Janet Evanovich wins 2008 Cup celebrity Chase Tracker title
Best-selling author Janet Evanovich won the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Celebrity Chase Tracker title.
Evanovich, author of 12 New York Times best-sellers, earned 40 points after Sunday’s season finale to lock up the championship by a record margin. Chef Mario Batali finished second, 57 points behind Evanovich.
“NASCAR is my favorite sport, and ‘one’ is my favorite number,” Evanovich said of finishing first.
Evanovich considers Jimmie Johnson one of her favorite drivers (along with Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr.) and counted on him for most of her points. She racked up 62 of her 167 points by predicting Johnson to lead the standings from Week 3 to Week 10 of the Chase and another 10 points for predicting Johnson’s Martinsville and Phoenix victories.
Evanovich was one of six participants to predict Johnson would three-peat. Six contestants predicted Kyle Busch, and four chose Carl Edwards as the 2008 champion.
Seventeen celebrities and sports personalities participated in the third NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase Tracker. Atlanta Braves pitcher Mike Hampton won the challenge each of the last two years. He defeated former Green Bay Packer Aaron Taylor by two points in 2006 and recording artist Big Boi by nine points last year.
Besides Evanovic and Batali participants included actor Tobin Bell, Philadelphia Flyers center Jeff Carter, Indianapolis Colts tight end Dallas Clark, Washington Redskins tight end Chris Cooley, EMG recording artists DirtyHeads, Los Angeles Lakers guard Derek Fisher, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, NHRA pro stock motorcycle racer Steve Johnson, model/actress Patricia Kara, country songwriter Brandon Kinney, reality-show star Khloe Kardashian, New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, San Francisco 49ers general manager Scot McCloughan and former New York Yankee Mickey Rivers.
