Michigan proved to be a fuel mileage track once again and, much like Pocono last week, Jimmy Johnson came up just a bit short on fuel conservation. Although he dominated during most of the Michigan race, unfortunately, he didn’t dominate the last lap.
Mark Martin was ready to settle for just a good, strong finish when the two leaders ahead of him ran out of gas on the final lap. The battle for the top spot through fuel conservation led to a somewhat unexpected last lap drama and made the end of the race a feel good “crowd pleaser” as Mark Martin powered by both Jimmy Johnson and Greg Biffle.
That’s two in a row that came down to fuel conservation (Pocono and Michigan) and once again, Hendrick equipment came out on top. Now, they haven’t won everything, but, the Hendrick teams and teams running Hendrick equipment are looking very strong.
I suppose everyone has noticed they don’t call Mark Martin the old guy anymore…They call him “the Kid”. I have to admit he is having a lot of fun and I don’t recall him looking as happy as he has recently. It is great to see him doing so well this year and, it appears to this fan, he could very well be one of those in ‘the Chase’ that can be a contender for the top spot at the end of the year.
Now, I don’t want to make any rash statements because there is still a lot of season to go, but, this could be the year Mark Martin finishes first in the Chase and takes his first Cup Championship of his career. Although there are lot of things going on I would like to see happen this year, Mark Martin taking his first Cup Championship is right at the top of the list.
Some other things would be:
- Jimmy Johnson winning and taking his fourth straight championship and setting a new record.
- Jeff Gordon taking his fifth championship and putting to rest the rumors he is through winning the big ones.
- Tony Stewart winning the championship in his first year as an owner driver
Wow! Although there are several more, I do want to move on.
You see, there are way to many things going on in all the Nascar series and I just don’t want to spend a lot of time only talking about last weeks race and the possibilities for the Chase.
It seems the economy is finally catching up to some of the brave souls that were toughing it out hoping for better results and it is beginning to show in more and more places throughout Nascar.
As a fan, it is hard to really get a grip on the whole situation because I assume some are trying to cover (or, at least soften) as much of the suffering as they possibly can. I realize some of the teams are suffering, but I also see Nascar doing as much as it can to keep things moving. In my opinion, they haven’t gotten caught up in themselves so much that they can’t see some things need to be addressed. Overall, I am pleased with what I see, (as an outsider) and it appears to me they are trying to make the best of difficult times.
One thing I will say, and it is just my opinion, even though this has been a rough economic year for us all, overall, the racing has been very good. Not every lap you understand, but drama and excitement has been present in most every race.
I have enjoyed the racing so far this year. (I say that even though my favorite driver hasn’t been doing all that well lately.) The year hasn’t gone without its “situations” and “challenges”, but this fan thinks the “doom and gloomers” jumped the gun a bit in their early pre-season criticisms.
I know things could change a lot, but I am glad the year has gone as it has. It has been interesting racing and sometimes, even the ones that should have won, haven’t. That’s right, they didn’t win.
I’m kinda looking forward to the double file restarts this coming weekend at the Infineon Road Course at Sonoma. When the cautions come out near the end, look out! … it could get a little tight out there.
See ya next time …
Rusty
(all views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer)
© June 2009 – all rights reserved
Just A Fan’s View and Rusty Norman
