyable as Jeff Burton hoped

The crash was apparently due to problems with the power steering and not due to driver error; apparently he couldn’t turn his car when needed. His car probably felt heavy, like he had blown a tire at that point as he missed the soft wall and smashed into the wall with both the front and back end of his car.

Burton was scheduled to also race in Richard Childress Racing’s No. 29 Chevrolet for Saturday’s O’Reilly Challenge Nationwide Series race. His boss and friend decided after the race that despite what his driver was telling him, he was going to have Burton sit out Saturday’s Nationwide Series race and rest up for Sunday’s Dickies 500. Racers being racers, I am sure that Burton would race unless he couldn’t get out of bed and its best that Richard makes this call for him. Racers are foolhardy souls at times, who will forget about personal injury and pain, in order to achieve their ultimate goals.

Burton is still a young man with years of racing ahead of him and a head injury should never be taken lightly, as the last few years in sports have shown. The speeds at which racers impact the wall goes beyond the normal forces that the human head is designed to take and anytime a racer or sports athlete has a head injury, we should make sure we make the decision for them and try to error on the side of caution. There will be lots of days and years for Burton to win championships and ultimately, championships aren’t as important as human life.

Concussions can occur whenever the human head meets an unmovable object or force, such as a wall, and death can result from a concussion. In fact, doctors should probably be monitoring Burton and all NASCAR racers involved in a crash and the final decision on the length that a driver should wait before driving again should be up to the doctor ultimately. An injured driver puts his life and the life of every driver on the track at risk whenever he gets in a race car and competes and this is in a sport that’s already extremely dangerous.

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Jeff Burton Ready to Race Sunday

Expect the lead to change hands many times on Talladega today

Jimmie Johnson started on the pole for this race, due to qualifying for the Amp Energy 500 being rained out on Saturday morning and his closest rival for the Sprint Cup Series Championship, Mark Martin, will start next to him. In fact, due to the rules in place to set the positions for races when qualifying is rained out, the top twelve racers in the Chase started in the top twelve positions on the grid.

This will certainly make for an interesting race since this will give the top drivers in the Chase the opportunity to do a little maneuvering for points and position in the Chase. At present Jimmie Johnson leads Mark Martin by 118 points and Talladega is a tough track to win on, so I wouldn’t be surprised if both Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin finished out of the top twelve.

Keep an eye out for Brad Keselowski and Juan Montoya, who is my dark horse for this race and for the Sprint Cup Series Championship. He does have along way to come all the way back and into the lead for the Chase, but he’s been pushing hard lately and I like his attitude. Jimmie Johnson will probably be in the back of the pack once we get down to the final fifty laps or so and he’ll have to come back in order to finish good. He can still do it, anything is possible on a NASCAR track, especially Talladega, and it’s never over until the winner crosses the line. Expect Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon to also be contenders at the end of the Amp Energy 500, along with Montoya and a late charging Jimmie Johnson.

The race will probably come down to the start off the last restart as it does many times on a NASCAR track, but with the way Talladega is as a track, I expect over thirty drivers to be on the lead lap with twenty laps to go. Lots of lead changes should occur near the end of the race and this will make for some entertaining racing and this is what we all show up for.

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Amp Energy 500 Runs Today

The boys are getting ready to run

The best of the class in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series has been Jimmie Johnson during the last few years of this decade and he and his team have been perennial winners with all the traits referred to above. For the last three years Jimmie Johnson has won the overall in the Sprint Cup Series in his Chevrolet and he’s at present trying to make sure the hogtie he has on the 2009 Sprint Cup Series doesn’t get loose, so he can win his fourth in a row.

Saturday Jimmie Johnson pulled a little closer to his ultimate goal of winning the 2009 Sprint Cup Series Championship by finishing second the Tums Fast Relief 500 to Denny Hamlin in his Toyota on the .526-mile short track of Martinsville Speedway on Sunday. Denny Hamlin had a strong car all day as he was able to pass Johnson with 138 laps to go in the race and then hold off Johnson during a series of restarts to keep his car in front long enough to take the win.

Johnson seemed to sense that he didn’t really need to win at the end and kind of let off the gas a bit and coasted in for the second place finish. Hamlin just kept his foot on the gas pedal and raced across the finish line ahead of Johnson during the last two laps of the race.

Juan Montoya finished third in front of a hard charging Kyle Busch in fourth, just ahead of Jeff Gordon in sixth and Jamie McMurray in seventh. Mark Martin had another good showing and finished eighth, Tony Stewart came in ninth, while the top ten was completed by Kevin Harvick.

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Jimmie Johnson Close to Fourth Championship