Banner
Nothing Is Over Until It’s Over
Tuesday, 13 November 2007 19:00
By: Jay W. Pennell With so many people ready to hand over the 2007 Nextel Cup Championship to Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knaus and the No. 48 Lowe’s team, it is important to remember that anything can happen during the course of a race. Leading by only 86 points over teammate Jeff Gordon, this championship battle is anything but over. A blown tire here or a loose lug nut there are just two of the endless possibilities Johnson and Gordon both have at losing this title. Sunday’s race at Phoenix left Gordon doubting his chance at capturing his fifth title. “It’s over,” Gordon told reporters, “Even if we win it, it’ll be because those guys have problems.” “Unless you lead every lap and win, we don’t have a shot at it,” Gordon said. “Those guys are on an unbelievable roll.” In Victory Lane for the fourth week in a row, Johnson appeared calm and conscious that this title chase would not be over until the checkered flag fell this weekend. “We’ll just have to go to Homestead and play it smart,” Johnson said, “Homestead will be a stressful weekend. I’ll just try to keep my head clear.” Johnson needs to finish 18th or better in order to clinch his second straight title. With only four DNFs on the year, Johnson has hit a streak of luck he hopes will last one more week. Going into Homestead, the two Hendrick Motorsports drivers are pretty evenly matched. Gordon has a slight advantage when it comes to the 1.5-mile track, but Johnson has momentum on his side. Both drivers and their respective crews head into this weekend’s events with the Nextel Cup on their minds and the pressure to perform. In 1992, Davey Allison held the series points lead heading into the final event of the year, only to be caught up in an accident not of his making and finishing third in the standings. In 1979, Darrell Waltrip went into the last race of the year two points ahead of Richard Petty, only to spin trying to avoid another car, ending up one lap down and losing the championship by eleven points. Anything is possible over the course of 268 laps, and Johnson and Gordon hope for nothing but the best.
< Prev   Next >