Johnson makes it 4 in a row, wins at Phoenix
Quote selected text Published November 11th, 2007 in NASCAR News
Jimmie Johnson took command of the Nextel Cup championship Sunday, winning at Phoenix International Raceway to open a daunting lead over teammate Jeff Gordon in the race to the title.
Johnson, the defending Nextel Cup champion, heads to next week’s season finale in Homestead, Fla., with a comfortable 86-point lead over Gordon. He needs to finish just 18th or better to become the first driver since Gordon in 1997 and 1998 to win consecutive titles.
“It’s over. It’s over,” conceded Gordon, the four-time series champion. “Even if we win it, it’s because they have problems. While we’ll accept it, we don’t want to do it that way.
“Those guys have flat-out killed everybody. And you’ve got to give credit where credit is due.”
Johnson was subdued in Victory Lane, and refused to claim the title.
“Homestead is going to be a stressful weekend. We’ve got seven more days, I’m just going to try to keep my mind clear and focus on the things we need to do,” Johnson said. “This is kind of where we were last year. We just have to go down there and be smart and see how it shakes out.”
Gordon was off all day. He had a tire rub after making contact with Kevin Harvick, and finished a disappointing 10th.
More at Yahoo News/AP
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS:
FIN, ST, CAR, DRIVER, MAKE, SPONSOR, PTS/BNS, LAPS, STATUS
1 6 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe’s 190/5 312 Running
2 7 16 Greg Biffle Ford Dish Network 170/0 312 Running
3 18 17 Matt Kenseth Ford DEWALT NANO Technology 175/10 312 Running
4 21 20 Tony Stewart Chevrolet The Home Depot 160/0 312 Running
5 13 12 Ryan Newman Dodge ALLTEL 160/5 312 Running
6 34 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil 150/0 312 Running
7 2 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker 151/5 312 Running
8 38 5 Kyle Busch Chevrolet Kellogg’s / CARQUEST 142/0 312 Running
9 12 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet AT&T Mobility 138/0 312 Running
10 3 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont 134/0 312 Running
11 20 07 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Jack Daniel’s 130/0 312 Running
12 9 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite 127/0 312 Running
13 11 25 Casey Mears Chevrolet National Guard / GMAC 124/0 312 Running
14 4 18 J.J. Yeley Chevrolet Interstate Batteries 121/0 312 Running
15 5 70 Johnny Sauter Chevrolet FleetPride / Yellow 118/0 312 Running
16 15 11 Denny Hamlin Chevrolet FedEx Ground 115/0 312 Running
17 14 42 Juan Montoya * Dodge Texaco / Havoline 112/0 312 Running
18 32 43 Bobby Labonte Dodge Cheerios / Betty Crocker 109/0 312 Running
19 25 41 Reed Sorenson Dodge Target 111/5 312 Running
20 37 40 David Stremme Dodge Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit 103/0 312 Running
21 22 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull 100/0 312 Running
22 19 15 Paul Menard * Chevrolet Johns Manville / Menards 97/0 312 Running
23 23 26 Jamie McMurray Ford IRWIN Industrial Tools 94/0 312 Running
24 39 7 Robby Gordon Ford MAPEI / Menards 91/0 312 Running
25 29 109 Sterling Marlin Chevrolet Miccosukee Resort & Gaming 88/0 311 Running
26 28 01 Aric Almirola Chevrolet U.S. Army 85/0 311 Running
27 16 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge Siemens / Dodge Dealers 82/0 311 Running
28 42 38 David Gilliland Ford M&M’s 79/0 311 Running
29 36 45 Kyle Petty Dodge Wells Fargo 76/0 311 Running
30 26 06 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge Mobil 1 73/0 310 Running
31 17 22 Dave Blaney Toyota Caterpillar 70/0 310 Running
32 41 6 David Ragan * Ford AAA Insurance 67/0 310 Running
33 24 10 Patrick Carpentier Dodge Sears Auto Center / Valvoline / Stanley 64/0 310 Running
34 43 21 Bill Elliott Ford Ore-Ida Extra Crispy / Heinz 61/0 310 Running
35 33 88 Ricky Rudd Ford Pedigree 58/0 309 Running
36 30 36 Johnny Benson Toyota 360 OTC 55/0 308 Running
37 8 96 Tony Raines Chevrolet DLP HDTV 52/0 291 Running
38 31 78 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet Furniture Row Racing 49/0 241 Running
39 40 66 Jeremy Mayfield Chevrolet Haas Automation 46/0 212 Running
40 10 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Dodge Dealers Lifetime Powertrain Warranty / UAW 43/0 147 Off Track
41 27 127 Jacques Villeneuve Toyota UNICEF 40/0 136 Off Track
42 1 99 Carl Edwards Ford Office Depot 42/5 125 Off Track
43 35 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Budweiser 34/0 118 Off Track
- Jimmie Johnson fastest in Cup practice at Phoenix
- Top 12 Chase for the Cup heading into Phoenix
- Shouldn’t 15th place earn more prize money than 38th?? Not in NASCAR
- ESPN’s Andy Petree on racing at Phoenix
- Jimmie Johnson 4 to 1 favorite to win All Star race
This is sure a driver and a team on a roll….wouldn’t be surprised if he wins Homestead.
yes and here comes all the hate meddages
wtf that is me not cd
Woo Great Job Jimmie and that 48 crew!
