NASCAR Notebook: It’s Now Or Never For Johnson

No, it doesn’t look good. Five-time and defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson now sits 50 points out of the lead after his second consecutive finish outside the top 20.

Those 50 points translate to roughly 208 points under the old points system. Since 1975, the inception of the current position-based points format, the largest deficit overcome with four races remaining was 144 points by Alan Kulwicki in 1992. In the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup era (2004-present), the largest deficit overcome with four races left was 53 points, by Johnson in 2007. That roughly equates to 13 points in the new points system.

So, it’s over, right? Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? This is Jimmie Johnson we’re talking about. He – and his fans – have plenty of reasons to believe. Let’s count the ways…

Martinsville’s Up Next: In 19 Martinsville Speedway starts, Johnson has finished outside the top 10 only twice – his first time and his last time. In his career at NASCAR Sprint Cup’s shortest track, he has six wins and 1,616 laps led (he has eight triple-digit laps-led races at Martinsville). And his Driver Rating leads the series at 121.9. If Johnson doesn’t win Sunday, it will be the first year since 2005 that he hasn’t won a short-track race in a season.

Texas Is After That: Johnson boasts only one win at Texas (in 2007, when he made his big comeback to win his second championship), but has 12 top 10s in 16 starts.

And Phoenix Is After That: Phoenix’s repave may hurt Johnson more than any other driver. Johnson LOVED the old surface, scoring four wins overall. He comes into the race with 10 consecutive finishes in the top five (the record is 16, by Richard Petty at North Wilkesboro). Then again, the repave could help Johnson. Reviews from last month’s test said that the track is slick. Few drive a loose race car like the five-time champion.

Johnson Thrives On Adversity: Only one other time in the Chase has Johnson finished outside the top 20 in back-to-back races (2004). That time, he followed it up with three consecutive victories.

Roush Fenway Racing Packing 1-2 Punch

Roush Fenway Racing finds itself in an enviable position, occupying the top two spots in the Chase standings with four races remaining. Carl Edwards holds the points lead, 14 points ahead of 2003 series champion Matt Kenseth.

Surprisingly, it’s the first time in Chase history that RFR has held the top two spots in the points standings during the Chase. Though most called last weekend’s race at Talladega Superspeedway the wild card of the Chase, for Edwards and Kenseth this weekend’s race at Martinsville might be the deciding factor between a title or “better luck next year.”

If the two can escape this weekend – at a track where both have had mixed results – it could be smooth sailing. Two of the final three races are staged on 1.5-mile tracks, a favorite among the RFR crowd.

But first things first: the Martinsville short track, where RFR’s current stable of drivers remain winless. The team does have four Martinsville wins in all, from current Hendrick Motorsports driver Mark Martin (two), current Richard Childress Racing driver Jeff Burton (one) and current Penske Racing driver Kurt Busch (one).

RFR pins their championship hopes on Edwards and Kenseth. Their outlook for Sunday…

Edwards: In his post-race Talladega press conference, Edwards said he had never been happier about an 11th-place finish. With similar results at Martinsville, he might roll out a similar quote. Edwards has a Driver Rating of just 81.1, which makes the short track his second-worst track in terms of the Loop Data statistic. In 14 starts, Edwards has led just three laps – all of them coming in last April’s 18th-place finish.

Kenseth: Kenseth finished sixth in last April’s Martinsville event, but came into that race with four consecutive finishes outside the top 10. His best finish there is second, back in 2002. Kenseth’s enjoying one of his best seasons since his championship winning 2003 campaign. Through 32 races this season, he has three wins, 10 top fives, 18 top 10s and 721 laps led. Through 33 races in 2003, he had one win, 10 top fives, 23 top 10s and 354 laps led.

No Cigar: Earnhardt Close In Spring, Looks To End Drought

Martinsville Speedway’s packed stands erupted when Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the lead on lap 480 of 500 last April. He held that lead for a long while, but Kevin Harvick slowly closed. Each passing lap, the crowd’s anticipation ballooned.

Then at lap 497, just four laps from the race’s end, that balloon deflated … loudly.

Harvick passed Earnhardt, and went on to victory. Fan favorite Earnhardt finished second.

But the race acted as a springboard, as Earnhardt drove on to three consecutive top 10s finishes – and an eventual berth in his first Chase since 2008.

He hopes to close the deal this time around. His statistics are tremendous at Martinsville, with top-10 finishes in the last two races there and in five of the last seven. His Driver Rating of 98.9 makes the short track his best in terms of the Loop Data statistic. With an average finish of 13.3, Martinsville is his third-best track in terms of average finish.

