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Pole sitter JIMMIE JOHNSON/No.48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet took home the maximum amount of points Sunday night at Phoenix International Raceway by winning and leading the most laps in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 Presented by Pennzoil. It was Johnson’s seventh victory this season, and he dominated the race, leading 217 of the 313 laps. He now has led 1,953 laps this season, more than any other Cup driver.

For the reported 100,000 fans, it was worth sitting through the two red flags, weather (sun-wind-rain), ten cautions for 55 of the 313 laps, and numerous accidents – including one car landing on top of another. Considering the crashes, it is a testimony to something – maybe the COT – that only six cars retired from the carnage. No one was hurt.

Chevrolet clinched its 32nd Manufacturer’s Championship title.

Johnson said “Great night! You never know with this sport. This sport always challenges you. I can’t tell you how tough this last week has been. I didn’t want to do anything stupid – I wanted maximum points.”

Team Owner, RICK HENDRICK said “It was the longest short race I’ve ever been through.”

Johnson’s  Chief CHAD KNAUS said “Man, I just like winning races. That is what we do here. We do it for Rick.”

Mathematically, going into next weekend’s season’s finale race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, only one driver has a chance of catching or beating Johnson – CARL EDWARDS/No.99 Roush-Fenway Racing Ford, who finished fourth behind KURT BUSCH/No.2 Penske Racing Dodge and JAMIE McMURRAY/No.26 Roush-Fenway Racing Ford. The point spread between Johnson and Edwards is 141. Johnson just has to finish thirty-sixth or better to clinch the championship.

If Johnson wins the Cup Championship again, he will become only the second driver in NASCAR’s top tier series history to win three consecutive titles. The other driver is CALE YARBOROUGH.
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Busch said “It was something special tonight to watch Jimmie. It was unbelievable to watch this type of display. It’s a potent combination of Jimmie, Chad Knaus, and RICK HENDRICK (owner). It was a privilege to finish second to them.”

Edwards said “We had a great run. It’s still possible, not probable, but possible. But I guarantee that’s not going to change the way we do business. Were going to go to Homestead and give it 100 percent. You never can tell what’s going to happen.”

Fifth through tenth were: DENNY HAMLIN/No.11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota; DALE EARNHARDT Jr/No.88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet; KEVIN HARVICK/No.29 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet; KYLE BUSCH/No.18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota; JEFF BURTON/No.31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet; and DAVID RAGAN/No.6 Roush-Fenway Racing Ford.

REGAN SMITH/No.01 DEI Chevrolet was the top Rookie, of two in the race. He finished twenty-third, one lap down. The other Rookie, SAM HORNISH Jr/No.77 Penske Racing Dodge, was the crash dummy more than once, but hung in there to finish thirty-third, five laps down.

The race ran so long due to the two red flags, that with approximately 30 laps to go, the East Coast audience had to switch from ABC-TV to ESPN 2 so that the ABC audience could watch its regularly scheduled show – America’s Funniest Home Videos.

The day started out cloudy and cold at Phoenix International Raceway for the Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts Presented by Pennzoil 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. It made for a beautiful sunrise with all the pink fingers of light capturing the clouds. It went from cold to chilly to warm and by noon the skies were clear and sunblock was being applied.

In the garage, the NASCAR Sprint Cup teams were queuing up in lines for various tech inspections. The first one was for each team, in order, to get back its shocks which had been charged at the NASCAR charging station and impounded overnight. They were all out in order on tables with tie wraps and seals, returned to the crews who applied stickers indicating they were approved.

There were other queues for the cars to clear technical inspections, and the paddock was crowded with long lines with crews and cars, filled in with the appropriately credentialed fans looking here and there for a glimpse of a favorite driver or team, photo ops or maybe even an autograph. There were pit tours of all kinds playing follow the leader in the garage, pits and around.

It was sensory overload everywhere, pits, garage, grandstands, camping area, everywhere.

The race cars are quite colorful with all their graphics, the crews in the latest livery depicting this weekend’s sponsor, and it is eye candy all around. One thing adding to the color is the lug nuts on the cars. Most teams paint them pink, with the explanation being given that they need to be seen quickly during a pit stop and subliminally pink is the best color. One team had pink in front and yellow on the rear wheels. That explanation was tire changer’s choice. He was color blind, but could pick out yellow. So now you know.