That’s an outstanding performance, good luck to
them at Homestead. (Most Likely Won’t Need It)
To all the haters…..JIMMY JOHNSON IS THE MAN…….
Your right as rain on that Kenneth and in the post race interview Jeff Jordon agreed with you.
He said “It’s over for this year” they are just better than us in many ways.
No 5th championship this year. Let the party begin, oh yea !!!
I’m going to homestead this sunday..
and I don’t want to see him win the race. Let someone else dominate, i’m sick of seeing the same person winning week in and week out, it’s BORING. I actually fell asleep during the race. First time.
These races are getting boring with the COT AND with the same 3 drivers CONSTANTLY being talked about; Jr, Gordon and Johnson.
dale jr rules but is in crappy stuff..wait till next year he may dominate and hopefully ppl wont be tired of seeing him win.. but yea i like 2 c diffrent ppl win each week
Oh man, Jimmie Johnson sure is on a role, what did all of you think after that 430 points he gained after Richmond?….He isn’t the deserving champion, and its a shame how Brian France has played with history. What happened to the story on here about him stepping down?
Hey, ya’ll are just gonna have to deal with that SPECTACULAR 48 team winning. Man, I don’t know what in the world to think. They are just such an awesome team… and it seems as if they get better with more pressure on them.
All of the people who say Gordon should win the championship this year… you’re wThat would be ridiculous. Almost like Gordon losing to Labonte that year with 10 wins. That was stupid. The chase has worked out like it was planned to work. Johnson should be the champion this year… not Gordon.
And I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. Johnson is the new Jeff Gordon/Richard Petty/Dale Earnhardt. Go 48.
To Bob, let yourself think that. In my mind Jeff Gordon is a six time champion. In 2004 He would’ve won it and he would’ve clinched the championship last week at Texas. I agree with the guy before me, Jimmie isn’t deserving.
Jeff Gordon Champion 95′ 97′ 98′ 01′ 04′ 07′
The 48 is a great team, but I miss the days when the win wasn’t so predictable. It’s always Gordon or Johnson. Not to take away from either driver, because they have earned everything they’ve gotten this season, but how dull, when the same guy wins every week. I used to be a huge fan of Jimmie’s. Now, I can barley stand him, ’cause he wins all the time.
I’d just like to see a little variety in victory lane. The racing is the same every week. They wonder why ratings are dropping every race. Cup isn’t what it used to be…. Thank goodness for the competitive racing in the Truck series, they have the best racing there is in NASCAR nowadays.
I agree
Although Jimmy is on a role… I think the fact that Gordon has over a 300 point lead CURRENTLY under the classic system
speaks for itself. its ashame they dont provide a points bonus or incentive to the regular season champion
I cant beleave you just compared him to Gordon Petty or Earnhardt. Heres a question. Do you or do you not think that Dale Senior was deserving of all his titles? Andy Petree commented today about how Senior would have only won one championship, that being his first one if the chase would have been in effect. You cannot compare the chase as like a playoff in other sports. Nascar is 43 cars against each other on the same track at the same time, not 112 teams in a division playing each other one at a time intill its over, thus needing a playoff. The chase ruins nascar and needs to be removed and championships corrected.
I’ve never liked Jimmie J… on a slightly seperate note I think people are forgetting Knaus. Yeah they were doing good when he was suspended but they still had his voice and his mind even though he wasn’t physically at the track. JJ would still be a good driver but I don’t think he’d win as much if he didn’t have Knaus.
You used to be a huge fan of Jimmie’s, but he started winning all the time so now you can’t hardly stand him……….. ok?
Michael Johnson wrote:
yeah, well that’ll never happen. People race differently BECAUSE of the chase. You can’t look at past years and compare it to the chase format. People have had the championship locked up with 5 races to go. You have a different mindset going into a race now than what you used to have. That has a huge impact on the outcome of a race. Gordon is the 95 champ, 97 champ, 98 champ, and 01 champ, kenseth is the 03, Busch 04, Stewart 02, 05, and Jimmie Johnson is the 2006 and 2007 champion. Points systems change. It’s part of the sport. If you don’t like it, then don’t watch. It’s simple. Champions are champions. And I’ll say it once more… Johnson is the new Gordon.
