A victory by Jimmie Johnson at Martinsville Speedway last weekend coupled with a sixth-place finish by Brad Keselowski have turned Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway – the eighth race in the 10-event Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – into another dramatic Texas shootout for the series championship.
Johnson, whose victory vaulted him atop the Sprint Cup Series standings, holds a two-point advantage over Keselowski. Johnson’s slim lead marks the closest championship battle entering the eighth race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup since the format was adopted in 2004. With Johnson perched atop his familiar place in the standings, he enters this weekend’s AAA Texas 500 with confidence but also with the understanding that his quest for a sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship is far from over.
“We’ve done a very nice job over these seven races to put ourselves in the points lead,” Johnson said. “We’ve had a variety of different races finish with fuel mileage and things like that that have kept us out of Victory Lane and certainly played into their (Keselowski’s) hands. The next two races will tell the tale. Anything can happen. We could both wad it up next week and Clint Bowyer is your champion. You never know. You got to go race the race.”
Despite losing the points lead, Keselowski remains optimistic about his chances at winning his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship and rebounding this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.
He battled back from a poor qualifying performance (starting 32nd) and struggled for much of the race, but fought back for a sixth-place finish. His performance felt more like a victory, keeping him in contention for a championship.
“You just have to be in position where you’ve got a shot at it and we’re doing the things it’s going to take to be in contention at Homestead,” Keselowski said. “We’ve got Texas coming up, very similar to Chicago (where he won to kick off the Chase). I’m sure it’s going to be a duel.”
Keselowski understands that defeating a driver that has mastered the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup like Johnson will not be easy. However, he believes he and his Penske Racing team are up to the challenge.
“I feel like we’ve got a great shot at it,” Keselowski said. “I feel like Texas is very similar to Chicago, and Homestead is not that far off of those are as far as how they drive, the way the tires fall off and so forth. I feel like our cars have been really strong at those style tracks. That’s been our strong suite and I think that we can keep that going. I’m really confident in that.”
Johnson has seen the tenacity that Keselowski has put up during the seven races in the Chase – scoring two victories and finishing outside the top 10 only once.
He has seen his share of title contenders during his five championship runs and while most have failed at knocking him off, Johnson has taken notice of Keselowski and is not taking him lightly.
Johnson, however, holds a distinct edge over Keselowski when it comes to past performance at Texas Motor Speedway. Johnson ranks second all time among Sprint Cup Series drivers at Texas with a finishing average of 9.72 in 18 career starts. He owns 13 top-10 finishes, including eight among the top five, and landed his only win at TMS in this event in 2007. In his most recent visit in April, he finished second to Greg Biffle in the Samsung Mobile 500.
Keselowski has made eight career Sprint Cup starts at Texas Motor Speedway and will be seeking his first top-10 finish in Sunday’s AAA Texas 500. His best finish is 14th in the 2010 Samsung Mobile 500 and he finished 36th in his most recent appearance in April’s event.
“The championships I’ve won, I saw a lot of amazing things out of my competition,” Johnson said. “I’m certainly seeing that with Brad. So it’s just that familiar space where you can’t count him out. They’re a good team. I see more of a familiar, never quit, fight-to-the-end attitude out of the No. 2 team that I’ve seen with some of the best in the sport, if it’s Tony Stewart or Jeff Gordon.”
TMS PR
- FRIDAY FEATURE – Mike Greci: Veteran Presence - March 29, 2013
- Video: Danica Patrick wrecks out at Phoenix - March 3, 2013
- Danica Patrick Phoenix Accident Quotes - March 3, 2013