HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Batesville’s 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 today’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.
When Martin gets beat, it’s by the very best.
“I don’t know how this guy here hasn’t won a championship,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Johnson and Martin’s teams. “He has raced and finished second to some of the all-time greats when they were in their prime, from Jeff Gordon to Dale Earnhardt. Has anyone [else] ever raced against that many champions in their prime and finished second?
“He would have to be considered one of the all-time greats.”
And so begins the debate over where the winner and the loser of this year’s Chase for the Sprint Cup championship will stack up in NASCAR history.
In one corner is Johnson, who has dominated the Cup Series the past four years. He’s won 29 races over the past four seasons, including four since the 10-race Chase began in September.
In the other is Martin, the 50-year-old role model to most NASCAR drivers who came back to full-time racing this season when Hendrick offered him one of the best rides in the business.
With five victories in this rejuvenating season, Martin has proved to still be at the top of the game. But as the praise poured in for the sentimental favorite, he downplayed his role in the sport’s history.
“My record does not stand up against the greats in this business,” he said of 40 victories in 757 starts. “I just want to be a winner. Just a winner, you know? I worked really hard, and I try pretty hard to be that.”
Understated, as always, and open for debate. He wasn’t even finished underselling his accomplishments when Hendrick urged Johnson to speak up and make everyone understand just what Martin means to NASACAR.
“He’s too humble of a man, and doesn’t understand what he’s done in this sport, for this sport, how many young guys have respected what he’s done,” Johnson said. “Coming up through ASA, everybody knew who Mark Martin was. I aspired at that time to have people speak of me as they did you. When I came to race in the Busch Series at the time, you were wearing us all out week in and week out. That was our chance to race against Mark Martin and to learn something from him.
“... You are one of the greatest. We all think the world of you and respect the hell out of you.”
For Johnson, the respect oddly doesn’t come as easily.
Although he’s certainly been unbeatable the past four years, fans have been slow to embrace the well-spoken, corporate-focused driver from El Cajon, Calif.
Add in that he drives for the best team in NASCAR and has the best crew chief in the business in Chad Knaus, and it’s been difficult for Johnson to earn the credit he’s due.
“Whether he wins this championship or loses it, we’re going to look back 20 or 30 years from now and say, ‘They were incredible,’ ” said former Hendrick teammate Brian Vickers. “I don’t know what it is about our sport, but you go watch Tiger Woods play golf or you watch the [New York] Yankees win another World Series, and it is just celebrated throughout the industry and an opportunity to see the best of the best and to see the best win multiple times in a row.
“For some reason, when that happens in our industry, everyone asks, ‘What’s wrong?’ I think this is great for our sport. Jimmie is getting ready to win four in a row - there’s nothing wrong with that.”
He’ll do it today simply by finishing 25th or better, regardless of what Martin does. Because he won the pole, if Johnson holds on and leads the first lap, he’ll only have to finish 27th or better.
“I’ve wanted my whole life to be a champion, to compete against the best drivers in the world,” Johnson said. “I love my job and I love what I’m doing. Racing’s it. It’s all I’ve ever done. I’m glad it’s worked out because I don’t know what the hell I’d be doing otherwise.
“I’m finally good at it, and I want to keep it up, I want to keep it going.” NATIONWIDE Busch wins title, finale
HOMESTEAD, Fla. - Kyle Busch made it a double dose of celebration, winning the Nationwide Series championship before completing a lap and capping his night at Homestead-Miami Speedway with his ninth victory.
Busch held off a hard charging Carl Edwards to win the 300-mile race, a fitting ending because the two NASCAR stars finished 1-2 in the final standings.
Busch only needed to start the race Saturday to win his first NASCAR title. When the green flag dropped on the race, Busch was the champ.
Busch finished with nine victories in the second tier series and had 11 second place finishes. He entered with a 190-point lead over polesitter Edwards.
Busch’s championship helped him get his swagger back and eased the sting from his failure to qualify for the Chase for the championship in the Sprint Cup series.
Busch grabbed the Nationwide championship flag and wildly waved it from the top of his No. 18 Toyota. He high-fived every member of his Joe Gibbs Racing crew and seemed emotional talking about how much it meant to have his parents and brother at the race.
“It’s cool,” Busch said. “This win here means a lot for Joe Gibbs Racing.”
Busch wasn’t the only driver setting off fireworks.
Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin added another chapter to their simmering feud early in the race.
The latest run-in came when Hamlin made good on his promise to go after Keselowski. Hamlin tapped Keselowski from behind and spun him out on lap 35, though not a serious enough hit to end his day.
NASCAR parked Hamlin for a lap for rough driving. Hamlin said crews from the other teams cheered and applauded as he pulled the No. 11 Toyota into pit road.
“I don’t really hold any grudges. I’m ready to move on,” Keselowski said. “Hell, I’ve already moved on. Hopefully, he feels the same way.”
Well, he hasn’t entirely moved on. Keselowski quickly added that Hamlin “has a lot of problems on and off the racetrack” and didn’t think the JGR driver would feel good about what he did in the morning.
Hamlin laughed off those comments.
“I feel great right now,” he said. “It was well worth it.”
Sports, Pages 29 on 11/22/2009