By Richard Allen

Only two men, Cale Yarborough and Jimmie Johnson, have ever won three consecutive NASCAR championships. Odds are that after this Sunday’s last race of 2009 there will be only one man to have ever won four consecutive titles.

Johnson made the championship battle interesting when he crashed early in the race at the Texas Motor Speedway and allowed his closest competitors to narrow the rather large gap he had built up. However, the dominating performance of the #48 team in Phoenix this past weekend opened Johnson’s lead back up to a healthy 108 points over second place Mark Martin.

In other words, Johnson would have to suffer a catastrophe similar to the one in Texas to stand any chance of losing his lead. While that is possible, it is not likely.

If Johnson finishes 25th or higher in Sunday’s race the Sprint Cup trophy is his no matter what happens. Any finish of 26th or lower would have the championship determined by where Martin finishes. Martin must finish in the top-10 to have any chance at all of taking his first championship. Obviously, winning and leading the most laps would give him the best chance at scoring a big come from behind win.

Given that Johnson’s title is a virtual certainty, the bigger question is not whether he will win, but instead, where does his win rank in NASCAR history?

Many who have followed the sport of NASCAR racing will discount Johnson’s accomplishment due to the fact that each of his titles has been won under the Chase for the Championship playoff format.

In 2004 NASCAR debuted a new system for selecting its season long champion. Rather than have points accumulate over the course of an entire season and declaring the driver with the most points the champion, a ten race playoff was instituted. Under the new format, the top-10(now 12) drivers after the 26th race of the season were set apart from everyone else and essentially put on even ground to race it out over the last ten events to decide the winner.

The thought was that the new system would increase interest at the very time NASCAR would be up against playoff baseball and regular season NFL games for television ratings. Some fans have accepted the new system but many hold the new way in utter disgust because they do not regard the system as a legitimate way of choosing a season long champion.

Those who like the Chase would argue that Johnson’s accomplishment should rank highly in NASCAR history because he has had to beat more contenders over the last ten races than any other champion in history.

Those who dislike the Chase would argue that the NASCAR season is meant to be a grind, not a quick burst. So, the championship format should reward the driver and team who are able to remain the most consistent over the long haul.

In at least a couple of instances, the Chase format has allowed Johnson to make up large deficits that he probably would not have made up otherwise. However, had the old system been in place, he may not have been so far behind to begin with as strategies might have played out differently.

Ultimately, the conclusion that has to be drawn is that like it or not, Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus have figured how to play this game better than everyone else, including their Hendrick Motorsports teammates. Whether using the Chase or not, the feat of winning four consecutive championships is remarkable. Johnson, Knaus and the rest of this team will hold a unique place in NASCAR if in fact they go on to win that title.

Richard Allen is a member of the National Motorsports Press Association. His weekly column appears in The Mountain Press every Wednesday.

By Richard Allen

Tony Stewart has always been known as a late charger. In each of his two Sprint Cup championship seasons he did not take the lead until late in the season and then went on to claim the title.

Typically, Stewart has come to life when the summer heat sets in and makes tracks slick and difficult to get a handle on. That’s when the driver who has proven to be the best NASCAR driver on dirt moves to the front of the pack and carries that dog days momentum to the end of the season.

This year, much was made of the fact that Stewart took the Sprint Cup points lead earlier than he ever had. Apparently, that was a bad thing.

Stewart carried a comfortable 237 point lead over Jeff Gordon into the 26th race of the season in Richmond. Of course, after race his lead was erased when the standings were reset for the beginning of the Chase for the Championship. He currently sits 5th in the standings, 285 point behind Jimmie Johnson.

Instead of roaring to the title as he has in years past, Stewart has been passed by on his way to the finish.

This driver and his Stewart-Haas Racing team seems to have lost their momentum just after their win at Watkins Glen in August. After that victory, Stewart went five consecutive races without a top-10. Instead of roaring into the Chase, the #14 Chevrolet team sort of limped into the playoff.

Stewart has seemed to regain early season form over the last eight races. However, crashes, not of his own making, have slowed him within the Chase just enough to take him out of contention.