I just don’t see why people keep bringing back the old points system into things. It’s over and done with. They don’t use it anymore.
We keep bringing up the old chase system because drivers like Jeff started driving in that system and is compared to others who drove and won 7 championships in that system. Jeff should be getting his 6th championship next weekend and he won’t because of Brian France. (it is like them coming out and saying you now have to get 4 outs in baseball or 150 yards for a touchdown, you can’t change the system we have always known) I HATE BRIAN FRANCE. Johnson may be the new Gordon and I like him, but I am not happy how he has stole Jeff’s championship. And as far as not watching anymore, I most likely won’t and that kills me because I have lived for race Sunday’s for the last 20 years, but I can’t stand what has happened to the sport and I don’t want to deal with it anymore.
*yawn*
This is old news. I read the script last Thursday.
I bet NASCAR doesn’t penalize J.J. any points for using a curse word during the post race interview. I know his fans would be outraged. But, it is only fair. They penalized Stewart and Dale Jr. for this exact same thing. I believe it was a 25 pt. penalty in both cases.
For saying the “D” word? Ha, come on. They say that on Sesame Street these days.
Stephanie wrote:
If you don’t like it, then please go away so we don’t have to read rants like yours.
You are all hallucinating if you think Jimmie doesn’t deserve the championship this year…
Jeff has won 6 races this season, with 4 of them being before the chase began, then the points were evened up and bonus points given to those who won races.
Jimmie has won 10 races this season, with 6 being before the chase, and thats why he started first in points at the beginning of the chase.
Jeff has only won 2 races in the chase, and Jimmie has won 4 (in a row I might add), so how can anyone say he doesn’t deserve to win the championship? Someone who wins the most races does deserve the championship. And I am glad the points chase is different from Busch since no one can run away with the points lead early in the year and then its not a competition anymore or a surprise about who wins. Its better when the points are so close like this.. even though I pretty much know JJ is going to win it AGAIN this year unless something major happens to his car that is out of his control.
And for the person that said they used to be a huge fan of JJ’s until he started winning all the time, I can tell you right now, you were NEVER a fan of his… any loyal fan of a driver wouldn’t just stop being a fan because he WINS too much.. lmao That just makes you look and sound stupid.
Stephanie wrote:
I AGREE WIT U…I KIND OF DONT UNDERSATAND WHY CHAD KNAUS IS CONSIDERED THE BEST CREW CHIEF… IF HE S THE CREW CHIEF WHOS BEEN CAUGHT CHEATING MOST OF THE TIME. MOST OUT OF OTHER CREW CHIEFS I HAVE HEARD OF. WELL I GUESS JIMMIE IS THE NEXT JEFF AFTER JEFF RETIRES. BUT!!!! IM STILL NOT GIVING UP ON MY DRIVER…IT AINT OVER TIL ITS OVER
stole jeffs championship …WTF …how did he steal his championship ???
Jimmy worked very hard to be where he is today and he has a great team ….he didnt steal anything ..he has earned everything he has gotten !!!!
CHASE FORMAT HAS TO GO… IM A JOHNSON FAN I STILL THINK ITS NOT RITE I RATHER HAVE MY DRIVER WIN THE OLD FASHIONED WA
Yes, on the curse words JJ used, is Damn an illegal word. If so, NASCAR will change that word real quick so JJ will not lose points. Look People, This is suppose to happen, JJ winning over and over. Lets go back to when Jeff G won his CC. He was running TC then on his cars ans was unstopable. All the drivers knew he had it on his car and now JJ has on his. NOTICE JJ in his car coming off of turns, his hands never fight the wheel, he is smooth in and out of turns. He hangs back during the whole race and then in the last 3/4 he drives to the front to win. Lets get real here. Watch the tapes People.
While all the other cars are looking for the the best lines to run, JJ never looks for anything !! He drives anywhere he wishes and his car runs well. His car corrects itself in and out of turns even if he tries to wreck.
All in All, I think NASCAR is playing YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TAKING YOU TO THE BANK, this Wood Pile stinks so bad I can smell the stench from my backyard.
Its all a farce, and Jeff G having to stand there and lie through his teeth during the Post interviews. Knowing it’s this way. :o.
WOW
I’ve been watching NASCAR since the mid seventies, I tolerated all of
Gordon’s championships, but when you are the richest team in the sport
by a large margin, championships come easy. You may even see Dale Jr win
a championship now, becasue he is going to buy one just like Jimmie Johnson has
bought two. Its pretty bad when Jeff Gordon has people feeling sorry for him.
Rick Hendrick is just as much a CANCER on this sport as Bruton Smith.
Hendrick even dictates the rules, why do you think NASCAR limited teams to
four cars?? Everone else has two, three or five.