Another color is the openings on the rear window for changing track bar and springs, usually painted fluorescent orange and green.

The PIR crowd Friday for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race was 28,500, with a “good walkup” crowd. Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series crowd was reported as 37,500. With the good weather, doing the math means a crowd of 44,000 or more for Sunday’s race will reach the 100,000 weekend attendance the local TV news has been touting all week.

Driver Intros are at 1:15 PM local time, with the 312-lap/mile race starting at 2:30 PM. The live ABC-TV coverage begins at 1 PM local time.

CARL EDWARDS/No.60 Roush-Fenway Racing Ford started second, but led the most laps and won the NASCAR Nationwide Series Hefty Odor Block 200 Race at Phoenix International Raceway Saturday afternoon. Points leader CLINT BOWYER/No.2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet started twelfth and finished fourth, which cut his point spread ahead of Edwards for the Championship. There now are only 56 Drivers Championship points separating the two going into the last NNS race next Saturday at Homestead Miami Speedway. Bowyer also picked up Owner points, so RCR is only 28 points behind Joe Gibbs Racing.

It was the sixth win this season for Edwards, nineteenth in 140 NNS starts. The victory gave his team owner, JACK ROUSH, his ninety-seventh win, making Roush the winningest owner in NNS history.

Edwards doesn’t so much think he’s on a streak as much as “we built a great team.”

Bowyer said he “dodged the bullet” Saturday afternoon in the race, as he characterized his car as being too tight. He was caught out in a five-car accident on the front stretch, which required repair work and duct tape. Bowyer said he was amazed he was able to get back racing after watching the accident on the Jumbotron during the caution. Edwards said he was able to read the front of Bowyer’s car a lot better after the accident.

Second through fifth were Pole Sitter DENNY HAMLIN/No.18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota; KEVIN HARVICK/No.33 KHI Chevrolet; Bowyer; and KYLE BUSCH/No.32 Braun Racing Toyota. Hamlin had a pit stop miscue forcing him back into the pits and out of contention for the win.

Top Rookie LANDON CASSILL/No.5 JR Motorsports Chevrolet (car owned by Hendrick Motorsports) finished sixth. He came from the back of the field, after switching to a backup car due to an accident in qualifying, but it wasn’t too much of a jolt as he qualified forty-second. He said “That was pretty unbelievable. I just passed everybody when I could pass ‘em and rode when I needed to ride.”

This was Cassill’s seventh top Rookie finish this season. PIR was his last race in the car, and he’s looking for sponsorship so he can run in 2009.

After the race, Richard Childress Racing protested the finish of SCOTT LAGASSE/No.11 Chevrolet who was penalized for misuse of the blend line on the last pit stop, gaining positions not allowed. This moved Lagasse back from his unofficial fourteenth place finish to twentieth behind SCOTT WIMMER/No.29 RCR Chevrolet.

It wasn’t the most exiting NNS race, but the 37,500 fans had warm, sunny weather. The pace picked up with four laps to go, with a caution for MARCOS AMBROSE/No.59 JTG Racing Ford kangarooing into the wall. This led to a Green, White Checkered flag finish with an extra lap.

After the Race, NASCAR took one spring from No.32 (KYLE BUSCH/Toyota) and No.33 (Harvick.) They will go back to Concord, NC to the NASCAR Research & Development Center for a look-see. Friday three cars had a part taken, also for a look see at R&D: No.12 (JUSTIN ALLGAIER Penske Dodge) – intake manifold; No.55 (BRIAN ICKLER Robby Gordon Dodge) – gasket; and No.9 (A.J. ALLMENDINGER Gillett Evernham Motorsports Dodge) – front A frame.

Nine cautions for 41 laps cut into green flag racing. Six involved accidents, two were for debris and one for oil on track. No one was hurt. Six drivers swapped the lead six times. Edwards led once for 78 laps, Hamlin led twice for 62 laps and Harvick led once for 53 laps.

