#3 For Johnson

HOMESTEAD-The 2008 NASCAR season has come to a close at the Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida and history has been made. Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No.48 for Hendrick Motorsports, has won the championship for an incredible third year in a row, tying legendary driver Cale Yarbourough for most consecutive championships.

Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus struggled in the earlier part of the season, posting only thirteen top ten finishes in the regular season (26 races). They were able to grab four wins but lost many points in races where everything seemed to go wrong.

“It’s what we work for, it’s what we do,” said Knaus, who became the first crew chief to win three titles in a row. “We don’t want to do anything but race and win races and win championships”.

“From the first lap on track I knew we had a car that was in the ballpark and a car that I could drive to the front with,” said a happy Johnson. “I felt really good once the race started. There were a couple of times when it was dicey, but all in all, I really felt like I was in control of where this car was on the track.”

“It’s the ultimate reward. We worked so hard to put ourselves in this position. I can’t thank Chad enough. It’s total teamwork and dedication.”

The playoffs, also known as the Chase for the cup, began at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday, September 14. Johnson and Knaus got their act together and came back to their old selves, being very dominant in New Hampshire until getting passed by Greg Biffle in the closing laps to finish second.

The tide immediately turned for the No.48 team, posting eight top tens and six top five finishes in the last ten playoff races, including three wins. 

 Throughout the Chase for the cup, it was a tight battle between Johnson and the No.99 team driven by Carl Edwards, driver for Roush Fenway Racing. After winning on the short track of Martinsville, Virginia, Johnson took a nice point lead no one thought he could lose. Edwards and crew chief Bob Osborne never quit and were able to stay in the hunt, but even winning three of the last four races wasn’t enough to catch Johnson.

            “I don’t know what to say,” Edwards said. “Second place in the championship is not what we came here for, but…Johnson deserved to win. We got beat by a true champion.”

Both drivers had three wins in the playoffs, Johnson never finished worst than fifteenth; Edwards however, crashed in Talladega, Alabama and had ignition problems in Charlotte, North Carolina, which was the differential in deciding the championship.

Roush Fenway Racing driver of the #16, Greg Biffle, started the Chase for the cup with a bang winning the first two races at Loudon, New Hampshire and Dover, Delaware. He became a threat immediately but started slipping halfway.

Jeff Burton, driver of the #31 for Richard Childress Racing, also became a threat after winning in Charlotte, North Carolina, but quickly lost the championship the next week having a really bad race in Martinsville.

The biggest surprise of the playoffs was Kyle Busch, #18 for Joe Gibbs Racing. After being so dominant all season long with eight wins and sixteen top ten finishes, Busch went into New Hampshire hoping for a good start to his championship quest. But problems to his sway bar caused him to have an awful handling race car, eventually crashing and finishing thirty-fourth.

The next week at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware was no better, when the engine simply blew up in smoke, ending his day with a disappointing last place finish.

The next week in Kansas was his last chance to pick it up and make a comeback. But a bad handling race car and a small miss of horsepower in the engine caused him to finish twenty-eighth. He needed a miracle if he was to win the championship.

He was able to post four top ten finishes in the remainder of the playoffs but more disappointing finishes at Talladega and Martinsville eliminated him from the hunt and what seemed to be a perfect season went down the drain.

The biggest story at the beginning of the 2008 season was Dale Earnhardt Jr. making his debut with Hendrick Motorsports. Earnhardt had left his late father’s race team, Dale Earnhardt Inc., because of issues between him and his stepmother, Theresa Earnhardt after the 2007 season. Dale joined the powerhouse of Hendrick Motorsports with fans expecting him to become even better.

Earnhardt started well winning the Budweiser Shootout and the Gatorade Duels in Daytona, Florida, but unfortunately these are only exhibition races and doesn’t count as a career win.

Earnhardt began the season well, ahead of his teammates for the first half of the season. It took him a while but he was finally able to grab his first win with his new team in June at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. Unfortunately it would be his only win. He was able to make the playoffs but finished twelfth in points, the lowest of the playoff contenders.

This season was also a rare struggling one for former champions Jeff Gordon (#24, Hendrick Motorsports) and Matt Kenseth(#17, Roush Fenway Racing).  

For the first time since his rookie season in 1993, Jeff Gordon was not able to win a race. The four-time champion came close on a number of occasions but was never able to capitalize.

            “We need to get better,” Gordon said after finishing fourth in the season finale. “There are just moments of greatness that are there; it’s just we can’t ever seem to pull it all together. That’s where we know we’ve got to get better, and that’s where we’ll focus in the off season.”

Matt Kenseth, champion in 2003, was not able to visit victory lane for the first time since his rookie season in 1999.

Even though the off season is only two months, it is going to be a long winter for race fans until NASCAR tames the Daytona International Speedway, for the 51^st running of the Daytona 500 in February to begin another chapter in the history books of NASCAR.  It was a very interesting season and will be one to remember with plenty of great races, drama and hatred; what NASCAR is all about.

By: Richard Deveau