Johnson Sparks Deja Vu In The Nevada Desert
Monday, March 12th, 2007 10:21am CDT
By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Published on Thunder Lounge.
Let’s see, the track was repaved and has come under praise and criticism. Check. Goodyear took a beating over the tire for being too hard and causing safety concerns instead of increasing safety. Check. Tons of entries, 11 went home. Check.
Yet, Jimmie Johnson still finds Victory Lane for the third time in a row. Perhaps the phrase that refers to the cream rising to the top in the face of adversity isn’t too far fetched after all. These drivers are professionals, and they adapt and overcome. Yes, even Stewart.
Dale Earnhardt Junior did run well, yet wasn’t a threat for the win. However, as they said they would, they turned their season around and not Junior is solidly in the current Top 35 for Owners Points. He’s not out of the woods yet though.
Jeff Gordon had yet another good run, and that team is building momentum. With 2 Top 10’s to start the season, and now add a Top 5 to that with his 2nd place run at Vegas where’s he’s struggled for the last few years, that team is building a roll already. The Richard Childress cars are as well, even though Bowyer hooked out and Harvick wasn’t in tip top shape. Bowyer ran well, and just lost it. Harvick never had a competitive car, but Jeff Burton was there all day until electrical problems dropped him back late in the going.
Yet in the end, bad pit stops and a penalty couldn’t keep Johnson from taking his 3rd in a row at Las Vegas.
One thing we are left with is wondering how a few more months will effect the track. We’ll see when the Trucks make their visit later this year, and when Cup comes back next season. As with any new track, it just needs a little seasoning on it.
While some may consider the next big hurdle in recently paved tracks to be Charlotte, we would disagree. Charlotte was breaking itself in last fall, and another 7 months should bring it in to reasonable again. The next big challenge will be one of the critical races of the year. Bristol and the Sharpie 500 in August. They’ll be ripping into the concrete as soon as the checkers fly in just under 2 weeks, and have even given Speed’s Victory Lane the opportunity to cover it during their post-race show. We’re also talking concrete here, not asphalt. It’s going to make for an interesting countdown to the Chase, that’s for sure.
So as we leave the sounds and faces of Las Vegas behind and head to Atlanta, what have we learned?
- Jimmie has two “houses”. The second being a vacation home.
- Professionals can do their job, even under adverse conditions.
- Las Vegas in time should provide decent racing.
- Again, that well funded teams are riding home before the checkers fly.
That’s pretty much the deal. Once Goodyear backs the tire off to a “normal” compound, and the track gets a little time under its belt with mother nature, all should be well.
Filed Under: Drivers, Hendrick Motorsports #48, Jimmie Johnson, Las Vegas, Nascar, Teams, Tracks
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