Johnson simply turning NASCAR’s chase upside down

NASCAR instituted the Chase for the Sprint Cup system to determine the season champion in 2004 in an effort to create more excitement in late-season races.

At the time, no one would have expected a single driver to dominate the system as handily as Jimmie Johnson has.

After last Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway, which Johnson won, the No. 48 is in prime position to score his third-straight title thanks to a commanding 149-point lead over second place Greg Biffle.

The driver and his crew chief Chad Knaus have obviously figured out a system that works when it comes to winning the 10-race stretch, and they appeared to show their hand after Sunday’s race indicating that instead of striving for consistency, they want wins.

Whatever it is, Johnson’s lead is nearly insurmountable unless catastrophe strikes on a team that gets everything right this time of the year. Perhaps it’s time for NASCAR to take a look at rotating tracks in the Chase like how golf rotates most of its majors to different venues.

Regardless, Johnson and company are stinking up NASCAR’s show, and it’s hard to fathom when it will stop.

Former F1 driver Scott Speed makes NASCAR debut

The Cup Series welcomed a driver who undoubtedly has one of the best names in all of racing to its ranks Sunday afternoon in Martinsville.

California-native Scott Speed – yes, that’s his given name – finished 30th in the 500-lap short-track event at the .526-mile paperclip in his first Sprint Cup event.

After the race, Speed sounded like a regular Martinsville rookie when he talked to ESPN.

“We really struggled (Sunday) – we had brake issues all day long. This is a really long day when you have 500 laps to complete,” said Speed, who finished three laps down.

Speed originally won a driver search program sponsored by Red Bull energy drink in 2003 that helped him eventually make his way to Formula One in 2006. He left the F1 team during the 2007 season, but Red Bull stayed as a sponsor and pushed Speed into stock cars, where he now drives for the NASCAR arm of Red Bull’s racing operation.

Dropping the Green Flag: Atlanta

The Details
Race Pep Boys Auto 500
When 2 p.m. (TV coverage 1 p.m.) Sunday
TV/Radio ABC/105.1 FM
Location Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Ga.
Distance 325 laps/500.5 miles
Track Layout 1.54-mile D-shaped oval
2007 Winner Jimmie Johnson

Miller’s Preview:

Four races remain in the 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup that Johnson seems to have wrapped up for the third-straight year. Sunday’s race at Atlanta – one of the three left on a roughly 1.5-mile track – could be the biggest hoop for the No. 48 because of the strain the high-speed track puts on engines. There haven’t been many hoops the No. 48 team hasn’t jumped through in the past three years, and knowing that, I’m going with Johnson to pick up yet another win to completely crush any late-season Chase excitement.

Miller’s Pick: Jimmie Johnson