A Jimmie Johnson 3-peat won’t come easy

Reading the box score of the final laps of last Sunday’s Camping World RV 400 at Kansas Speedway would certainly have left one thinking the finish of the race was all Jimmie Johnson – and that would be partially correct.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver led the final 47 laps, but that’s only because NASCAR keeps the final tally of laps led each time a car passes the start/finish line. Had NASCAR decided the race winner in the last corner of the track, Johnson would not have gone home a winner because of Carl Edwards’ incredibly daring move in a bid to take the top spot.

Edwards had closed on Johnson’s rear bumper for consecutive laps, and on the one that mattered, he was within three car lengths of Johnson as they approached turn three. That, though, was when Edwards’ car turned into a rocket ship.

Instead of taking the corner at normal pace, Edwards shot past Johnson after not applying the necessary braking amount and slid into the lead in turn four. He had carried too much speed, though, and kept sliding into the outside wall, allowing Johnson to motor back by the No. 99 to take the victory.

It was a thrilling finish, but more than that, it was quite telling of how the rest of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship race will turn out thanks to the new effort benchmark set by Edwards. Simply put, Johnson is not going to have an easy time winning his third straight championship and will face plenty of resistance from Edwards, Greg Biffle and any other driver who enters the top of the Chase picture.

Former champion Wallace denies rumor of NASCAR return

Kenny Wallace, the younger brother of 1989 Sprint Cup champion Rusty Wallace, caused quite a stir in the NASCAR world Tuesday night after he claimed in an article that Rusty would be coming out of retirement to race in NASCAR again.

Wednesday morning, a statement from Rusty denied the rumor and said he has a “long-term commitment to ABC and ESPN” and that he is enjoying his current role.

Rusty, since retiring after the 2005 season, has worked as a driver analyst for the networks on both IndyCar and NASCAR coverage. In his 25-year Sprint Cup career, Wallace took the title in 1989 and secured 55 career wins in the top NASCAR division.
 
Dropping the green flag: Talladega

Race: AMP Energy Drink 500
When: 2 p.m. Sunday (TV coverage at 1 p.m.)
TV/Radio: ABC/105.1 FM
Location: Talladega Superspeedway
Distance: 188 laps/500 miles
Track layout: 2.5-mile high-banked tri-oval
2007 winner: Jeff Gordon

Miller’s Preview

Sunday afternoon, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will drop the green flag on a must-see race – NASCAR fan or not – when the 43 drivers hit the high banks of Talladega. The track’s corners feature a 33-degree incline, allowing drivers to go full-throttle around the entire track.

That, combined with an engine restrictor plate designed to keep the cars at safe speeds, leads to three- and four-wide racing for much of the event. As a result, nearly every event at the track features a large multi-car crash affectionately named “The Big One.”

A year ago, Jeff Gordon picked up his first win of the Chase for the Sprint Cup despite starting 34th and only leading the last lap of the race. He also won the April 2007 race at the venue, and the two wins combined made him only the sixth driver in history to sweep both races at the Alabama track. Sunday’s show will be action-packed and wild as teams try to avoid crashes and still finish up front.

Miller’s Pick: Dale Earnhardt Jr.