Monthly Archives: November 2016

Crew Chief Chad Knaus is an Integral Part of Jimmie Johnson’s Record-Tying Effort

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Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet, stands on the grid with Crew Chief Chad Knaus during pre-race ceremonies for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. Photo - Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, stands on the grid with Crew Chief Chad Knaus during pre-race ceremonies for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. Photo – Jerry Markland/Getty Images

All Jimmie Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus wanted was another shot, and when Dylan Lupton hit the turn two wall on lap 252 to bring out the fifth caution of Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400, Knaus clenched his fist in anticipation.

At the time, Johnson was running sixth, trailing the three Championship 4 drivers—Joey Logano, Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards—he needed to beat to claim a record-tying seventh title. But the caution with 15 laps left in the scheduled distance breathed life into the No. 48 team.

Three restarts later, Johnson passed Kyle Larson for the victory and earned his seventh championship, tying NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the series record. Continue reading →

Stewart Finishes his Long Good-Bye to Sprint Cup Racing

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HOMESTEAD, FL - NOVEMBER 20: A banner thanking Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Always a Racer/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, is displayed during pre-race ceremonies for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images

HOMESTEAD, FL – NOVEMBER 20: A banner thanking Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Always a Racer/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, is displayed during pre-race ceremonies for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Sunday started better for Tony Stewart than it ended.

Before the Ford EcoBoost 400, Stewart was greeted warmly by crew members from every Sprint Cup team as he drove down pit road. He was mobbed by well-wishers before he started his final laps on the track.

That Stewart finished 22nd, two laps down, may have been anti-climactic to the uninitiated, but it marked the end of an enormously successful career for the three-time series champion, who finished his Sprint Cup tenure with 49 victories at NASCAR’s highest level. Continue reading →

Kyle Larson is Snookered on Final Restart

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Kyle Larson, driver of the #42 Target Chevrolet, and Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Jimmy John's Chevrolet, lead the field on a restart during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. Photo - Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Kyle Larson, driver of the #42 Target Chevrolet, and Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet, lead the field on a restart during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. Photo – Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Kyle Larson led 132 of 168 laps in Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but he didn’t lead the one that counted.

And though Larson didn’t begrudge Jimmie Johnson’s seventh NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship, Larson felt Johnson gained an edge by laying back on the overtime restart that decided the race. Continue reading →

Jimmie Johnson Wins at Homestead to Claim Record-Tying Seventh Title

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Call him Seven-Time.

Jimmie Johnson joined NASCAR’s most exclusive club on Sunday, winning the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway to claim his seventh NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship, putting the driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet on par with icons Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.

“You’re a good man, you’re a great champion, and now you’re a seven-time champion,” crew chief Chad Knaus radioed to Johnson, who grabbed the lead from Kyle Larson through turns one and two during the first and only attempt at a two-lap overtime.

Continue reading →

Edwards’ Championship Dreams End Following Restart Wreck

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HOMESTEAD, FL - NOVEMBER 20: Carl Edwards, driver of the #19 ARRIS Toyota, leads a pack of cars during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images

HOMESTEAD, FL – NOVEMBER 20: Carl Edwards, driver of the #19 ARRIS Toyota, leads a pack of cars during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images

In his rear-view mirror, Carl Edwards saw his shot at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship dissolving.

On a restart with ten laps to go in the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, with the title on the line, Joey Logano shot deep to the inside in an attempt to pass Edwards for the lead among the championship contenders. Edwards reacted quickly and decisively, turning his car to the left in an attempt to block Logano.

Logano didn’t lift, and chaos ensued. Continue reading →