NASCAR Sprint Cup Series News
All Jimmie Johnson ever wanted was a chance to race with the best in NASCAR. Maybe even win a race or two.
Never did he expect to be a champion.
Never did he expect to be a champion.
Getting Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s team back on track is Rick Hendrick's top priority now that Jimmie Johnson has his record fourth consecutive NASCAR championship.
"We're all over it, and we've been all over it," Hendrick said Tuesday in a conference call. "It's my primary focus here, starting Monday."
"We're all over it, and we've been all over it," Hendrick said Tuesday in a conference call. "It's my primary focus here, starting Monday."
While Johnson may well make more history, winning a fifth, sixth and maybe even seventh title, it is Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. who carry the hope for the future squarely on their shoulders.
Rick Hendrick said Tuesday during a teleconference that he is working to extend Chad Knaus' contract and expects the championship crew chief to "retire" at Hendrick Motorsports.
Gillett is a principal of Richard Petty Motorsports, an organization Edwards believes will benefit the four teams at Roush Fenway Racing, including the No. 99 he drives. RPM and Yates Racing are working through the details of a merger that will not only bring RPM into the Ford camp, but also make RPM's engineering available to Roush. Gillett's father, George, is co-owner of RPM.
Representatives for both sides said Tuesday that contract extension talks have picked up recently and are expected to conclude with a new deal by the start of the 2010 season. Busch’s current contract with JGR had been set to expire at the end of next year.
The checkered flag at the end of Sunday's Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway put the final punctuation mark on the 2009 season, but it also ended a chapter in the careers of at least four drivers in the field.
Martin Truex Jr., Jamie McMurray, Casey Mears and Reed Sorenson drove what most likely will be the last race for their respective teams, with varying degrees of success. While Truex survived the Tony Stewart-Juan Montoya dustup to score a ninth-place finish, McMurray and Mears finished in the middle of the pack and Sorenson was caught up in a strange multi-car accident on pit road.
Martin Truex Jr., Jamie McMurray, Casey Mears and Reed Sorenson drove what most likely will be the last race for their respective teams, with varying degrees of success. While Truex survived the Tony Stewart-Juan Montoya dustup to score a ninth-place finish, McMurray and Mears finished in the middle of the pack and Sorenson was caught up in a strange multi-car accident on pit road.
Getting Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s team back on track is Rick Hendrick's top priority now that Jimmie Johnson has his record fourth consecutive NASCAR championship.
Roush Fenway Racing announced Tuesday that Donnie Wingo has been named crew chief of the No. 6 with driver David Ragan, replacing current crew chief Jimmy Fennig.
With his record-tying ninth NASCAR Sprint Cup car owner championship now secured, Hendrick Motorsports team owner Rick Hendrick said his immediate task is getting the No. 88 Chevrolet of Dale Earnhardt Jr. running competitively again.
Done deal.
"How 'bout some history?!" Jimmie Johnson shouted as the crossed the finish line at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
No, Johnson didn't win Sunday's Ford 400. Denny Hamlin did. But Johnson accomplished something far more significant than a victory in a single event. His fifth-place finish was more than good enough to clinch his fourth Cup Series title in a row, breaking a tie with Cale Yarborough for most consecutive championships.
"How 'bout some history?!" Jimmie Johnson shouted as the crossed the finish line at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
No, Johnson didn't win Sunday's Ford 400. Denny Hamlin did. But Johnson accomplished something far more significant than a victory in a single event. His fifth-place finish was more than good enough to clinch his fourth Cup Series title in a row, breaking a tie with Cale Yarborough for most consecutive championships.
The others blasted off much earlier during the 267-lap race at the 1.5-mile track, when drivers Juan Montoya and Tony Stewart bumped and banged and wrecked each other on two different occasions, providing the most entertaining moments of Jimmie Johnson's championship-clinching run.
On Saturday, Denny Hamlin sent a message to Brad Keselowski by spinning him out in the Nationwide Series finale. On Sunday, Hamlin may have sent a message to the rest of the Cup field by winning the Ford 400.
