PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

- Third win in a row at Phoenix sets up Jimmie Johnson for his third Championship in a row. This week at Homestead, Jimmie Johnson will join Cale Yarborough as one of only two drivers to win the Cup title three years in a row. Johnson dominated the Phoenix weekend, winning the pole on Friday, and then leading the most laps and winning the race on Sunday. He is now 141 points ahead of Carl Edwards, who can overcome Johnson only if Jimmie finishes worse than 36th in the Homestead race. Jimmie won the Phoenix race in the same car he drove at Martinsville. It was his seventh win of the season. Johnson demonstrated his remarkable strength on the track and in the pits. He pulled away from Kurt Busch with 20 laps to go, and survived a Green/White/Checkered finish where Kurt got a run on him coming off turn 2. On lap 52, his strength in the pits was evident; the crewmembers pulled a piece of paper off the grill and changed a tire that had a slow leak when a debris caution was called.

- Kyle Petty drove his last race for the team that was built by his own family and finished 37th. With the sale of majority ownership last year, the Petty’s kept their name alive; however, the majority owners have decided to not renew Kyle’s contract. Kyle has some sponsorship money from a relationship with Wells Fargo, and this may allow him to run a few races with a team that is willing to put multiple drivers in their car.

- Who will not be on stage at the Cup Banquet in New York? Only the top 10 in points are on stage in New York. Of the top 12, two of the following will be left out. Kenseth, Hamlin, Dale Jr., Kyle Busch and Stewart (8th – 12th respectively) are within a few points of each other. We will see two of them finish 11th and 12th after Homestead, and therefore they will not be on the stage in New York.

- Marcus Ambrose is 35th in points, so he does not have to qualify on time at Homestead. If he maintains his lead over Scott Speed this weekend, he will secure his place in the first five races of 2009. The fight for the 35th point’s position does not get as much coverage as the championship, but it is critical to those involved. Marcus Ambrose was scheduled to start only four races in the #47 JTG/Daurity car in 2008, and start the 2009 season hoping to make the Daytona race. However, in September the team aligned with Michael Waltrip Racing for 2009, and Marcus took over the points of the #00 car of MWR. Since then, Marcus has steadily cut into the over 140 point lead of the #84 car for 35th, and passed him with a 18th place finish, while Speed finished 40th after being knocked out of the race with the #38 car sitting on top of his car in a crash which was not his fault. Marcus now has a 17-point lead and will claim the coveted 35th spot if he finishes at least three positions ahead of the #84, even if Scott leads a lap.

- Jeff Gordon fell out ot the race with a blown engine. He will end his streak of 13 consecutive seasons with a win, if he does not win at Homestead this weekend.

PIT NOTE

In Victory Circle, after learning that he only had to finish 36th at Homestead to claim his third Championship, Jimmie Johnson said, “I was hoping I only had to start!”

My dad, who had cancer and we knew was near death, said to me three days before he died, “Ron, we know by ‘nature’ that I will die before you do.” In both cases, what seems evident to happen, was not claimed, out of respect for what a person cannot control. My dad was acknowledging that God was in control, and that I could have had an accident and killed before him, or God could have prolonged my dad’s life. Jimmie knows he may not make it to Homestead because of an accident before next week. Or, he could finish 43rd because a small part fails or another driver knocks him out of the race. In 1992, Alan Kawicki won when Ernie Ervin crashed Davey Allison in the final race of the season, while he was 41 points ahead.

The Bible says in James 4:15 that we should say, “…IF it is the Lord’s will…” We should always acknowledge that our lives are fleeting. That we do not control the continuation of breathing. That one day, at a moment, we will take our last breath here on earth. And, until that moment, we will not ‘presume’ upon God, but will “acknowledge Him in all our ways.”

Ron Pegram