Alrighty then, Dover saw Roush-Fenway somehow lose a race that they should have won…and no guesses on picking who the driver was that spoiled their party.
Qualifying had Greg Biffle collect his second pole of the year, fending off both Busch’s from securing a brotherly front-row. Kyle kept increasing his lead over the rest of the field as Dale Earnhardt Jr failed to score any points this week.
One new face in the top 20 this week as Jamie McMurray relegates Reed Sorenson.
Tez's NASCAR Qualifying Championship - top 20 standings after 13 rounds:
On to Pocono where Jeff Gordon won by dint of leading when the rains came and everyone will be hoping Kyle has a bad finish to tighten things up a bit at the top…well, everyone except Kyle of course.
Another side note, that’s it from me for a while…and also the end of my "Trans-Tasman Traveller" title as I make my move further overseas this weekend. Hope the race/s I don’t get to see are great and thanks everyone for putting up with me this past year and a bit *laugh*
Alrighty then, the season is finally over, even though this title had been decided last time out. I waited so long to post this since I wanted something to do this weekend. Next weekend sees the final round of the V8 Supercars from Phillip Island so I'll update that this week...from the previous round in Tasmania; Marcos Ambrose country.
Anyway, that's next week and the wrong series so let's do this thing since it's the last one.
Homestead saw Jimmie Johnson start from pole but it was the fourth place man who smashed everyone...driving a Roush-Fenway Ford...number starts with a 1...and first name with four letters...scary stuff *laugh*
But no, Greg didn't do the fourplay (sorry, couldn't resist using that) as teammate Matt Kenseth completely dominated, leading around 200 laps and finally breaking through for his second win of the season...Fontana in February must have seemed an age away for the #17 Dewalt guys. So kudos to Matt and co. for transferring their late season surge into a visit to victory lane.
This was the view a lot saw in their mirrors...as Matt came up to put them a lap down
Tez's NASCAR Race Championship (TNRC) Standings - final standings
1 - Jimmie Johnson, 164 points (10 wins) 2 - Jeff Gordon, 152* points (6 wins) 3 - Tony Stewart, 99* points (3 wins) 4 - Matt Kenseth, 90 points (2 wins) 5 - Denny Hamlin, 83.5* points (1 win) 5 - Carl Edwards, 81 points (3 wins) 6 - Kyle Busch, 76.5* points (1 win) 8 - Jeff Burton, 68 points (1 win) 9 - Martin Truex Jr, 60* points (1 win) 10 - Kurt Busch, 56 points (2 wins) 11 - Clint Bowyer, 51 points (1 win) 12 - Kevin Harvick, 46 points (1 win) 13 - Ryan Newman, 46* points (doesn't get equal 12th since Kevin had a win while Ryan didn't) 14 - Greg Biffle, 45 points (1 win) 15 - Dale Earnhardt Jr, 41 points 16 - Casey Mears, 33.5* points (1 win) 17 - Mark Martin, 33* points 18 - Juan Montoya, 24 points (1 win) 19 - Jamie McMurray, 20 points (1 win) 20 - Reed Sorenson, 17 points =21 - Kasey Kahne, 12 points =21 - David Blaney, 12 points 23 - David Ragan, 10 points 24 - Jeff Green, 9 points 25 - JJ Yeley, 8 points =26 - David Gilliland, 6 points =26 - Kyle Petty, 6 points =26 - Brian Vickers, 6 points =29 - Ron Fellows, 5 points =29 - Mike Wallace, 5 points =31 - Robby Gordon, 4 points =31 - Elliott Sadler, 4 points =31 - Johnny Sauter, 4 points =34 - Bobby Labonte, 2 points =34 - Ricky Rudd, 2 points =36 - Scott Riggs, 1 point =36 - David Stremme, 1 point
(* denotes half points only awarded as race did not reach 75% completion)
Well, that's it...I think I've done the points right this time so I won't have to look through anything. It's been fun to do this and as I've said before, the format will change next year to the V8 Supercars one...top 15 score points in it so consistancy should be a bit better rewarded *cough* Jeff and Clint *cough*
Regardless, even without a Chase, Jimmie showed that when it came to the crunch, he was the best driver...end of story.