Throughout his career Tony Stewart has been a guy who started slowly and finished strong. For whatever reason, this season he has done pretty much the opposite.

Richard Allen is a member of the National Motorsports Press Association. His weekly column appears in The Mountain Press every Wednesday.

By Richard Allen

In the past few days a great deal of attention has been paid to the fact that JR Motorsports may or may not be able to find enough sponsorship to support that team’s effort to bring Dancia Patrick to the Nationwide Series of NASCAR.

Receiving a bit less attention has been the fact that Robby Gordon Motorsports may be forced to significantly reduce their schedule in 2010. As of now, RGM only has enough backing to compete in eight NASCAR Sprint Cup races.

While Patrick, the much talked about female IndyCar driver, would garner much media attention if she were to come to NASCAR, Robby Gordon’s participation may be more important because of the need to actually have cars racing in the sport’s top division.

Gordon has campaigned fulltime in the Sprint Cup division since 2002. He has served as his own boss with his own team since 2006.

It is this very type of team that NASCAR needs. Gordon represents a dying breed of men who are willing to go their own way, work hard and take risks for the betterment of the sport of racing. The sanctioning body would be well served in the long run to help teams such this to land sponsors, even if it meant giving up one of their own backers.

NASCAR has shown no interest in reducing the number of cars to start a race from 43 so keeping teams like this alive is vital.

However, with all the hype surrounding Patrick it is almost a certainty that every possible effort will be made to land her in a NASCAR ride next year. NASCAR as an organization has shown an unquenchable desire to chase after glitz and glamour over substance. They have demonstrated this in their choices of racing venues, marketing campaigns, playoff systems and rule changes. So, why would this situation be any different?

The bottom line will ultimately boil down to the fact that NASCAR needs Robby Gordon and more of his type, guys who race because they love it and have made it their lives. However, NASCAR wants Danica Patrick because she will provide a quick media pop, which is what the suits in charge of this sport seemingly crave.

Danica Patrick will come and go, just wait and see. The question is, what will be left behind when she is gone and so is Robby Gordon and the others like him?

Richard Allen is a member of the National Motorsports Press Association. His weekly column appears in The Mountain Press every Wednesday.

By Richard Allen

A judge in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina is about to decide if the civil complaint proceedings between Brian France and his ex-wife are to be made public or not. According to a published report in The Charlotte Observer, France has so far been granted an unusual amount of privacy from a court that normally allows documents to be made public.

France’s attorney’s say their client “paid a fair amount of money to make sure that didn’t happen,” in regard to making those documents public. “Publicizing the information…would cause huge adverse effects for Mr. France.”

The words ‘huge adverse effects’ are particularly interesting. And, France’s attorney argues that open knowledge of the proceedings could cause “irreparable” damage.

It seems as though the NASCAR Chairman does not want the details of his private life to be made public.

Strangely though, when Jeremy Mayfield fought back against NASCAR after the sanctioning body announced he had failed a drug test, they did not mind dragging Mayfield’s estranged step-mother into the proceedings, who in turn revealed all sorts of intimate personal details about the driver’s life. And as it turns out, NASCAR’s key witness turned out to be highly questionable after a later incident at Mayfield’s home which resulted in additional legal action.

Personally, I would not have cared about the legal proceedings involving Mr. France. Such things do not really pertain to racing or the day to day running of NASCAR. However, when his organization went so far in regard to Mayfield he opened himself up to this sort of exposure.

And more, NASCAR proved they were not adverse to ruining the lives of those they see as insignificant to their cause when they hammered owner/driver Carl Long with one of the most severe penalties in the sport’s history for what almost everyone within racing agreed was a minute, and accidental, violation during an all star race.

Interestingly, “irreparable” damage has already been done to Carl Long. And even if the pending court case between NASCAR and Mayfield were to go Mayfield’s way “huge adverse effects” have already occured.

I do not really care about the personal life of Brian France as long his job performance is not interrupted. I do not even really care if these proceedings are made public or not.

