FONTANA, Calif. — While Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards are 1-2 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings and building strong cases for starting the Chase for the championship as the favorites, there is a shadow looming behind them.
Jimmie Johnson is never far from their minds.
“I’ve always been worried about Jimmie Johnson,” Busch said. “I take him as being probably the best driver on the circuit. You never know what he can come up with during a race or what him and (crew chief) Chad (Knaus) can come up with in their cars to make it fast.”
Edwards echoed his chief rival, saying, “We talked about it this week, my trainer and I. We were kind of going over the guys that were really going to be tough, and it goes without saying, Jimmie Johnson has proven that he can do it when it matters. I think that’s one of the guys you’re going to have to beat. You’re going to have to beat Jimmie to be the champion.”
While Busch has been the hottest driver this season, leading the points race and winning eight races, and Edwards has been close behind with six wins, Johnson has had a so-so season — for him.
The Hendrick Motorsports star is a distant fourth in the points and has just two wins and 12 top-10 finishes heading into today’s Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway.
But nobody is selling Johnson short with two races left until the start of the 12-man, 10-race Chase — least of all Johnson himself.
Despite struggling with the big, bulky and still-new Car of Tomorrow at times this season — particularly on the 1 1/2- and 2-mile ovals — Johnson said the No. 48 team is figuring things out, perhaps just at the right time.
Busch wins again.
It was Kyle Busch’s night — again.
The 23-year-old star was dominant at Auto Club Speedway, leading 144 of the 150 laps to race off with his seventh Nationwide Series victory of the season and 18th in all NASCAR competitions.
Busch easily held off Sprint Cup rival Carl Edwards on a pair of late-race restarts, piling up his record 18th NASCAR victory of the season, including eight in Cup races and three in the Craftsman Truck Series.
Castroneves playing games
DETROIT — The battle for the IndyCar title is won on the course, but Helio Castroneves is trying to influence the outcome off the track.
Castroneves, who enters today’s Detroit Indy Grand Prix on Belle Isle just 43 points behind points-leader Scott Dixon, has refined his strategy to include mind games with the New Zealander.
“I’m trying to do everything I can,” said Castroneves, who will start on the front row with Dixon after turning in the second-fastest qualifying lap Saturday of 102.412 mph. “We’re trying to get into his head. We’re having fun with it. Every chance I get I say something to him.”
The Team Penske driver hasn’t wasted any opportunities. During Thursday’s news conference, Castroneves turned to Dixon and asked: “Are you feeling the pressure, buddy?”
Then, during Friday’s post-practice news conference, he said to the Target Chip Ganassi driver: “How’s the pressure?”
Provisional NHRA spots
CLERMONT, Ind. — Larry Dixon (top fuel), Tony Pedregon (funny car), Allen Johnson (pro stock) and Hector Arana (pro stock motorcycle) claimed the provisional No. 1 qualifying positions at the 18th and final regular-season race of the NHRA season.
But the focus on today’s final two rounds of qualifying will be on drivers hanging on to the final playoff berths in pro stock (Greg Stanfield) and pro stock motorcycle (Karen Stoffer).
The Associated Press