Though his winless drought has reached 125 races, 2011 is still his best season in three years. His four top fives and 10 top 10s in 32 races surpass the full-season totals of 2009 and 2010.

Hamlin Hopes To Salvage Season

Here’s when you know you’ve enjoyed a stellar career: You make the Chase, you’ve won a race, scored double-digit top-10 figures – and it’s still the worst season of your career.

That’s Denny Hamlin’s predicament right now. By most accounts, any other driver would chew off his right arm for the kind of season Hamlin has “enjoyed” in 2011.

Still, his one win pales in comparison to his series-high eight of last season. And even with four races remaining, his 12 top 10s are guaranteed to be a career low.

Still, there are targets at which to aim for Hamlin – most notably, a top-10 points finish, which will in turn lead to a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony invite.

At Talladega, Hamlin scored his second consecutive top-10 finish to move up to 11th in points. He now sits two points behind 10th-place Jeff Gordon with his best track on deck: Martinsville Speedway.

Hamlin boasts four wins, eight top fives and 10 top 10s at Martinsville. Prior to a 12th-place finish in April, Hamlin had six consecutive top fives at Martinsville, which included the four wins and a runner-up finish.

If Denny Hamlin doesn’t win, it will snap his streak of winning at least one short-track race and at least once in his home state every year since 2008.

No Need To Sound The Spoiler Alert

When Clint Bowyer won last Sunday’s race at Talladega, it marked just the 14th time in 76 Chase races that a non-Chase driver won a Chase race.

Don’t expect that to happen again this weekend. A non-Chase driver has won at Martinsville only once, and it was a biggie: Jeff Gordon in 2005. That was the only season Gordon missed the Chase.

Though they don’t count as “spoilers,” per se, Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick might come closest to the “surprise winner” definition. Here’s why: Since the start of 2006, Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin have combined to win nine of the 11 races. Stewart and Harvick won the other two.

It’s go-time for the two marquee drivers, as well. Stewart has two victories at Martinsville. Harvick won the spring race there and finished third in this race last season. Stewart sits fourth in points, 19 points out. Harvick is fifth, 26 points out.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Notes

Travis Kvapil, driving the No. 38 Long John Silver’s Ford, is guaranteed a spot in Sunday’s field – something that hasn’t happened since the first five races of the season. The team has overcome a 49-point deficit after race No. 24 at Bristol to climb back into the top 35, which guarantees a position on the starting grid. … Milestone Watch: Hendrick Motorsports is attempting to post its 200th win. If the team wins Sunday, it’ll also tie Petty Enterprises for most wins all-time at Martinsville (19); Jeff Gordon will attempt to make his 650th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start to remain 19th on the all-time starts list; Ryan Newman will attempt to post his 50th Coors Light pole; Kurt Busch is going for his 25th series win; Kasey Kahne will attempt to post his 100th series top-10 finish; Juan Pablo Montoya is going for his 50th series top five, AJ Allmendinger and Marcos Ambrose are both attempting to post their 25th series top 10. … The unique four-inch high curbs guarding the inside of the turns at Martinsville Speedway have been painted pink in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The newly-painted curbs will be unveiled to the public for the first time on NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Practice Day on Friday, Oct. 28. … NASCAR will hold its third of three Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI) tests scheduled this month for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series on Oct. 31 at Martinsville Speedway. Previous tests have been held at Talladega and Charlotte. The tests are part of the continued development of the EFI Research & Development for the teams. Electronic Fuel Injection will be fully implemented in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series beginning at Daytona International Speedway in February 2012.
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Nationwide Series: Wallace Family Having Banner Season

Racing on his 32nd wedding anniversary weekend – in a series in which he doesn’t collect championship driver points – was itself out of the ordinary for Mike Wallace. But winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race Saturday at Talladega – marking his first NASCAR national series victory since 2004 – during an open weekend for the NASCAR Nationwide Series made it more unusual.

In a season where the series’ driver and owner championship has taken center stage with two close races separated by 15 and three points, respectively, Wallace has managed to stay in the headlines. Come to think of it, his St. Louis, Mo.-based family has, too.

In his in his second full season with JD Motorsports, an independently owned NASCAR Nationwide Series team, Wallace is 13th in the points with one top-five and two top-10 finishes. In July at Kentucky Speedway, he became just the fourth series driver to make 400 career starts. His younger brother Kenny will break the series starts mark next week at Texas with No. 520. During a 22-year NASCAR career, Mike has 718 starts across all three series.

