Jimmie Johnson Claims First Nextel Cup Title!!

Jimmie Johnson avoided a few early incidents in route to winning his first Nextel Cup Championship. For the most part Johnson did exactly what he wanted; ride around and stay out of trouble. All the other drivers could do is try to win and hope that Johnson had some bad luck. Well, that was not the case. Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick run well enough to finish in the top ten, but that was not good enough to gain ground on Johnson (who finished 9th). For Johnson it means a load off his back as he has come up short in the past few seasons. For the other contenders it means, wait till next year.

While the attention was being paid to Johnson winning the title, there was actually a race going on in which Greg Biffle won. This marks the third consecutive year that Biffle has won the finale at Homestead. The rest of the top five included Martin Truex, Jr., Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne and Kevin Harvick.

Championship Weekend!!

Well, it comes down to one race to decide the 2006 Nextel Cup Championship with five drivers mathematically still in contention. Matt Kenseth comes into this weekend hoping that his team can turn around their lack-luster performances over the last few weekends that has seen him drop point by point away from the cup. What are the realizations and hopes for 2nd through 5th (which are Kenseth, Harvick, Hamlin & Earnhardt Jr.)??? Simply put...Jimmie Johnson has to have a problem and finish 12th or worse to lose this championship, and there's more bad news for his competition. Jimmie Johnson is on fire, finishing in the top two in the last five races. Plus, even if Johnson does slip, one of the other drivers will have to win or at least post a strong top five. Not saying that this can not happen, as we all are aware of how crazy things can turn out during any given race. Either way I am sure it will be an exciting conclusion to the 2006 season.

My Pick:

(He goes out on top) Mark Martin

Opinion: Confrontation

It is a common seen in NASCAR. Drivers and teams confronting each other over things that happen on the track. Some of the best moments in NASCAR have taken place after a wreck, and its pretty fair to say that fans enjoy seeing these altercations. Come on lets face it, due you blame them for being upset after so many hours of hard work have been put into one race.

The reason for this discussion stems from the incident between Kevin Harvick and a member of the #10 crew which resulted in Delana Harvick and an official receiving minor injuries. (If you did not watch the race Kevin Harvick drove up to the #10 getting him lose which resulted in Riggs hitting the wall.)

Of course, the finger pointing has begun and NASCAR is in the process of solving the situation which will probably include a penalty and suspension. What is your opinion on being able to confront the person whom wrecked you, and was Harvick to blame for Riggs fate?

Stewart Smokin Fast at Texas; Johnson Takes Point Lead

Tony Stewart used the same method from last weekend; take the lead and never surrender it as Stewart lead 278 laps in route to winning at Texas. The only two real challenges Stewart had all night came from Kasey Kahne and Jimmie Johnson, unfortunately Kahne blew his engine late and would never have another opportunity to try Stewart (Kahne finished 33rd). While Johnson had a shot at Stewart in the closing laps but seemed to settle for second instead of challenging Stewart for the win. With the second place finish Johnson took over the points lead from Matt Kenseth heading into the last two races by 17 points.

Kenseth had a day full of misses, with many drivers spinning near his #17 car. Kenseth started 36th and could never get the car in shape to make a run at a top five. Kenseth was not the only driver with an eventful day as Dale Earnhardt Jr battled the flu and bounced off the wall during the race, but was still able to battle back to finish 6th.

The other chase contenders finished as follows: Kevin Harvick 3rd, Kyle Busch 4th, Jeff Gordon 9th, Denny Hamlin 10th, Mark Martin 22nd, and Jeff Burton 38th.