Posted by GEORGE November 10, 2009 4:02:04 PM
The Busch brothers both decided to play the fuel game at the end of the race on Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, but Kurt Busch played it better than Kyle, and he won the Dickies 500. Kurt picked up his second win of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, and the race was packed with excitement.
A slight bump on the third lap cost Jimmie Johnson dearly, as he hit the wall and lost over 100 points from his points lead over Mark Martin. Chad Knaus, Johnson's crew chief, had the number 48 car in the garage for over an hour trying to rebuild it and salvage a few points. Johnson did return to the track, and was able to pick up a few positions, but Mark Martin is now within reach of Johnson. The 70+ points lead is still comfortable, but it assures NASCAR fans of some exciting racing in the last two races at Phoenix International Raceway and at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
This accident was exactly what Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon needed to catch up to Jimmie Johnson, but Martin took the best advantage of the mishap with his top five finish. Gordon, on the other hand, will still need another major mishap to catch the three-time NASCAR champion. Martin and Gordon do not have the luxury of driving for a good finish. Martin needs to win at least one of these last two races, and Gordon really needs to win them both. If Johnson finishes fourth or better in the last two races, the party begins in the number 48 camp.
I picked Dale Earnhardt Jr to win the race last Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, and I felt good about it. Dale Jr was driving well, and his car was running well, but once again, lady luck was not riding with him. Earnhardt had to stop for fuel in the last few laps, and his car would not restart. When he finally did get the engine running, he was three laps down.
I think the race for the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup is going to be close after our trip to Phoenix this weekend. I think Mark Martin will win the race at PIR, and Jimmie Johnson will finish somewhere around ninth. Johnson will still hold the lead headed for Homestead-Miami, but it's going to set up a duel in the last race of the season to see who the champ will be. The season is on the line, and this promises to be the best Chase for the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup ever!
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