Current champion and points leader, Jimmie Johnson, is well-positioned to win his third consecutive cup in Homestead, Florida in just one week as he sits on the pole for tomorrow’s Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 Presented by Penzoil in Phoenix, Tomorrow. (Is this race’s name a sure sign of having a hard time getting title sponsors for events these days? How many announcers will give the full name of the event covering what we’ll simply call “The Phoenix Race?”)
What more could Carl Edwards do to put him in a position to contend than his performances at Atlanta and Texas the last two weeks? However, simply reality check indicates, for Edwards (or anyone else) to win the championship, he is as much dependent on Johnson’s failures as his own success since as long as Johnson maintains a successful pace, time has run out on the competition. Depending on the Hendricks organization with Chad Knauss leading the technology and pit crew efforts supporting Johnson’s talent as a driver, failure is not likely with a driver who is smart enough to steer clear of danger as effectively as anyone else on the track. Carl Edwards starts in 15th which puts him a pit-stop away from settling into a good groove but from the opposite standpoint, he’s down fifteen positions to begin with to contend with the leader.
Other notes on today’s qualifying order: It has not been kind to Chase contenders as they are spread out over the entire field. After Johnson, the next Chase racer is Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 5th who is struggling to finish in the top 10 to get his invitation to the end of the year ceremonies in New York in December. Jeff Gordon, 7th, and Denny Hamlin, 8th, are the only other “Chasers” in the top ten. Jamie McMurray, who has largely been the odd man out in the five car Roush team continues his late season surge sitting on the outside pole. David Reutimann qualifying in 4th is showing that his talent and Michael Waltrip’s Toyota operations have become solid competitors in the Sprint Cup series. They are definite contenders to win any weekend now. With Kurt Busch starting in 3rd and Ryan Newman in 6th, this is surely a major highlight in a rather dismal year for the Penske operations aside from Newman winning the Daytona 500 and Busch sneaking in a victory at Michigan thanks largely to the weatherman. Robbie Gordon’s miserable race at Atlanta made the chase for #35 a little more competitive. Still, for another driver to move into the safety zone, that driver and team are as much dependent on a Robbie Gordon failure as they are on their own success. At this point of the year, the silly season jibber-jabber is almost as hot as talk about the event itself.
Jimmie Johnson fans are sitting pretty while the rest of us are looking for those magic words, “Johnson’s cut down a tire!" KABOOM!!!
What more could Carl Edwards do to put him in a position to contend than his performances at Atlanta and Texas the last two weeks? However, simply reality check indicates, for Edwards (or anyone else) to win the championship, he is as much dependent on Johnson’s failures as his own success since as long as Johnson maintains a successful pace, time has run out on the competition. Depending on the Hendricks organization with Chad Knauss leading the technology and pit crew efforts supporting Johnson’s talent as a driver, failure is not likely with a driver who is smart enough to steer clear of danger as effectively as anyone else on the track. Carl Edwards starts in 15th which puts him a pit-stop away from settling into a good groove but from the opposite standpoint, he’s down fifteen positions to begin with to contend with the leader.
Other notes on today’s qualifying order: It has not been kind to Chase contenders as they are spread out over the entire field. After Johnson, the next Chase racer is Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 5th who is struggling to finish in the top 10 to get his invitation to the end of the year ceremonies in New York in December. Jeff Gordon, 7th, and Denny Hamlin, 8th, are the only other “Chasers” in the top ten. Jamie McMurray, who has largely been the odd man out in the five car Roush team continues his late season surge sitting on the outside pole. David Reutimann qualifying in 4th is showing that his talent and Michael Waltrip’s Toyota operations have become solid competitors in the Sprint Cup series. They are definite contenders to win any weekend now. With Kurt Busch starting in 3rd and Ryan Newman in 6th, this is surely a major highlight in a rather dismal year for the Penske operations aside from Newman winning the Daytona 500 and Busch sneaking in a victory at Michigan thanks largely to the weatherman. Robbie Gordon’s miserable race at Atlanta made the chase for #35 a little more competitive. Still, for another driver to move into the safety zone, that driver and team are as much dependent on a Robbie Gordon failure as they are on their own success. At this point of the year, the silly season jibber-jabber is almost as hot as talk about the event itself.
Jimmie Johnson fans are sitting pretty while the rest of us are looking for those magic words, “Johnson’s cut down a tire!" KABOOM!!!
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