Who will blink first?
The
lead in this season’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™ has changed for
the third time. Now it’s Jimmie Johnson’s turn again to head the
standings, by seven points over Matt Kenseth.
That’s
hardly breathing room. In fact, Johnson forfeited an identical margin a
year ago – the victim of suspension damage and a 32nd-place finish at
Phoenix International Raceway – and lost the title to Brad Keselowski.
Johnson,
however, was the two-races-to-go leader from 2006-09 – and went on to
capture the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title in all four seasons.
Statistically,
Phoenix’s AdvoCare 500 (3 p.m. ET ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM Satellite Radio)
hardly looks like a fair fight between the two. Johnson has four wins to
Kenseth’s one and finished second to his rival’s seventh when the
series visited the one-mile oval in March. Johnson’s average finish in
the Valley of the Sun is 6.5 vs. Kenseth’s 17.2.
Racing in Phoenix can be unpredictable – especially since the track was repaved and slightly reconfigured in 2011.
An
even closer battle for the NASCAR Nationwide Series title also rolls
into Phoenix for Saturday’s ServiceMaster 200 (4 p.m. ET ESPN2). Austin
Dillon clings to a six-point lead over Sam Hornish Jr. – two markers
closer than last weekend in Texas where Hornish finished third to
Dillon’s fifth.
Hornish
won the 200-mile Phoenix race in 2011. Dillon’s best Phoenix finish is
fourth – the first of three consecutive top-10 performances at the
track.
Matt
Crafton requires an average a finish of 18th or better in the remaining
two races to capture his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
championship. Crafton leads reigning series champion James Buescher and
Ty Dillon by 46 and 47 points, respectively, and can clinch the title by
extending his margin over the second-place competitor to 49 markers
following Friday night’s Lucas Oil 150 (8 p.m. ET FOX Sports 1).
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