What I do care about is the running of NASCAR and my belief that Mr. France has done a poor job to date in that endeavor. And more, I care that he wants to have one set of standards applied to him while he and his organization apply an entirely different set of standards to those whose livelihoods they hold in the balance.

Richard Allen is a member of the National Motorsports Press Association. His weekly column appears in The Mountain Press every Wednesday.

Below is a link to the mentioned story from The Charlotte Observer:

http://www.thatsracin.com/140/story/22347.html

By Richard Allen

In 1969 Richard Petty drove a Ford to ten victories on the NASCAR circuit. That was the only season in which ‘The King’ campaigned with a blue oval on the front of his car.

Now, the organization that carries his name is in the process of switching from Dodge to Ford. And in the earliest of stages in regard to that change, the results look promising.

RPM driver Elliott Sadler drove a Ford from the Yates Racing stable to a 9th place finish in Talladega. And to follow that, A.J. Allmendinger took an RPM prepared Ford to a 10th place finish in Texas.

Allmendinger will continue to drive Fords for the remaining two races of 2009 in preparation for the entire organization switching brands in 2010. His Texas finish had to be particularly encouraging for RPM because it took place on a 1.5 mile track the likes of which make up such a large portion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule.

Also, that finish was one of only five top-10s for Allmendinger this season. Considering he began the season with a 3rd place finish in the season opening Daytona 500, the lack of top finishes has no doubt been a disappointment after such a promising start. Perhaps the change in manufacturer will provide the impetus for improved performance going forward.

For Sadler, his Talladega finish was only his fifth top-10 of 2009. Like Allmendinger, this one start in a Ford has accounted for 20% of his total top-10 results.

Granted, there is little difference among the different brands of cars competing in NASCAR. Outside the engine compartment, about the only way to distinguish one make from another is the sticker on the front of the car where the grill is supposed to be. But, that change inside the engine compartment might have provided something the RPM cars did not already have.

This organization is in desperate need of something positive happening. Over the past few days they have been in the news for layoffs and seeming instability. Perhaps the change in manufacturers has re-fired the remaining staff. Both of these runs ought to provide a positive mindset going into what promises to be a busy and important off-season for RPM.

Richard Allen is a member of the National Motorsports Press Association. His weekly column appears in The Mountain Press every Wednesday.

By Richard Allen

In an impromptu interview of NASCAR Chairman Brian France conducted by reporter Dustin Long in Texas the NASCAR boss gave an assessment of the sport he runs and of the coverage of that sport by its media contingent.

According to France, the sport is suffering because some of its major stars, namely Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Carl Edwards, are having bad seasons. And so, their fans are under the misguided perception that the racing is bad due to the winless seasons being experienced by their favorite drivers.

So, let’s be clear. Races being run with virtually no passing has nothing to do with fans losing interest. Races decided by pit stops rather than racing on the track is immaterial. Cars that look exactly alike no matter what brand they are is a non-factor. NASCAR removing all possibility of ingenuity and instead becoming a racing parts distributor is a non-issue. Corporate clone drivers with little if any personality is inconsequential. Inconsistent and unpredictable handling of rules and rule violations does not matter.

France’s views show once more how out of touch the leadership of the sport has become. He, the supposed head of the sport, admitted that he had not seen the much discussed broadcast of the Talladega race. How could the leader of a sport not go back and watch a broadcast that was so controversial? For that matter, how could the leader of the sport not be in attendance at virtually every event AND go back and watch the broadcast?

I watch every race and it’s not my job to guide the sport.

Would the commissioner of the NFL not go back and look into such an event in his sport? He almost certainly would.

NASCAR writers are very often accused of taking the easy way by writing stories about Junior rather than digging deeper and finding a real news story. In this case, it appears as though the NASCAR Chairman has opted for the same strategy.

France’s laying at least some of the blame at the feet of the sport’s most popular driver has one obvious flaw. What does he then say if Junior wins one of the last two races of the season or opens next year by winning the Daytona 500 and attendance remains low?