Older brother Rusty (1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion) and Kenny’s (currently ranked seventh in the NASCAR Nationwide Series standings, nine series wins, three-time series’ Most Popular Driver) NASCAR exploits are well-documented. Mike’s nephew Steve is having another solid season, aiming for his third-consecutive finish among the top 10 in the final NASCAR Nationwide Series championship standings. His daughter Chrissy and son Matt are fine racers in their own right. Chrissy and Mike made NASCAR national series history in 2009 at Talladega when they were the first father-daughter duo to start a NASCAR national series race. Earlier this month, Chrissy won the track championship in the Late Model division at Lebanon (Mo.) I-44 Speedway and also became the first female driver to earn the West Region track championship.

“A lot of things that happened this year that have been good for us,” Kenny said of the Wallace family’s 2011 season. “I’m crazy proud of Chrissy for what she’s done and I’m really proud of Steven. I’m not jealous of Mike one ounce, but I told him, ‘You did in that truck race what I want before I’m done. I want to win too.’ Let’s face it. I’m 48 and Mike’s 52. We know things are starting to wind down. We just want people to know we’re worthy.”

Although not family-related, Kenny Wallace cited another major accomplishment this year – his beloved St. Louis Cardinals and their surprising run to the World Series. He draws a parallel to that team and his career. “I made a deal with myself,” he said. “Regardless of what happens with the Cardinals, don’t be disappointed. This season is a surprise, take it for all its worth. Kind of like my season in NASCAR.”

Driver Standings Top 10 Still Wide Open With Three Races Till Season’s End

Great competition in the NASCAR Nationwide Series this season has amassed 12 standings lead changes, among six different standings leaders and 13 different race winners. As the season comes to a close – three races remain – NASCAR Nationwide Series position jockeying will become the name of the game.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has held the points lead for the last 11 races, since Lucas Oil Raceway (July 30), the longest duration any standings leader has held the top position all year – but just 15 points separate Stenhouse from second-place Elliott Sadler.

Aric Almirola is trying to hang on to his third-place position, but Justin Allgaier and Reed Sorenson are making that lead precarious at best. Allgaier, in fourth, is four points behind Almirola. Sorenson is fifth, three points behind Allgaier and just seven points behind Almirola. Sorenson also has the added difficulty of securing a ride to stay in contention. He was released from Turner Motorsports prior to the Kansas race but has been running with MacDonald Motorsports since. A ride for Sorenson for Texas has yet to be announced.

Almirola has made two starts at Texas posting an average finish of 14.0. His pre-race Driver Rating is 86.8. While Allgaier has made six starts at Texas posting an average finish of 14.3.

Those drivers in slots 8-10 – Brian Scott, Steve Wallace and Michael Annett, respectively – also are maneuvering for better positions. Scott sits in eighth place, but Wallace is lurking seven points behind in ninth. Annett is a manageable 11 points behind his Rusty Wallace Racing teammate Wallace, and Scott also has the opportunity to aim a bit higher as he’s 17 points behind Steve’s uncle, Kenny Wallace, who’s seventh.

Of the four making up 7-10, Michael Annett has the best average finish at Texas with a 17.0, but Brian Scott has the best pre-race Driver Rating with 79.8.

NASCAR Nationwide Series Notes

Last week, NASCAR industry members, many specific to the NASCAR Nationwide Series garage, traveled to Monterrey, Mexico, to work with former series Motor Racing Outreach (MRO) Chaplain Lonnie Clouse and his “Back 2 Back Ministries” venture. Those volunteers included driver Justin Allgaier and his wife Ashley; Jason Ratcliff, crew chief for the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and his son Dakota; Matt Sauer, tire specialist on the No. 18; Jason Clements, formerly on the No. 18 NNS team but now a mechanic on the No. 18 NASCAR Sprint Cup crew; Todd Brewer, a mechanic on the No. 18 crew; Hudson Belk, JGR team chaplain; Heath Landis, No. 60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford car chief and his wife Lisa; Matt Dillner, ESPN/NASCAR.com photographer and Ashley Jones, NASCAR’s manager, competition outreach. Working with children’s homes there, the volunteers played with the kids, poured a sidewalk for a children’s home, fed 500 hotdogs to a squatters village and participated in various other work projects. … Elliott Sadler is gearing up for the arrival of the family’s second child this week. Wyatt, 20 months old, will gain a new sister as Amanda Sadler is scheduled to deliver daughter Austyn this week.

Camping World Trucks: Martinsville A Defining Moment For Championship Contenders

Take a good look at the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points standings, and enjoy them while they last. That rundown may look vastly different come lap 200 on Saturday afternoon.