Jimmie won 4 in a row that is awesome! (Yes, it left me in awe & wonder - so I used it correctly!) He is not the “next” anyone…he is his own. Why would he want to be anyone else?? I think anything that has come of this season for the #48 crew is well deserved. I am so tired of the nay sayers bemoaning the fact that he has won so much this season that it’s now too much…folks, this is racing. You can never win too much…you race your butt off and the best man/team wins. It just happens that it’s Jimmie (which couldn’t make me any happier) And for those whinning because he’s “stealing” Gordon’s Championship…NASCAR has changed the point system, it’s been a few years now - the drivers are used to it…so it is just silly to get all upset over a mute point. In ‘00 maybe Gordon wouldv’e beat the socks off of him…but that was then and this is now (and someone winning 10 races in one season not winning the cup - THAT would be a serious injustice)
The only words that get penalties by NASCAR are the words that cannot be said on regular broadcast TV. Damn is not a “bad” word and I believe a$$ is not “bad” as well but I am not sure on that one.
Don’t forget cable has a different standard for “good” and “bad” words. Cable/satellite is a subscription service so the tolerance for “bad” words is looser as far as the FCC is concerned.
I think NASCAR follows the FCC guidelines for language pretty closely so the government doesn’t feel such an urgent need to step in and enforce the rules.
Kris, I’m saying Jimmie is the next Gordon because of the stats and domination… not because who he wants to be. You should know that. Jimmie Johnson is Jimmie Johnson…but he is dominating like the Jeff Gordon of the mid-90s-thus making him the “Next Jeff Gordon”.
John Smith……..Get over it!!!!1
The chase is what it is. At the start of each year every one has the same # of points = 0
And every one received a copy of the rules pertaining to how the chase would be run that year.
Point is that to say Jeff Gordon or any driver LOST a championship because of the chase rules is just plain stupid.
Jimmie has not won yet but if he does it will not be because of the chase format because every driver had an equal chance to get himself in to the chase.
This crap about how Gordo was robbed of 2 championships is so lame. He wasn’t robbed he lost them !!
Who cares what it would have been years ago this is now and you play by the rules of today or go home and quit whining about what should have been.
its true he was robbed all because nascar wanted to make a rule where no driver cant win in total domination in the pt standings like kenseth did back in 03….they wanted the sports competition to be closer and exicting…Exicting my A$$
ALL OF A DRIVERS HARD WORK FOR 26 Races GONE VS a DRIVER WHO DOMINATED FOR 10 RACES AND GETS A CHAMPIONSHIP
I think Richer Petty said it best. The sport is being lost on the Henrick Stables to two drivers that are the same person. No one has any interest in watcing due to that fact.
As for the Chase, Why run hard to lead or be in first spot of the top twelve, it gets the driver no where fast…….. Just show up, and race.
BACK IN THE DAY…………….When racing was racing. They raced from the Start to the Finish. Nothing held back. Now days, it’s hold back, and charge at the end.
TRUCKS ARE MUST MORE Excitin to Watch !!!!!!!! At least they RACE !!!
Guest
Nov 12th, 2007 at 10:23 pm Quote
ALL OF A DRIVERS HARD WORK FOR 26 Races GONE VS a DRIVER WHO DOMINATED FOR 10 RACES AND GETS A CHAMPIONSHIP
My point exactly. It’s not like Jeff has ran bad during the chase. He has done what he needed to do. Jimmie has had 4 DNF’s this year. Jeff has had 1. Yes a driver with 10 wins deserves to win a championship, but a driver with Jeff’s stats deserves to win too. Okay Jimmie did not steal Jeff’s championships. Brian France did when he wanted to make it ALL FAIR for everyone. I personally do not care if the championship is secured on race 26 I will still watch all the races because I AM A TRUE RACE FAN, NOT A FLY BY NIGHT RACE FAN. I watch for the races not who wins the championship. I could concede if Jeff had bad finishes in the chase, but he did not, he huge point lead was wiped away and that is wrong. I don’t care how long the chase has been around I will always hate it. That is not what true competition is and it never will be.
But since we live in such a PC world and have to be fair to everyone I guess we have to live with the chase. Sorry if I hurt your new to racing feelings, but the diehards who have been fans since before you knew what Nascar was know that the CHASE IS B***SH**!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Last year Kasey Khane won 6 races and still finished 8th in points. So no winning the most races does not mean you should win a championship. Consistency matters to. Jimmie was not as consistent as Jeff this year, close but not as good ALL YEAR, just during the last 9 races.
I am so sick of watching the “Jimmie Johnson Show” every Sunday—-I’m ready
for this season to end! Maybe next year someone else besides Rick’s boys will
win some races.
Trey wrote:
Trey, sorry guess I just read you wrong…