Waid's World
A NASCAR BLOG BY Steve Waid
Jimmie Johnson in a good spot for title No. 4
With just eight races remaining before the start of the Chase For The Sprint Cup, there is still considerable doubt over who will earn some of the coveted spots in the top 12 in the point standings.
It would appear that the drivers among the top 10 in points are going to make it, but there is some concern for others.
Kasey Kahne is currently 12th after his involvement in the last-lap crash at Daytona relegated him to 15th-place in the race. He’s 21 points behind Juan Pablo Montoya, who, in turn, is 14 points behind Matt Kenseth, 10th in the standings.
Kenseth is 14 points behind ninth-place Greg Biffle. That means the spread between 12th and ninth place is 49 points – certainly not an insurmountable sum over eight races.
I could go on with the math here, but I trust you get the point. Among a handful of competitors, the “chase” for the Chase is still being
hotly contested.
But it would appear other drivers don’t have a lot to worry about. Unless they unravel competitively, they should be atop the standings when the Chase begins.
Tony Stewart ranks No. 1 and has to be perhaps the biggest surprise of the season. When he became a co-owner of Stewart Haas Racing, few, if anyone, gave him much of a chance to make the Chase, given how owner-driver teams have fared in the past.
But Stewart, with help from Hendrick Motorsports technology, is No. 1 in points with two wins, including Saturday night’s race at Daytona, 10 top-five finishes and 14 among the top 10.
He’s 180 points ahead of Jeff Gordon, whose involvement in a 13-car pileup at Daytona caused him to tumble to 28th place in the race and allowed Stewart to increase his points lead.
Meanwhile, Jimmie Johnson escaped the last-lap crash at Daytona to come home second, his best finish at the 2.5-mile track since he won the 2006 Daytona 500.
He’s third in points, just 14 points behind Gordon.
Johnson is making a bid for a record-setting fourth consecutive championship.
I like his chances.
Johnson has two wins, eight top-five finishes and 12 among the top 10 this season. Gordon has one win and one more top-five finish that Johnson.
Stewart also has two wins, and his record shows two more top-five and top-10 finishes than Johnson.
Perhaps the biggest statistical difference among the three drivers is that Johnson has failed to finish one race while Stewart and Gordon have no DNFs.
Still, Johnson is doing what he needs to do to gain the opportunity to win title No. 4 – and he’s doing it efficiently and quietly.
Since his 22nd-place run at Michigan in June – which was preceded by a win at Dover and a seventh-place at Pocono – Johnson hasn’t finished out of the top 10.
He was fourth at Infineon, ninth at Loudon and now second at Daytona.
Johnson is in a very comfortable position. He doesn’t have to fret making the Chase – which seems a certainty unless the roof caves in – and while other drivers haven’t got much to worry about either, Johnson is reaching for a higher goal.
For Johnson, it’s about more than making the Chase; it’s about making history.
It’s likely he’ll tell you he’s not thinking about that right now.
But when the Chase begins, he will be.
I like his chances.
Steve Waid
Steve Waid is the veteran sports writer on the NASCAR Scene staff. He's been covering racing since 1972 and has been at NASCAR Scene for 26 years.
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Comments
1 response to "Jimmie Johnson in a good spot for title No. 4".
Villebilly said:
Jul 6, 2009 at 12:25 PMFunny thing about the chase I thought it was Kyle's last year but they collapsed so there is no way to predict a champion until about 5 races in, Jimmy is a favorite right now as is Tony but as of right now Tony has a good deal of racing luck with him his car should have been in a wad with that deal with the 18.