Austin Dillon and James Buescher, the frontrunners, have little experience at the tiny Martinsville Speedway paper clip, site of Saturday’s Kroger 200. And the races they have run … well, they could’ve been better.

Dillon owns a tenuous three-point advantage over Buescher.

Then there’s Johnny Sauter and Ron Hornaday Jr., 14 and 16 points behind Dillon, respectively. They have combined to win the last two races there.

Don’t be surprised if the chasers become the chased once the checkers fly on Saturday. Here’s a rundown of the four contenders with three races to go.

Dillon: The sophomore driver made a rookie mistake at Talladega, stalling during a late caution. Dillon’s error led to a seventh-place finish that probably should’ve been higher (his Driver Rating ranked third in the race). Now he heads to Martinsville, a track at which he has yet to score a top-five finish. In three starts there, Dillon has two 16th-place finishes and a seventh (last April). It’s the only track where Dillon has three or more starts, yet no top fives. He’ll make his 50th series start on Saturday.

Buescher: Buescher feels Dillon’s pain. Last April, he finished 35th in a 35-truck field thanks to a red-flag-inducing accident on lap 137. The finish was just another in a string of Martinsville outings that have resulted in results outside the top 10 for the Texas native. Prior to the April DNF, Buescher finished 12th and 11th, twice. Buescher finished third at Talladega to cut his deficit to Dillon from seven points to three.

Sauter: Perseverance is the only thing keeping Sauter alive right now. Typical Talladega tough luck left him with a 15th-place finish and knocked him down to third in the points (but it could have been much worse). Sauter won the April Martinsville race, besting NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regulars Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch. If he can win again this weekend, he’ll join Mike Skinner as the only drivers to sweep Martinsville since the series went to two races a year in 2003. Skinner swept in 2007.

Hornaday: With 22 short-track victories, Hornaday is the king of this style of racing. Only one of those wins came at Martinsville – in this race last season. You can almost guarantee a top-five finish out of Hornaday; the four-time champion has finished inside the top five at Martinsville in five consecutive races, including a third in April. Hornaday’s trek up the standings is nothing short of amazing. After race 12, he was 69 points out. In the 10 races since, Hornaday has finished outside the top 10 only once, and has scored more points than any other driver (391).

Homecoming Party For Virginia Natives This Weekend

This weekend some heavy hitters will enjoy a little home cooking.

Red Horse Racing’s Timothy Peters, a Providence, N.C.. native, grew up 30 miles from Martinsville Speedway. Peters is currently ranked fifth in the series standings after posting a win (Lucas Oil Raceway), seven top fives, 10 top 10s and a Keystone Light pole (Charlotte).

In 2009, Peters captured his first career series victory, at his home track of Martinsville. In addition to his win, Peters has posted three top fives and six top 10s in 11 series starts at famed 0.526-mile.

Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup contender, Denny Hamlin, a Chesterfield, Va. native will be driving the No. 18 Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Hamlin has only made 11 career starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and this weekend will be his series debut this season. Of his 11 career starts four of them have come at Martinsville Speedway, where he has posted two top 10s.

Elliott Sadler, Emporia, Va. native, will make his 19th career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start this weekend in the Kroger 200. Sadler is returning to drive the No. 24 Joe Dennette Motorsports Chevrolet. The last time he was in that ride: Bristol earlier this season, when he famously tangled with Kyle Busch in yet another layer to the ongoing Busch-Kevin Harvick feud. Sadler drives for Kevin Harvick Inc. in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

Also, crew chief Jeff Hensley – who calls the shots atop the pit box for Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Nelson Piquet Jr. – hails from nearby Ridgeway, Va. Jeff Hensley swept the Martinsville races with Mike Skinner in 2007, and hopes to have more success with Piquet this weekend. Hensley’s uncle Jimmy Hensley has also won at Martinsville driving for Richard Petty in 1999.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Notes

The No. 2 Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevrolet can clinch the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series owners championship this weekend. If it leaves Martinsville with a 97-point lead over the No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports truck, it will clinch the title. The No. 2 currently holds an 81-point advantage. … 75 drivers have made their first series start at Martinsville, most of any track. Only four scored a top 10 in that start. … Josh Richards will run a special paint scheme at Martinsville highlighting artwork by Mooresville, N.C., residents Hunter and Alexandra Vogel. The children created the artwork to honor the Navy SEALs and warriors who gave their lives fighting terrorism in Afghanistan on August 6, 2011. … NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion Max Gresham returns to the series in the No. 66 Chevrolet for Stacy Compton. The 18-year-old Georgian made his series debut in Las Vegas earlier this month where he finished 25th.