The head of Volkswagen's motor sports program is at Homestead-Miami Speedway, fueling speculation that the automaker is interested in joining Toyota as the second foreign manufacturer in NASCAR.
Top NASCAR officials confirmed to The Associated Press that Hans-Joachim Stuck met with the sanctioning body on Saturday at the track. The officials requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the meeting.
Top NASCAR officials confirmed to The Associated Press that Hans-Joachim Stuck met with the sanctioning body on Saturday at the track. The officials requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the meeting.
Rick Hendrick sat with drivers Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin situated to either side of him at a long table on an elevated stage Thursday at the posh Hyatt Regency hotel.
The special occasion Thursday afternoon was the Cup Series championship contenders press conference, and folks were there to talk mostly about history.
The special occasion Thursday afternoon was the Cup Series championship contenders press conference, and folks were there to talk mostly about history.
The flow of ifs, ands and buts has been reduced to a trickle as the Cup season heads toward an official end this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. And the flow of uncertainty is shut down altogether when it comes to which team owner will win this year's championship.
Ok, now it's really over. The chances that Jimmie Johnson does not finish 25th this week at Homestead-Miami are so very slim that on Sunday it's all but a stone cold lock that we will be celebrating the four-time champion Jimmie Johnson. So this week instead of sorting the championship contenders into tiers, we are handing out Chase grades for the 12 participants as we wrap up the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.
Kasey Kahne is thinking about leaving Richard Petty Motorsports after his current contract expires.
The driver of the No. 9 car said Friday that he is keeping his options open for 2011, the year after his current deal with the RPM organization runs out. The George Gillett-owned team has undergone a number of mutations in recent years, including an absorption of Petty Enterprises prior to this season, and a planned merger with Yates Racing that will result in the team fielding Fords in 2010.
The driver of the No. 9 car said Friday that he is keeping his options open for 2011, the year after his current deal with the RPM organization runs out. The George Gillett-owned team has undergone a number of mutations in recent years, including an absorption of Petty Enterprises prior to this season, and a planned merger with Yates Racing that will result in the team fielding Fords in 2010.
Rick Hendrick understands you don't mess with a good thing. That's perhaps why one of his top priorities was to sign potential four-time champion Jimmie Johnson and sponsor Lowe's Companies, Inc. to long-term contract extensions, something that was announced Friday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Johnson's five-year deal keeps him employed under the Hendrick Motorsports banner through the 2015 season. And he'll have Lowe's sponsorship on the hood, and money backing the team's financial status, through at least 2013.
Johnson's five-year deal keeps him employed under the Hendrick Motorsports banner through the 2015 season. And he'll have Lowe's sponsorship on the hood, and money backing the team's financial status, through at least 2013.
Jimmie Johnson kept his promise -- to try to qualify up front -- and at the same time took another giant step toward his record fourth consecutive Cup Series championship.
Turning a lap in 31.049 seconds (173.919 mph), Johnson won the pole for Sunday's Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Turning a lap in 31.049 seconds (173.919 mph), Johnson won the pole for Sunday's Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Jamie McMurray has been tabbed by Earnhardt Ganassi Racing to drive the No. 1 Chevrolet in 2010, the team announced on Wednesday.
We all know Dale Earnhardt Jr. has had a miserable season. But other than him, which driver who disappointed in 2009 needs to step it up next year?
The final race of the 2009 Cup Series season is on tap at Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend. The annual running at the 1.5-mile true oval has been the final race of the season for some time now, and the drivers have become used to racing at the South Florida track with a "finishing target" in mind.
Chad Knaus, being the meticulous thinker that he is, had his future planned out years ago: Become a NASCAR crewmen, work his way up to crew chief and then eventually start his own team.
Jamie McMurray is a Chip Ganassi racer once again.
McMurray, 33, was introduced as the driver of the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet starting in 2010 to Earnhardt Ganassi Racing employees at the race shop on Tuesday.
McMurray, 33, was introduced as the driver of the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet starting in 2010 to Earnhardt Ganassi Racing employees at the race shop on Tuesday.