It’s now a two-car race for the Chase Championship. Jimmie Johnson was as dominant as possible Sunday afternoon in front of a disappointing crowd at Texas Motor Speedway. Matt Kenseth, who finished a very respectable 4th, did all he could do to keep himself in the picture for the Championship.
Tires quickly became a concern at Texas with both Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon losing front lefts and causing both cars to hit the wall. Gordon’s car received the worst of the damage and spent most of the race in the garage getting repairs. Kenseth had a hiccup in the pits, getting caught speeding on pit road but roared back and finished strong.
Meanwhile, we all watched Jimmie Johnson in his Lowes #48 Chevrolet lead lap after lap after lap after lap. This one was never in doubt. It looks like the Chase is not as well. I know that Johnson was in this very same position last season and a mechanical problem at Homestead cost him his 6th championship. It looks like a repeat of that is the only way anyone will keep Johnson out of this championship.
Remember back in mid-season when we were all asking what was wrong with the #48 car? I guess the answer to that question was “nothing”. A great car, a great team, a great driver all add up to championship number 6.
Johnson’s average finish in 20 races at Phoenix International Raceway is 6.45. Johnson has 4 wins at Phoenix and has 16 top-10’s. Kenseth, who now trails Johnson by 7 points, has an average finish of 17.18 with 1 win and 9 top-10 finishes in 22 starts. In the season’s final race at Homestead, Johnson has an average finish of 15.33 in 12 starts. He has no wins but has 7 top-10 finishes. Kenseth has an average finish of 17.62 in his 13 starts. He has one victory and 5 top-10 finishes.
Last season, Johnson was clearly on his way to the championship before mechanical problems caused his poor finish. What are the odds of that happening again two years in a row? With momentum and past history on his side it looks like good news for the fans of the #48 car.
Matt Kenseth cannot drive any better than he has in this Chase yet he still finds himself down 7 points. It seems the only one who can beat Johnson is Johnson himself. My money says lightning doesn’t strike twice.
My picks for Phoenix:
1) Jeff Gordon
2) Kasey Kahne
3) Brad Keselowski
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