Top three drivers in Chase well aware of consequences behind running well at Phoenix
By Rea White - Associate Editor
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Sunday will mark the 27th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held at Phoenix International Raceway.
Mark Sluder
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Related story: Chase For The Sprint Cup glance: Phoenix International Raceway
Mark Martin has 40 NASCAR Cup wins to his credit, but he still has special memories of his victory at Phoenix International Raceway earlier this season.
That was Martin's first win with his Alan Gustafson-led Hendrick Motorsports team. Now, he heads back to the track second in the standings in the Chase For The Sprint Cup and looking for another memorable outing. He's 73 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson heading into Sunday's Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500, one of two races remaining this season.
Martin and his team may carry added enthusiasm into the race because of that win - and the memory of how it felt.
"That was such an incredible night," Martin says. "I knew going into the race that we had a really, really good race car. I knew that we had a very good shot at winning, and I didn't want to disappoint any of the guys on this team because you could see it in their faces that they were excited. We went out there and the car was nearly perfect all night. We had great pit stops, and when the yellow came out there at the end, I thought, 'You've got to be kidding me!'
"We held Tony [Stewart] off, and crossing that finish line was such a mix of gratitude, disbelief and relief. I couldn't believe we won. It was just an amazing night. All of the people that came into victory lane that night, that blew me away. It still does. That's what I race for. It's the people, not the trophies. And I'll never forget them all coming to shake my hand and the things they said. That night was incredible, and I owe that to [team owner] Rick [Hendrick] and Alan. They gave me this opportunity, and we are making the most of every minute."
Martin is not, however, the only one trying to make the most of the race weekend.
Johnson is looking to get back on track in the Chase and his quest for an unprecedented fourth straight Cup title. An early crash in last weekend's race at Texas Motor Speedway and 38th-place finish cut Johnson’s 184-point edge in the standings to just the 73.
He obviously not only wants to avoid a similar setback but also to return to the top form he's historically displayed in Chase races. Johnson views this weekend's race as a good chance to do that.
Johnson has eight consecutive finishes of seventh or better at the track, including three wins in the last four races.
Clearly, he views this as a weekend when he can at least maintain his lead in the standings.
“I would say that looking at the schedule, the best track remaining for us would be PIR," Johnson says. "We had a really fast car in the spring and had some different issues on pit road and some bad luck with the timing of the caution that kept us back in the pack and still ended up with a reasonable finish, but we passed a lot of cars, and in our opinion felt like we had the strongest car. …
“For me it's a great track but it's also a great track for Jeff [Gordon]. He runs very consistent there, and then Mark won in the spring. The two guys I'm trying to stay ahead of in the points have that track as a strong one, as well. At the end of the day I feel very confident. I feel very strong about the performance Hendrick Motorsports will have. I just hope it's the 48 car on top of the heap."
Gordon, who trails Johnson by 112 points, is a little more cautious about Phoenix. He hasn't enjoyed consistent finishes at the track in recent years. While he won the April 2007 race there, he has since finished in the top 10 only once and has finishes of 25th and 41st in the last two races there. Overall, he has 15 top-10s in 21 starts at the track, including the win and eight top-fives.
Still, he knows that anything can happen there and that he needs to survive potential setbacks.
So while Johnson and Martin see Phoenix as a place to gain ground in the standings, Gordon seems to see it as a place where he needs to survive.
“Phoenix has certainly been on our radar because it’s a track that’s been hit or miss for us,” Gordon says. “I’m a little disappointed in how we performed earlier this year, and we certainly need to improve on that this weekend.
“A lot still has to happen if we are going to realistically battle for the championship in the season finale. But we need to make sure we do everything in our control to secure as many points as possible this weekend."
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18 responses to "Top three drivers in Chase well aware of consequences behind running well at Phoenix ". Post a Comment.
