Jimmie Johnson's Cup run is special
JIM PELTZ / ON MOTOR RACING
The Californian is poised to become only the second NASCAR driver to win three consecutive titles.
Reporting from Avondale, Ariz. — Jimmie Johnson's bid to win a third consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup title might not measure up against "Desperate Housewives," but don't tell that to Kurt Busch.
Busch tried every which way to pass Johnson in the closing laps of Sunday's race at Phoenix International Raceway.
But Johnson held him off -- along with fourth-place Carl Edwards, the only driver with a shot at catching Johnson for the title -- and virtually clinched another championship.
By that time, ABC, which was broadcasting the race, already had moved its Eastern and Central time viewers to its prime-time lineup of "America's Funniest Home Videos" and "Desperate Housewives."
The race was running long -- thanks partly to two red-flag periods that temporarily stopped the action -- and those wanting to see the finish had to switch to ABC's sister channel ESPN2 on cable.
Regardless, Busch -- who won the championship in 2004 -- wanted to make it clear that what Johnson is about to accomplish is historic.
Johnson needs only to finish 36th or better at the season finale at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) next Sunday to win the title. If he leads the most laps, which pays bonus points, Johnson even can finish as low as 39th and still win the Cup.
"I'd like to talk about Jimmie," Busch said in his post-race news conference. "I'm supposed to do the NASCAR thing and talk about my team and my sponsors, but he's doing something pretty special. It's just something special to watch Jimmie right now."
Busch is right.
With the precision of a surgeon, Johnson, crew chief Chad Knaus and the rest of their Hendrick Motorsports team have been spectacular on the race track for the last three years.
Johnson, a Californian who came from off-road racing circuits to drive in stock car racing's big leagues, is now poised to become only the second NASCAR driver to win three consecutive titles. The other was Cale Yarborough.
Johnson, 33, has done so not only by deftly driving the strongest car at many races, but also by time and again rebounding from poor starts in races -- or poor starts in seasons overall -- with a tenacity perhaps unmatched in the NASCAR garage.
Yet Johnson's feats often draw a yawn from the NASCAR faithful because he often makes winning look easy and does it so often (he has seven victories this year).