When asked why he sent such a large Roush-Fenway contingent over to rival KHI pits Friday night during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, to help Chevrolet driver, RON HORNADAY, get back on track; Roush said “Well, the thing about Hornaday is that he’s (Edward’s Crew Chief) DREW BLICKENSDERFER’s father-in-law.  And so every time Hornaday has run into one of our guys in the truck series, which has happened repeatedly, Drew has paid a price. I’ve thrashed him pretty hard for it.  And so I felt that I owed Drew that last night since we had capacity. We had fabricators and we didn’t anything involved in the wreck.  Kevin Harvick flagged me down when he was in the Nationwide car ready to qualify and I’d walked up to watch one of our guys qualify in the line before they went on pit road.  He flagged me over and wanted to thank me and I appreciated that. I said, “Don’t misunderstand. I do not like Ron Hornaday.  I don’t want anybody to get that impression, but he was definitely the lesser of the two evils that I was confronted with.  You need to pick your friends as carefully as you need to pick your enemies.  I had a chance to define some space and I think I made the right call.”

IndyCar and now A1GP Team USA driver, DANICA PATRICK, was soaking up the sunshine and attention in the NNS pits before the race. Meanwhile, her American A1GP co-driver, MARCO ANDRETTI, was in Chengdu, China for his first A1GP race. Due to shortened sessions, he qualified sixteenth and eleventh for the sprint and feature races, respectively. The field is 20 cars. Andretti Green Racing hasn’t yet announced the schedule for the 2008-2009 Team USA schedule.

The season’s finale NNS Ford 150 Race will air live Saturday 15 November 2008 at 4:00 PM EST on ESPN2.

DENNY HAMLIN/No.18 Joe Gibbs Racing took the pole for Saturday afternoon’s NASCAR Nationwide Series Hefty Odor Block 200 Race midmorning Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway with a lap of 27.085/132.915 mph. The weather was sunny and warm, with no breeze or clouds. It was his first pole this season, and twelfth in 111 NNS starts.

The remaining top five qualifiers were CARL EDWARDS/No.60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford,  who is second in the standings; KYLE BUSCH/No.32 Braun Racing Toyota; KEVIN HARVICK/No.33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, and the first non Sprint Cup driver, MIKE BLISS/No.1 Fitz Motorsports Chevrolet. As Cup practice immediately followed NNS qualifying, there were no bon mots from the top qualifiers.

NNS Points leader and last year’s pole sitter CLINT BOWYER/No.2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet qualified twelfth.

BRYAN CLAUSON/No.40 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Dodge was the top Rookie, starting twenty-fourth.

Seven of the top 12 qualifiers were Cup drivers. There were another three between P25 and P29. There are also four cross over drivers from the Craftsman Truck Series and several from the NASCAR Camping World West Series.

Only 12 of the 154 drivers who have run at least one NNS race this season have run the entire season, and of those, five are full time Cup drivers.

The qualifying track record of 26.902/133.819 mph set by KYLE BUSCH in November 2004 still stands.

Seven drivers DNQ: KEVIN LEPAGE, STAN SILVA JR; DERRIKE COPE; DANNY EFLAND; KENNY HENDRICK; JASON WHITE; and MORGAN SHEPHERD. Four were Chevrolet drivers and three were Dodge.

The starting lineup will have 17 Chevrolets, twelve Fords, and seven each for Dodge and Toyota.

Next year Toyota may be the only manufacturer which provides full support for its teams in the NNS Series, as it has this year. This year TRD (Toyota Racing Development) provides funds, staff, technical support including data and wind tunnel. The assumption from TRD representatives is that it will continue into 2009. It is currently leading the NNS Manufacturer’s Championship, followed by Chevrolet, Ford, and Dodge. TRD is also involved in the Craftsman Truck Series and has already won the 2008 Manufacturer’s Championship. In Cup, there is a tight three way chase for the Manufacturer’s Championship, with Chevrolet leading Ford by two points, and three for Toyota.

Dodge is not currently providing support in the NNS, and is only supporting one Truck team this year – Bobby Hamilton Racing, and that won’t continue into next year.

Dodge is looking, showing interest, in supporting the 2009 Nationwide Series because of its new direction. The car and series are changing and there will be new rules, which aren’t yet completed. There could be more changes, moving forward. There was a recent test at Richmond International Raceway and Dodge ran a car.

Chevrolet hasn’t much supported NNS for several years. It has provided a small technical support staff. GM gets better ROI – Return On Investment – in the Truck and Cup series.

