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Four
races to go, and if
Jimmie Johnson finishes
dead last in all of them
then someone could gain
up to 644 points. So, as
you can see, everybody
in the Top Dozen remain
in the hunt for the
championship. Yes, and
at 52 my much
anticipated growth spurt
is about to begin, the
long locks shall return
to my bald pate, and my
keg will transform
overnight into six pack
abs. Hey, it could
happen. Too BAD the odds
are rather long.
As he did three of
the previous four runs
at Martinsville, Johnson
finished first on
Sunday. GOOD day for
him, but that means
everyone else's day just
wasn't GOOD enough. So
what if eight of the
other eleven Chasers
finished in the Top 12
on the day. Greg Biffle
was 12th, drops to 149
points back, and he is
the closest contender.
Jeff Burton is 152 out
in the boondocks, after
finishing 17th, while
the rest couldn't catch
Johnson at Atlanta even
if the boy took the day
off.
Oh, Dale Earnhardt Jr
was 2nd, Carl Edwards
just behind, while Jeff
Gordon brought it home
in fourth. Big names,
big deal. Edwards could
average a Top Five for
the rest of the year,
and that would help him
only if Johnson averaged
20th the rest of the
way. In short, the
defending champ's season
would have to turn real
UGLY real fast. It isn't
going to happen. Mind
you, if Scott "Ramming"
Speed decided to affect
the outcome like he did
in the ARCA series, then
you just never know.
A Top Ten for Casey
Mears was a GOOD result
for a guy soon to be
punted from his ride. He
is bound for Childress
to make room for Mark
Martin. Things went well
for Jamie McMurray for a
while, riding up front
for the longest time
until drive train
problems sent him behind
the wall. It was an UGLY
day for Kurt Busch, who
had such a great time he
wanted to park his
continually deflating
beast early. He wound up
36th, seven spots behind
brother Kyle who had
some issues of his own.
Funny, you win 8 Cup
races, 9 in the
Nationwide, and 3 more
in the trucks, and still
your season turns to
crap. Okay, maybe not so
funny.
After the Red Sox got
eliminated, this
household is cheering
for the Phillies. With
1980 being their lone
World Series win in 103
opportunities, they are
due. In watching the
televised coverage, one
thing is for certain.
Race drivers don't spit
near as much as ball
players do. They have no
place to put it, by gob,
but for the diamond boys
the whole world is their
spittoon. Hey, I've been
known to hork with the
best of them, but GOOD
grief, enough is enough.
What to expect in
Atlanta? Well, one thing
not to expect is for
Jimmie Johnson to head
down the crapper. In his
last ten there, he has
won three (including a
2007 sweep), has eight
Top Tens, finished no
worse than 16th, and was
13th in March. Do not
expect Biffle to make up
any ground, as though he
has a pair of Top Fives
in the last five, he has
also finished 22nd and
41st. Burton has
finished a personal best
fourth there four times,
but has failed to win in
28 attempts. If there is
a contender who might
challenge it could be
Edwards. Though he has
limped in 40th and 42nd
in the past, he has two
wins in eight tries, and
six Top Tens. I think
too little, too late,
from too far back. Too
BAD. Enjoy the race!
You can
contact Ron at
thornton@speedwaymedia.com
The opinions expressed
on this site are not necessarily those of the publisher. All
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