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TURNING LEFT: NASCAR at Phoenix
By Charlie O. Mallonee November 12, 2009 |
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The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup heads to the Phoenix International Raceway for the weekend. PIR is a tough track and will make the drivers work hard to finish well. PIR is a 1-mile track that has to be run like a short-track. The track features long flat sweeping turns with 11º banking in Turns 1 and 2 and 9º banking in Turns 3 and 4. Most of the action will take place going into and out of the turns. There will not be a “big one” (wreck) on this track. We will see two or three cars tangle up in the turns. Weather could be a factor on Sunday. The high temperature is predicted to be just 75º, but the winds are expected to be 10 – 20 miles per hour. PIR is a track that becomes slick as the rubber builds up on it. With the wind, the turns could become quite tricky and could affect passing. Jimmie Johnson will be trying to bounce back from his 38th-place finish at Texas. That posting cut his lead over Mark Martin to just 73 points. The largest points deficit to ever be overcome and win a championship is 85 points. Alan Kulwicki did that in 1992. Johnson needs to average a fourth-place finish or a fifth-place finish with a lap led in each race to win the championship. He could clinch the championship if he garners 122 points on Sunday in Phoenix. Johnson has history on his side. He has won three of the last four races at PIR. Johnson finished fourth in the spring race in Phoenix. Mark Martin – second in the Chase – won the spring race! Martin could be headed to his fifth series championship runner-up finish in NASCAR Sprint Cup racing. A P2 posting would be an outstanding finish for Martin’s first year of racing for Hendricks Motor sports. Remember – Martin was semi-retired just one year ago when he drove a partial series for DEI. Do not forget about four-time champion Jeff Gordon who lurking is third-place in the point standings and is ready to bounce on any mistake by the leaders. Gordon is 112 points behind Johnson. Wherever Gordon races, the No. 24 always shows up in your rearview mirror. Gordon is a long-shot but never count him out as a championship contender. The race can be seen on ABC television beginning at 12:15 PST/3:15 EST. |
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