That's right ladies and gentlemen, "The Extra Mile" has returned, albeit in a different form. My name is Darryl Kinsey Jr, and I'll be bringing you my opinions and commentary on all the major news from the Oval, the Road Course, the Drag Strip, and more from the green flag flies to long after the Checked Flag flies. With out a further to do, let's get right to it:
NASCAR Sprint Cup: "Drive for Five" in Jeopardy for the 48
Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus have been the dominant force in NASCAR's top division over the last four years. From 2006 to 2009, NASCAR's version of the playoffs, the Chase for the Cup, has been dominated by the Hendrick 48. After holding off teammates Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin to win Championship number 4 of a record-breaking streak of back-to-back-to-back-to-back titles, the analysts all seemed to predict the same thing: Jimmie Johnson will win 5 in a row at the end of the 2010 Season.
When this Season Started, the analysts all seemed to be correct in their prediction. Even After a dismal start to the Season at Daytona, the 48 team went on a tear, winning 3 of the next four races, and registering only one finish outside of the top ten in the Season's first eight races: A twelfth place effort at the Kobalt Tools 500 in Atlanta. But since that impressive start, it's been feast or famine for the 48 bunch. Over the last fourteen races of the season, starting with the Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington, Jimmie Johnson has an average finish of 18.9, despite having two wins, three top fives, and two top ten finishes, and now sits on the edge of the danger zone for making the 10-race chase at the ninth spot, 448 pts behind points leader Kevin Harvick.
The mid season slump is not surprising. In each of Jimmy Johnson's championship wins, he's faced down adversity and strong competitors as the season came down to its final ten races. The problem with the current slump we’re witnessing is that in the Jimmie Johnson championship recipe; the team encounters a mid race slump, a few crashes here and there, maybe a finish outside of the top 15. But as we got closer and closer to the chase, the 48 became stronger and stronger, culminating in a dominant streak of finishes during the chase and another notch in the championship belt for the 48 bunch. This year, however, the streak of bad luck has gotten worse as the season progressed, and unless the team can turn it around in the last two races, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship crown could be up for grabs.
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