Aside from throwing Junior and Edwards under the bus, France reverted to the old NASCAR standbys of blaming the media and the economy for fan disinterest. Apparently, fans would not notice all of the issues mentioned above if television, radio and print media did not bring them up. And for whatever reason, the economy is forcing fans to turn their televisions off as well when they should be watching in higher numbers if they were still in love with the sport.

NASCAR and its leadership are like the little boy sticking his finger in the dam to plug a leak, except there are many leaks. Someday, if the sanctioning body does not start to address the issues that are causing fan apathy they are going to run all out of fingers.

NASCAR’s own decision making has led to the issues of the day. Of course, the economy has played some role and the fact that the sport’s most popular drivers are not winning probably does contribute to the fan apathy. But, the real issues are the ones NASCAR itself has brought on. It is up to them to realize and then address those issues.

Richard Allen is a member of the National Motorsports Press Association. His weekly column appears in The Mountain Press every Wednesday.

Here is a link to the transcript of the Long/France conversation:

http://hamptonroads.com/2009/11/brian-france-1on1-discussing-tv-commentators-tv-coverage-car-chase

By Richard Allen

Finishes do not have to contrived, Made-for-Sportscenter dashes to the checkered flag created by phony ‘debris’ cautions to be exciting.

Sunday’s Dickies 500 at the Texas Motor Speedway showed that. The end of that race proved to be a nail biter as some cars made it to the end on the fuel they had in the tank while others pitted with around 20 laps to go and were in the process of making a furious charge from behind as the laps ran down.

Kurt Busch had just enough fumes in his tank to get him to the finish line while his brother, Kyle, did not. Aside from those two drivers there were others who had either short-pitted for tires, gas or both and were in the midst of a foot to the floor scramble as others were nursing almost empty fuel tanks in hopes of squeezing every drop through their thirsty engines.

Rather than throw the usually predictable late race yellow, NASCAR let the race play out under its own merits and it proved to be an attention getter. The finish was intense and exciting because it was real rather than contrived. The field wasn’t artificially bunched with fresh tires and full fuel tanks.

Listening to in-car radios showed just how into the moment each team was. Kurt Busch’s crew was doing their best to keep the reigns on their driver and assuring him he would win by saving fuel. At the same time Matt Kenseth was certain he had the race won by being the leader among the drivers to have pitted for fuel and tires. The strategies being played was fun to listen to.

Another thing the in-car audio showed was that the teams have become conditioned to the way finishes are usually played out. One crew chief was reluctant to bring his driver onto pit road because he feared getting caught a lap down when the inevitable ‘debris’ caution flew.

Fortunately, that caution never came and fans were rewarded with an interesting dash, or coast, to the checkered flag. Hopefully, NASCAR will take note.

Richard Allen is a member of the National Motorsports Press Association. His weekly column appears in The Mountain Press every Wednesday.

By Richard Allen

One place you will probably never see the ABC/ESPN crew that covered Sunday’s Dickies 500 is at the final table of the World Series of Poker championship. In recent weeks they have had a bit of trouble hiding their emotions. In other words, they have not had their poker faces on.

When Jimmie Johnson spun and crashed early in the going at the Texas Motor Speedway it seemed pretty apparent by the tones of the voices of those describing the action that they were at least relieved if not excited that the outcome of the Sprint Cup championship would not be a foregone conclusion going into the last two races of the season.

I am not saying the television announcers were glad to see Johnson crash, but I am saying they were glad there was actually a championship contest coming out of Texas. If anyone doubts that, just go back and count the number of times they made reference to the misfortune of the #48 car during the remainder of Sunday‘s telecast.

Last week in Talladega, this same crew came under fire from NASCAR for telling the truth about the poor racing and the strange decision by the sanctioning body to impose a new policy on drivers about an hour before the drop of the green flag.

On more than one occasion this season, the announcers have made no mystery that they would like to see a caution displayed in the waning laps of the races they cover so that the field might be bunched for an exciting finish. And when that caution invariably would come out after their pleas were heeded by NASCAR the joy in their voices was quite often unmistakable.