Alrighty then, a bit of information regarding this underground movement that was started up in 2005.
The ability of a 'Stopper' is in their capacity to be the final post in the vast majority of topics or to completely ruin the momentum of a topic and/or sporting person/horse/etc. Until recently, our numbers were scarce, testament to how difficult it is to become a 'Stopper', but over the last month a re-evaluation has taken place and the following foxsport bloggers have been given a place on the register;
photogr - his main skill lies in picking Jimmie Johnson for Cup races. Jimmie's performance at Dover (flat tyre), Pocono (crash) and, at the present moment, Sonoma (penalised and will start from the back of the field) have earnt photo this honour. He has since switched drivers for the Sonoma race having seen Jimmie's predicament...this has the potential to end up in tears on Sunday.
Dave_In_Indy - it takes a great amount of talent to be able to pick two drivers out of three who will run out of fuel, but that is exactly what Dave did last week for the Cup and Busch races. Another strong showing in the Formula 1 however may see his membership come under question from the other members.
williamwilman - Will is currently doing exactly what he needs to do since he is running the Trifecta competition; not leading it. His main ability lies in picking drivers who he believes are certainties to do well and they bomb out instead...expectations are that he will rig his competition so he ends up winning anyway ;)
volfan69 - this application was brought forward by other members. Picked Bobby Hamilton Jr in last weeks Busch race as part of her Trifecta and he got caught up in a crash. By dint of trailing the field in Will's Trifecta percentages, she gets a well-earned spot on the board.
14Falcons - Started off with a hiss and a roar by winning the Memorial Day Trifecta but has since stumbled into obscurity and found his seat at the table after picking Kenseth in last weeks Cup race...only for it to be the first race Matt hasn't finished on the lead lap.
Tezgm99 - the founder based on his ability on another messageboard where his record of being the final post on a thread topic was hovering around 90%, he therefore calls the shots on who gets in and who has to prove their worth before being accepted into this elite club. Any questions about his place as leader are met with the following names and races; Massa at the Canadian GP (got DQ'd), Rosberg at Indy (running in the top 6 with 5 laps to go...then his engine blew up), Newman at Michigan (qualified in the top 4...finished 37th having lost 3 laps early and managed to take out Kenseth, ruining Falcons day too) and Heidfeld at Indy (having said that both drivers starting with 'Nic' were driving well, both failed to finish the race).
To receive an invitation is all about fully recognising this special talent.
Notable Mentions:
JayJayDean - a stats guru through and through, JJD scours the history books any chance he gets in an attempt to gain a 'leg up' on the compeition in the Trifecta. He is the only multiple round winner so not all members agree with him being placed at the table, hence only provisional status has been granted. His pick of Robert Kubica at Montreal though was a spectacular move...nearly as spectacular as Robert's horror crash. Amazingly, Robert escaped with only a few bruises and a mild concussion.
Candystar - not part of the foxsports community but deserves a mention on here regardless. A feisty Canadian who loves nothing better than leaving Tez at awkward moments when instant messaging with him, she can only make the grade based on her ability to be the last poster on messageboards as she isn't a sports fan (likes horses though). At present, her record of achieving that isn't brilliant...but she is learning patience.
Tez is a rare creature; an Australian who was living in New Zealand before moving to Canada. He's also a Civil Engineer who is hoping to spend his Monday to Friday sitting in front of a computer surfing the inter...uh, working hard for an Engineering Consultant or Contractor when he finds a job. His heart is torn between his two loves; F1 and NASCAR.
Due to his high interest in those, his blogs will likely focus on them with the occasional foray into sports that don't get much (if any) mention on this website. All blogs and/or comments will more than likely have his usual dollop of sarcasm and general Aussie spin on them.
Amazingly, he also managed to score 2 MiB nominations on consecutive days (August 5 & 6, 2007) after announcing he had been keeping track of them...he's considering hiding under his bed as a result.
