Texas Motor Speedway- Fort Worth, TX. This week NASCAR heads to "The Great American Speedway" for 500 grueling miles starting at day and ending at dusk. TMS has treated us viewers to some great American finishes. Think back to '04 when Elliott Sadler beat Kasey Kahne side by side at the line or last year when Jeff Burton made a last lap pass on Matt Kenseth. This is racing at its best in the Lone Star state.
Even though Carl Edwards won the race last week, all of the talk has been about Jimmie Johnson. Doesn't that seem a little unfair? Edwards has more wins that Johnson, but Johnson gets a lot more credit. I must say though J.J. deserves big credit after his remarkable comeback at Atlanta. He very well could be in victory lane this week at Texas; Jimmie is the defending Champion of this race last year and finished second back in the spring.
I bet Carl Edwards is praying that Jimmie Johnson has a stumbling block. The driver of the number 48 car very well could lock up his third straight Title next week at Phoenix. Edwards has run strong at Texas in the past, and numbers show that he more than likely will win this race. The driver who has won the fall Atlanta race has repeated the next week at Texas for the past three straight years.
Jeff Gordon is winless after 33 races for the first time in many years. His tough year is almost over, but he isn't going down without a fight. Back in Fort Worth this April, he finished 43rd for only the second time his career. Jeff's pugnacious adrenaline has gotten him his first ever pole at Texas, and it may get him his first even win there as well. This track and Homestead two he has always struggled on. It just seems like this is his week though. Gordon has run extremely well the past couple of races as he is edging closer to the moment. Will the eminent driver be jumping for joy in a cowboy hat on Sunday or sobbing back in his motorcoach?
Another man looking for his first victory this season is Matt Kenseth. He finished runner-up back at the Monster Mile and dominated last week in Georgia. Texas has provided him with a win and many top ten finishes. Maybe the 2003 Cup Champion will be the "last man standing (as ESPN/ABC's song says)" on Sunday in cowboy country.
Jeff Burton's Championship hopes are virtually over after two horrendous weeks at Martinsville and Atlanta. "The Great American Speedway" has always been good to him with two wins and three straight top ten finishes. Will he get back on track this weekend or sink even deeper into the trench?
gonger - for sure a lot of contenders and drivers desperately wanting a win this weekend.
I saw Jeff Burton on Trackside Live tonight...he says that he will have very little time off during the "off season". The team needs to continue to work at improving their on track performance for the 2009 season. I think other teams are feeling that way too.
Enjoy the race on Sunday!
Last edited by Gerrel on October 31st at 10:41 PM.
If all of the other drivers will be working their tails off during the offseason, I bet Jimmie will be sitting on his couch taking it easy. There isn't much more he can do except maybe improve at a track like Bristol. Hope the points get tightened up during the race.
Last edited by gonger93 on November 1st at 5:39 AM.
My pen name is Gonger, I am 15, and I live in Georgia. I am a Double Black Stripe in Tae Kwon Do and enjoy playing basketball as well. Yeah... I am a freshmen in high school. My best subject is math, but I'm undecided on a career (I'll figure that out later). My favorite sport to watch and blog about is NASCAR. I have grown up watching it since I was about five years old and have been to a couple of races. Aside from racing, my favorite teams include the Atlanta Falcons, the Atlanta Hawks, the Michigan Wolverines, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and the L.A. Angels. Peace
