NASCAR NATION – 11-17

Just when you thought the Chase for the Sprint Cup was finally settling down, with Denny Hamlin cruising away with the lead late in the Kobalt Tools 500 at Pheonix International Raceway, the choice to play it safe by one team and the gambles by others proved to make the championship hunt a one-race battle for the title.
Hamlin led a race high 190 laps, but decided to pit for a splash of gas late during the final long green-flag segment to ensure he wouldn’t run out of gas. The drivers chasing Hamlin in the points, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick, decided to gamble and try to finish the race without a pit stop by conserving fuel.
Both accomplished their task, giving Johnson a fifth-place finish, Harvick the sixth spot, and Hamlin the 12th, tightening the standings to just 46 points between first and third, and just 15 points between Hamlin and Johnson, the closest points battle ever with one race remaining.
It’s tough to not be happy having the point lead going into the last race,” Hamlin said. “But we were sitting pretty. I hate that it boils down to the final race.”
Johnson and Harvick both overcame several struggles to tighten the race. Johnson’s crew chief Chad Knaus turned several heads last week when he benched Johnson’s four-time defending champion pit crew in favor of Jeff Gordon’s over-the-wall team midway through the race.
Knaus chose this week keep Gordon’s crew for the final two races, and the move paid off in Pheonix, as the crew for the No 48 team consistently out-pitted the crew pitting the No. 24.
Harvick was running in the top five for much of the race before his team missed a lugnut on a late pit-stop, forcing him to return to pit road and negating him towards the back of the pack. Harvick used the mistake to top off on fuel, a move that proved valuable late in the race.
Meanwhile, Carl Edwards was able to capitalize on a strong run late, as well as good fuel mileage, to lead 93 laps en route to his first Sprint Cup Series victory in 70 races.
The always-humble Edwards had this to say in victory lane.
“We’ve had a lot of success [here] before, and with that comes a little more expectation,” he said. “Not just from the outside but from within. I’m very proud of how our team has come together through this past year-and-a-half or two years since we’ve won. We very easily could have fallen apart. Instead we just kept working. Here we are in victory lane, fourth in points, salvaging a season that did not begin well.”
Ryan Newman rallied to finish second in a Chevrolet, followed by the Toyota of Joey Logano in third. Greg Biffle was fourth, and Johnson fifth. Kurt Busch was the top finishing Dodge in ninth.
Other Chaser finishes included Matt Kenseth in seventh, Jeff Gordon in 11th, Kyle Busch in 14th, Tony Stewart in 17th, Jeff Burton in 19th, and Clint Bowyer in 24th.
As mentioned, the points race is the closest ever, Johnson didn’t hesitate to begin the head-games immediately following the race.
“We have one heck of a points race going to Miami and I’m pumped,” he said. “I am so happy to put pressure on the No. 11 team. We’re ready to race for this thing. I hope the pressure of us being on his heels really works on his mind throughout the course of the week. One race, winner-take-all, and it’s going to be a hell of a show.”
Chase for the Sprint Cup Standings (After 9 of 10 Races): 1. Denny Hamlin (6462 points); 2. Jimmie Johnson (-15); 3. Kevin Harvick (-46); 4. Carl Edwards (-246); 5. Matt Kenseth (-331); 6. Jeff Gordon (-338); 7. Kyle Busch (-347); 8. Greg Biffle (-349); 9. Tony Stewart (-388); 10. Kurt Busch (-429); 11. Clint Bowyer (-434); 12. Jeff Burton (-504)
Nationwide Series:
Carl Edwards dominated Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway, leading 152 of 200 laps to win fourth Nationwide Series race of 2010. Edwards beat runner-up finisher Kevin Harvick by over five seconds to win the Wypall 200. Harvick was second, followed by Joey Logano in third, 2010 Nationwide Series Champion Brad Keselowski in fourth, and Reed Sorenson in fifth.
Camping World Truck Series: Clint Bowyer made his first Camping World Truck Series start in three years, beating Kyle Busch of pit road to take the lead and lead a race high 97 of 150 laps to win the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway. But it was 12th-place finisher Todd Bodine who found his way to victory lane to accept his second Camping World Truck Series Championship.
Bodine joined Ron Hornaday and Jack Sprague as just the third driver in Truck Series history to win multiple championships. He beat Aric Almirola by 202 points, with one race still remaining.
Busch finished second, followed by Johnny Sauter in third, Matt Crafton in fourth, and Almirola in fifth.
Formula One:
Sebastian Vettel became the youngest champion in Formula one history, overcoming incredible odds to capture the final race of the season at Abu Dhabi and beat Fernando Alonso by four points in the final standings.
Coming Up: After 35 grueling races, the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship comes down to one race. Don’t miss any of the action as Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, or Kevin Harvick will be crowned 2010 Champion.
Bruce Knoll, 18, of Eldora, can be contacted by email at bknoll jr4cmcherald@yahoo.com
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