Again, I’m not saying the ABC broadcast crew wanted Jimmie Johnson to crash. However, they are keenly aware that it is easier to promote a battle for the championship that goes down to the wire than to promote a driver’s leisurely cruise to a fourth consecutive title. And more, this piece was not written to necessarily criticize the broadcast crew. I like people who say what they think rather than what they think will be the least offensive. I appreciated the fact that they said what they thought in Talladega. Also, if I were involved in the broadcast business I would want a close championship battle as well.

But one thing to remember about Jerry Punch, Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree, Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty is to not look for them during ESPN’s telecast of the WSOP championship. They do not hide their emotions very well. The last few weeks prove that.

Richard Allen is a member of the National Motorsports Press association. His weekly column appears in The Mountain Press every Wednesday.

By Richard Allen

No driver has ever won three races in the top three NASCAR divisions over the course of the same weekend. Kyle Busch is near to doing just that.

On Friday night Busch won the Camping World Truck Series event at the Texas Motor Speedway. On Saturday afternoon the often controversial driver won the Nationwide Series race on the same track.

Even though Busch is not the most popular driver on the circuit, wouldn’t it be nice to have something to talk on Monday other than everyone else’s opinion that the race was boring and NASCAR’s opinion that it was incredibly exciting? Or, talking about a Busch clean sweep would surely be better than discussing the latest NASCAR rule change, Junior’s most recent failure, the empty grandstands or more Hendrick domination.

I am not a fan of Sprint Cup drivers racing in the lower divisions, at least not on a full time basis. However, since the deeds have already been done in the lower classes this weekend, we might as well root for a little history.

Busch has at least some chance of pulling off the three-peat. He has qualified 5th for the Dickies 500. But, his speed in final practice was not near the top of the charts, for what that is worth.

If Kyle Busch is able to win a third race in the course of one weekend it will be a remarkable feat. It will be a testament to his driving ability and the abilities of the teams he drives for.

But perhaps most importantly, it will give NASCAR enthusiasts a new subject to discuss on Monday morning. Then on Tuesday, we can go back to discussing whether or not the race was boring, the latest rule change, another Junior failure, empty grandstands and Hendrick dominance.

Richard Allen is a member of the National Motorsports Press Association. His weekly column appears in The Mountain Press every Wednesday.

By Richard Allen

Jimmie Johnson is on the verge of locking up his fourth consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup title. With three titles already in under his belt, it is needless to say that he was not exactly an underdog going into the season. Add to that, he drives for perennial racing powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports and his soon to come win becomes even less of a surprise.

However, Johnson is not the only entity in sports this year to have ruined the hopes of those who root for the underdogs.

To start the sports year, the Pittsburgh Steelers won another Super Bowl crown when they defeated the upset minded Arizona Cardinals. It was the Steelers sixth championship which ranks as the most victories of any NFL franchise in the sport’s showcase game. Whether or not they were the favorites going into the season, the Steelers win certainly did not rank as a triumph for the underdog.

In the NCAA college basketball tournament, the talent rich North Carolina Tar Heels took first place. Again, this was hardly counted as an upset and certainly did not rank as a victory for the underdog.

The Los Angeles Lakers won their 15th NBA championship in 2009. They were the #1 seed from the Western Conference coming into the playoffs and took no one by surprise when they beat the Orlando Magic in the finals.

The final four remaining teams in Major League Baseball screamed of heavy favorites doing what they are supposed to do. The highly paid Dodgers were beaten by the 2008 champion Phillies in the National League Championship Series. The all time winningest franchise, New York Yankees, defeated another perennial payroll leader, the Angels, in the American League final.

Like the other major sports, baseball failed to produce a Cinderella story in 2009 when the Yankees claimed their 27th Series last night.

So, it looks as if Jimmie Johnson will go on to win another NASCAR title and continue his dominance. Based on the way 2009 is going in all sports, that should not come as a surprise to anyone.

Richard Allen is a member of the National Motorsports Press Association. His weekly column appears in The Mountain Press every Wednesday.