Johnson bids for historic NASCAR 4-peat
HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) Mark Martin has lost to Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart - some of NASCAR's greatest drivers - in his frustrating bid for an elusive championship.
Standing in his way now? Jimmie Johnson, who takes a 108-point lead over Martin into Sunday's season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Barring a total collapse, Johnson will be the one to send Martin to a fifth runner-up finish in the standings. In doing so, Johnson will become the first driver in NASCAR history to win four consecutive championships.
| Sprint Cup Series |
| Nationwide Series |
| Camping World Truck Series |
| FROM THE NASCAR WIRE | Wire |
 | Brian Vickers’ Chase Diary: We need to finish the season off on a high note (Sporting News) - Bad luck continued to stalk Brian Vickers in last Sunday's Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, the ninth race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Vickers was an innocent victim of the Lap 170 multicar melee that started when Dale Earnhardt Jr. spun off Turn 4 at the 1-mile track. Earnhardt's car had been smoking in the laps leading up to the crash with what was later diagnosed as an oil leak. Sidelined by the wreck, Vickers finished 38th and remained 12th in the Chase standings, 666 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson. In the 10th installment of his Chase diary, Vickers talks about his misfortune at Phoenix, Earnhardt's spin, the hazards of double-file restarts and his outlook for Sunday's season-ending Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway: (MORE) |
| FEATURED WRITERS |
| NASCAR Beat: The Official Audio Podcast of NASCAR |
-
2009 NASCAR Beat - Phoenix Intl Raceway (2)
Wednesday, November 11, 2009 5:27 PM ETWith two races left in the season, check in to hear where the three national series point battles stand.
| AP NASCAR Podcast |
-
AP Inside NASCAR
From Daytona to the Chase, join host Brian Horton and auto racing writers Jenna Fryer and Mike Harris every week as they take a look at the world of NASCAR and offer trackside observations and behind-the-scenes information.
NASCAR Headlines
| NASCAR Schedule |
| Sprint Cup SeriesFord 400 | Nov. 2212:30 PM PT1:30 PM MT2:30 PM CT3:30 PM ET TV: ABC |
| Nationwide SeriesFord 300 | Nov. 211:45 PM PT2:45 PM MT3:45 PM CT4:45 PM ET TV: ESPN2 |
| Camping World Truck SeriesFord 200 | Nov. 205:18 PM PT6:18 PM MT7:18 PM CT8:18 PM ET TV: SPEED |
| NASCAR Leaders: Points | |||
| Rank | Driver | Points | Wins |
| 1 | Jimmie Johnson | 6492 | 7 |
| 2 | Mark Martin | 6384 | 5 |
| 3 | Jeff Gordon | 6323 | 1 |
| 4 | Kurt Busch | 6281 | 2 |
| 5 | Tony Stewart | 6207 | 4 |
| 6 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 6203 | 0 |
| 7 | Greg Biffle | 6171 | 0 |
| 8 | Denny Hamlin | 6140 | 3 |
| 9 | Ryan Newman | 6081 | 0 |
| 10 | Kasey Kahne | 6016 | 2 |
| 11 | Carl Edwards | 5972 | 0 |
| 12 | Brian Vickers | 5826 | 1 |
| View Full Leaderboard | |||
© 2009 by STATS LLC and Associated Press.Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.