Ford announced last month that its support for NNS and Trucks wouldn’t be on the same level as it has been in the past. BRIAN WOLFE, Director, Ford Racing Technology, said the “total Ford support next year is reduced from 2008 and some of it has been deflected to Cup and some of it is part of the overall reduction to meet our budget” He refused to be pinned down to a specific percentage or dollar amount, saying “our main focus has been, from a financial perspective, to make sure Cup is healthy, and we will continue the support that we supply from the technical perspective and engine perspective for Nationwide.”

It’s goal, according to longtime Ford team owner, JACK ROUSH, “is to protect and have a healthy Cup team.” Easy for him to say. Ford has extended its multiyear agreement with Roush Fenway Racing

In Trucks, Ford will continue with technical support for both chassis work and aero work, and with the Roush Yates motor programs, there will be contingency monies. Every Ford team will be equal on the absolute cash supplements. Roush said when the economy improves, that’s “gonna create an opportunity for not only Ford to come back and be more tangible in their support for teams and for rookie programs in the Truck Series.”

The NASCAR Nationwide Series Hefty Odor Block 200 Race starts at 2 PM local time and will be televised live on ESPN 2 – 4 PM ET.

You couldn’t have written a better script than Friday night’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Lucas Oil 150 Race at Phoenix International Raceway. The race was better than any of those crash and bash adverts that NASCAR runs to promote the Tough Truck series.

The 150-lap crash-fest had more twists than a Chubby Checker song.

Reader’s Digest version – RON HORNADAY/No.33 KHI Chevrolet cut JOHNNY BENSON/No.23 Toyota’s championship lead in half, despite them crashing in separate incidents requiring lengthy repairs and them finishing in twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth positions, respectively. But there was nothing respectful about it.

Three points now separate the two contenders as they head to Homestead Miami Speedway next weekend for the season’s finale.

Hornaday and KYLE BUSCH/No.51 Billy Ballew Racing Toyota crashed on the first lap. Hornaday said “It was the dumbest move I ever made and I thought I was going to get fired.” Hornaday’s boss, KEVIN HARVICK/No.2 KHI Chevrolet, was well aware of what was going on. There were enough cautions (seven for 41 laps) that he had time to watch the big screens going down the front straight, and see what was happening and where the points stood.

Hornaday spent 32 laps behind the wall while the crew feverishly beavered away on repairs. JACK ROUSH, co-owner of Roush-Fenway Racing Fords, ordered two of his teams to go help, and crews from other teams joined in including TRG and some Dodge boys. It’s no secret that Roush is no fan of Toyota in NASCAR.

Hornaday, who also worked on the truck, said he had tears in his eyes watching everyone help.

Points leader JOHNNY BENSON/No.23 Toyota was involved in no fewer than five on-track incidents, and finally was hit so hard by T.J. BELL/No.7 TRG Chevrolet that it was his turn to go behind the wall and do similar lengthy repairs to his truck.

Meanwhile Hornaday’s boss and team mate, KEVIN HARVICK/No.2 KHI Chevrolet, who started tenth, was chasing down leader KYLE BUSCH/No.51 Billy Ballew Motorsports Toyota.  Harvick succeeded and took the lead and went on to take the victory. It was the third consecutive KHI victory in as many Truck races, and each was won by a different driver – RYAN NEWMAN at Atlanta Motor Speedway, making his Truck debut; Hornaday last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, and owner Harvick at PIR. It was Harvick’s third Truck victory, and all three have been at PIR.

Afterwards Hornaday said “Stellar night wasn’t it. I don’t think Johnny (Benson) and I want to win this thing. Whoever is going to win this is going to have the least amount of luck.”

Another driver’s view of the evening came from RICK CRAWFORD/No.14 Circle Bar Ford, who finished ninth after starting twentieth. He said “That was some night. I didn’t see what happened to either of them, but they both had a hard night. I was just trying to get through it. I felt like a cue ball down there.”

Second through fifth finishers were Busch, who got bonus points for leading the most laps – twice for 90 laps in the 150-lap race; TODD BODINE/No.30 Germain Racing Toyota; Rookie BRIAN SCOTT/No.16 Xpress Motorsports Toyota; and MIKE SKINNER/No.5 Toyota.

Twenty-four of the 35 starters finished the race, with 22 on the lead lap. Eight of the DNF’s were due to accidents, but no one was hurt.