Rainier said:
Nov 12, 2009 at 10:19 AMHopefully these guys all get to race it out instead of wrecks taking one or more out of contention like the last 2 weeks.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportMeg said:
Nov 12, 2009 at 1:05 PMI had read once that in Phoenix the spotters in the hills have their own spotter just watching for rattlesnakes. I also read that they "hose down the garage areas" prior to using the stalls just to make sure there aren't any snakes in there. Cool, huh... LOL
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» Confirm Abuse Reportjuniegirl said:
Nov 12, 2009 at 1:44 PMJohnson and Martin have both run well there recently, but they should'nt take their eye off Gordon.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportkarnevil9 said:
Nov 12, 2009 at 2:06 PMAgree 100% with #1. If the 5 and 24 want it. Go take it. Don't back in to it. Run straight up with the 48.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportSS396Chevelle said:
Nov 12, 2009 at 2:40 PM#1 RAINIER have you seen the trailer on HBO for Jimmie Johnson 24/7? Looks like it's going to be an interesting look at the 48 team.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportRainier said:
Nov 12, 2009 at 3:37 PMI don't have HBO SS396CHEVELLE, but you can be sure I will get my hands on the DVD as soon as its available.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportgojeffgo said:
Nov 12, 2009 at 4:06 PMJust hope Stevie makes the right calls for Jeff and doesn't throw the "kitchen sink" at him like last week.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportmanzytrophygirl said:
Nov 12, 2009 at 4:42 PM#2 Meg, don't believe everything you hear...the spotters are pretty safe on top of the suites (Bobby Allison section) located between turns one and two, HOWEVER, washing down the garage area is not a bad idea...rattlesnakes would love to hide in open tool boxes and in a stack of tires--seriously! The track, located at the base of the Estrella Mountains, is in ideal desert terrain. There are a lot of PIR rattlesnake yarns from Arizona race fans.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportSS396Chevelle said:
Nov 12, 2009 at 4:56 PMRAINIER, the trailer was so cool. Here is what Jimmie said about doing the 24/7 for HBO. “We thought HBO did a great job of showing what goes into a big-time event and capturing the personal side of each fighter and his camp,” he continues. “It just seemed like the perfect outlet to let the fans see what our team goes through and what better place to showcase that than our biggest race – the Daytona 500.
Report as Abuse“This is something we’ve really never allowed with our race team before, an all-access look into how we operate. We’ve had some people that have followed us around on a limited basis, but no one has ever had the access like HBO will have. Personally, I’m really looking forward to it. This is a great chance for the fans to really see me and the race team and what makes us tick, especially away from the track.” I'm sure it will come out in DVD.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportSS396Chevelle said:
Nov 12, 2009 at 4:57 PM#7 The kitchen sink didn't work at all. I still can't get over that long first pit stop and all those changes at one time.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportdeyanak said:
Nov 12, 2009 at 5:24 PMall I want for Christmas is Mark Martin as the NAXCAR Champion for 2009
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» Confirm Abuse Reportbigj said:
Nov 12, 2009 at 5:45 PMhope JJ amd MM take each other out and Jeff goes on to win..if not then Jeff can take JJ out and MM can go on to win...only way anyone can beat JJ is for him to be taken out, maybe he can take himself out. anyone but JJ
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» Confirm Abuse Reportminkee2 said:
Nov 12, 2009 at 7:25 PMWell, I want Jimmie all the way to 4-in-a-row!! Mark or Jeff or Tony can have their's next year. I want Jimmie to set a record that will probably never be matched, much less beaten. GO JIMMIE!! Oh, and we have rattlers in our back yard in the far east Valley, then there are plenty of them in the far West Valley!!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportRainier said:
Nov 12, 2009 at 9:27 PMThanks for the quotes SS396CHEVELLE. Sounds like it should be pretty informative. Maybe it can even change a few minds about the so-called Mr. Vanilla. It better come out on DVD.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportSheilaLovesNASCAR said:
Nov 12, 2009 at 9:56 PMLooks to me by the comments, the only way JJ will do bad is if someone else takes him out. I think it should be about racing and may the best man win. Not seeing who can crash whom out. I'm looking forward to racing, not crashing.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportga20fan said:
Nov 12, 2009 at 11:30 PMGo for the win Smoke while the other 3 hash it out.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportjbbigrod said:
Nov 13, 2009 at 1:35 AMI don't care who crashes out whom, just so long as Mark wins the Championship. He HAS to do it THIS year, then Carl next year.
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» Confirm Abuse Report88_20_42_Fan said:
Nov 13, 2009 at 11:47 AMI really hope Mark can get it done at Phoenix and bring home that Cup.
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