- The Ford Championship weekend in Homestead resulted in Jimmie Johnson being crowned champion in the Cup Series, Clint Bowyer in the Nationwide Series and Johnny Benson in the Craftsman Truck Series.
- Clint Bowyer entered the final race of the season with a 56-point lead over Carl Edwards, but he won by only 21 points. Carl
Edwards won the race, denying Kyle Busch what would have been a record breaking eleven wins in one season. Clint used pit strategy to move to 2nd on the final restart, but fell to 5th at the checkered flag.
- Johnny Benson won the Truck title by seven points over Ron Hornaday and finished 7th, one spot in front of Hornaday. Hornaday would have claimed his fourth title by one point if the positions had been reversed. Johnny entered the final race of the season three points ahead of Ron. However, practice sessions before the race indicated that Ron had a truck that could win, while Johnny would be lucky to finish in the top 15. To the surprise of the TV commentators, Johnny qualified 7th, while Ron started 2nd. The first 50 laps of the race, Johnny fell back and it looked like Ron was on the way to the championship. On the first pit stop, an official noticed that the space between the two rear spoiler sections on Benson’s truck was not covered by tape. NASCAR allowed Johnny to stay on the track until the next pit stop after first saying they would have to return to the pits before the restart, which would have put him at the end of the longest line. On the next caution, the slot was covered (which actually improved performance) and Trip Bruce, Johnny’s Crew Chief, called for only two tires, which put Ron and Johnny 1st and 2nd on the track. Both fell back, but with 34 laps to go, Johnny took the lead with another two-tire stop. Then, with 10 to go, Johnny stayed on the track while Ron pitted and got four tires. This put Ron in 13th and Johnny in 7th on the restart. Ron’s crew chief had called for a four tire stop while everyone else took none or two. (Ron’s radio was not working at the time; therefore, he had no communication as to his desire for the stop). By the 4th lap after the restart, Ron was just three positions behind Johnny and appeared sure to pass Johnny for the championship. Then, another caution resulted in a Green/White/Checkered finish. On the restart, Johnny’s teammate, one spot in front of Ron, delayed his start when the green flag fell. His slight hesitation caused Ron to hesitate and then the two ran side by side in turns one and two, with Ron actually touching Scott Speed. Once cleared, he actually was gaining on Johnny, but came up 4/10th of a second behind Johnny at the finish line.
- NO TESTING in 2009 - NASCAR has set its testing policy for 2009, which was opposite from the expansion that was indicated earlier in summer. The new policy cuts out any testing at any track where the top three series race, including Daytona. The move will save each team up to $3 million, but will cost the tracks a large portion of their anticipated income. If the ban still allows for testing at tracks that a series does not race, look for the Cup teams to spend a lot of time at Nashville and Kentucky, while the Nationwide teams will be at Martinsville. All series can use the old Rockingham track as much as they like.
The result of the ban should favor the teams that have done well the last few years and may give the veteran drivers an advantage.
PIT NOTE
After the race, Johnny commented that his wife had said all year that “God already had a plan” and that it only took one extra point to be the champion. The way he won the title (not the best truck, not even as good as Ron, two tires lasting longer than anyone else, two cautions at just the right time each time, Ron not having radio communications, Johnny’s two teammates being in the right positions at the critical times, and winning by finishing 7th, one spot ahead of Ron) surely defies the ‘odds.’ So, did God orchestrate all the events just so one man would be champion and the other one not? Does God love someone more than another, and therefore rewarded accordingly? The questions get real complicated if you try to figure out all the ‘angles.’ In Isaiah 55:8, we are told, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your (man’s) ways my (God’s) ways.”
We are to follow King Solomon’s direction in Ecclesiastes 9:10, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might…” And, then, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him…” (Proverbs 3:5) In Ecclesiastes 8:6, we are instructed that “…there is a proper time and procedure for every matter…” (man’s part), and in Ecclesiastes 9:11, that “…time and chance (God’s part) happens to all men.”
Johnny Benson, his crew chief, and his team did all they could do; and Ron and his team did the same. After the race, by demeanor and words, they both did as God would have wanted them to, ‘in all your ways acknowledge Me.’ We are not to ask “what if” when things turn out wrong, nor should we be proud when things turn out good for us. We really are in God’s hands, the very best place to be in this world, and the only place you want to be in the next.
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