The crowd was estimated at 28,500 and they certainly got their money’s worth.

Current points leader JIMMIE JOHNSON/No.48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet is on pole at Phoenix International Raceway for Sunday afternoon’s- NASCAR Sprint Cup Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 Race. His lap of 26.721/134.725 mph didn’t break the existing qualifying track record of 26.499/135.854 mph set by RYAN NEWMAN in November of 2004.

In order for Johnson to leave this weekend all but clinching the championship he has to gain 56 points, to get 162 points ahead of charging contender, CARL EDWARDS/No.99 Roush-Fenway Racing Ford.

Edwards qualified sixteenth.

If Johnson has his perfect weekend at PIR, then all he has to do is start the last race at Homestead Miami Speedway and he will be the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion. Johnson was fastest in the Friday noon practice.

Johnson said “Just a great lap for us.  I think everybody watched the television broadcast and heard from drivers that the vision getting into (turn) one was really the toughest thing. Once my eyes adjusted I was on the line, had a good angle pointed in the car and knew that I hit it right and then just went down into three and four and put together a tidy corner.”

The media has made much this weekend of the fact that there have been only 12 different Sprint Cup winners this year – one of the lowest figures in the past ten years. One driver had an answer – JEFF BURTON/No.31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet said “I think it’s important to note that with the Car of Tomorrow, there is a dynamic that’s been going on the last 18 months of learning the car and understanding how to use the car. When you figure that out, you have a distinct advantage, as always, in Motorsports. But I think the longer we have the car, more people are going to have opportunity to be successful. Short term, my fear of the Car of Tomorrow is actually less competition because anytime you do something new, some people hit it and some people don’t.

“Long-term though, I think the Car of Tomorrow has the potential to created even more opportunity for more people to win. So I think that’s what we’re seeing and why that number is lower, is I just think it’s a component of the Car of Tomorrow although I do believe long-term, the Car of Tomorrow will present more opportunity for more people to win.”

As for his chances in The Chase, 4th place Burton said “We’re not done until we’re done.”

RON HORNADAY/No.33 Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevrolet has the pole for Friday night’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Lucas Oil 150 Race at Phoenix International Raceway. His best lap was 27.319/131.776 mph around the one-mile desert speedway. The 50-year old Truck veteran racer is currently six points behind JOHNNY BENSON/No.23 Toyota for the Drivers’ Championship. The series does not award any points for pole position. The PIR pole marks Hornaday’s nineteenth pole in 224 Truck races. With two remaining races on the schedule, the PIR race is crucial to both Hornaday and Benson, who qualified fourteenth.

Second through fifth were KYLE BUSCH/No.51 Billy Ballew Motorsports; ERIK DARNELL/No.99 Roush-Fenway Racing Ford; Rookies SCOTT SPEED/No.22 Bill Davis Racing Toyota; and BRIAN SCOTT/No.16 Xpress Motorsports. All 35 entries qualified.

The weather was sunny and warm, with clear blue skies and little breeze.

The Friday night truck race marks the penultimate round of title sponsorship for Craftsman Tools, which is also the Official Tool of NASCAR. Craftsman has been on board as Truck title sponsor nonstop since 1996, the second year of the series. Craftsman Tools will remain in its role as Official Tools of NASCAR.

Next year Camping World will be the title sponsor for the Truck series, which also sponsors the NASCAR Camping World Series West and NASCAR Camping World East Series. It also has been the primary sponsor for Hornaday this season, and will continue through 2009 with the California native who has been on and off with the Truck Series since the beginning in 1995. He has three Driver Championship on his resume (1996, 1998, and 2007) and is going for his fourth.

Earlier in the day, Speed introduced his personally designed T shirt which will be sold to raise money for Chron’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis – the latter a disease which Speed suffers. It hindered his European racing, including Formula One, for several years before he was diagnosed and treated by the medical staff on his Red Bull F1 team. Speed’s T shirt will be sold at the track and online on the website of Scottsdale, AZ-based Muze Clothing. Speed and Muze collaborated on ‘The Muffin Man’ T shirt and 100 percent of the profits will go to the Southwest Chapter of the Chron’s & Colitis Foundation of America – CCFA.

The 150-lap/mile Truck race will start at 6 PM local time and be televised live on SPEED TV.