NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
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CUP: Johnson Exception That Proves Rule
Jimmie Johnson won the 2006 Sprint Cup title after going 139 points down in the first Chase race...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted September 20, 2010   Charlotte, NC
Jimmie Johnson has carried the banner for Hendrick Motorsports at Martinsville in recent seasons. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
The buzzwords for this year’s Chase for the Sprint Cup are “wide open” and “vulnerable.” Wide open as in, anyone can win; vulnerable as in, this is the year Jimmie Johnson is vulnerable to finally being dethroned after four successive championships.

Johnson and his Hendrick Motorsports team certainly dug themselves a deep hole Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, where collision damage and a loose wheel dropped Johnson to 25th at the finish of the Sylvania 300. More importantly, he fell from second to seventh in points, 92 behind leader Denny Hamlin.

In the six previous editions of the Chase for the Sprint Cup, the eventual series champion left New Hampshire either first or second in points five times: Kurt Busch was second in 2004, but had the same number of points as leader Dale Earnhardt Jr.; Tony Stewart led in 2005; Johnson led in 2007, was tied in points with Carl Edwards in 2008 but second because of tie-breakers, and was second to Mark Martin last year.

The only driver to ever leave New Hampshire with a deficit of 35 points or greater and still win it all was Johnson in 2006. That was the year he got crashed out of the New Hampshire race, finishing 39th and leaving the track trailing leader Kevin Harvick by 139 points.
Jimmie Johnson has dug a hole for himself starting out the Chase. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

After the second race of the Chase at Dover International Speedway, Johnson was again the exception that proved the rule: He left Dover in eighth place in 2006, 136 points behind new leader Jeff Burton.

The next largest points deficit after the fall Dover race was when Tony Stewart departed the Delaware track 23 points in arrears of Johnson, but rebounded to capture his second championship.

Interestingly, winning either of the first two Chase races hasn’t correlated to winning the championship most years. Kurt Busch (2004) is the only driver to win at New Hampshire and go on to capture the Chase, while Johnson (2009) was the only driver to win at Dover and capture the title in the same season.

That said, three of the favorites to win it all — Johnson (seventh, -92 points), Edwards (eighth, -95) and Stewart (11th, -124) are now in the second half of the Chase field and in need of a strong rebound next weekend at the Monster Mile.

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100 and e-mail him at Jensen is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of Speed,” and has appeared on numerous television and radio shows. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association and an NMPA Writer of the Year.

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