It was something that hadn't happened since the spring at Talladega, but Jimmie Johnson found his way back to victory lane in Kansas this weekend. Not only did he put the rest of the field to shame, he also proved that early rumors of the No. 48 teams demise had been greatly exaggerated.
After the first three Chase races left Johnson's team outside the top five in points, everyone wrote him off, saying it would be too hard for them to climb back into contention and score their sixth consecutive title. But when the green flag dropped on the fourth Chase race, Johnson set sail and never looked back.
As is typical with Kansas Speedway, the field was very strung out and there was a lot of green flag racing. So aside from a few debris cautions and a Landon Cassil spin through the infield, there wasn't a whole lot for fans to get excited about.
The car trouble this weekend was confined to only one team. Michael Waltrip Racing saw its season-long string of bad luck continue when David Reutimann broke an axle early on. Reut had started in the rear of the field and raced his Aaron's Dream Machine up to the top 20 when he saw a potential great run disappear after a pit stop. Because Kansas has concrete pit stalls and an asphalt pit road, drivers must be careful to not put their car in gear before the left side tires hit the ground. If they don't, they run the risk of breaking an axle because of the extra grip the concrete has compared to regular asphalt.
Later in the race, Reutimann's teammate Martin Truex, Jr had the same issue after a pit stop. Truex had another good run going when his car also broke a left rear axle. But while Reutimann only lost seven laps, Truex was forced behind the wall and lost 17 by the time repairs were made to his NAPA Toyota.
But the race belonged to Jimmie Johnson. He was in his own zip code all afternoon and nobody had a thing for him. Johnson's Hendrick teammate Jeff Gordon did lose an engine (and any hope of a fifth title) with three laps to go, setting up a green-white-checker finish. Kasey Kahne made it interesting, but he only got within striking distance and never close enough to pass.
Now its on to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the final Saturday night race of the season. This track has been Johnson's playground for the past, oh, decade or so. But in the Coke 600 earlier this year, the No. 48 lost an engine and ended any chance of a good run. So there is hope that another driver can find their way to victory lane come Saturday night. Yes Johnson and Carl Edwards are the favorites, but keep an eye on Kevin Harvick. He has been Mr. Consistency so far in the Chase (finishing sixth at Kansas with a car that shouldn't have finished top 20) and he could be the one Jimmie and his team need to worry about dethroning them this year.
No comments:
Post a Comment