This Week in Auto Racing November 9 - November 11

Autoracing Betting Lines

11/06/2007 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Highlighting this week's action, on the one-mile track in Phoenix, Gordon and Johnson showcase episode 35 of 36 in their head-to-head battle for the Nextel Cup championship.

NASCAR

Nextel Cup

Checker Auto Parts 500 - Phoenix International Raceway - Phoenix, AZ

After racing for 9,449 miles over 34 events, just 712 miles remain in the final two events which make up the "Chase for the Nextel Cup." After winning three consecutive races Hendrick Motorsports' Jimmie Johnson is in the "drivers seat."

"I know we're racing for the championship and now we have control of it," said Johnson.

Johnson's ninth win of the season, and first ever at the Texas Motor Speedway, finally put him in front of teammate Jeff Gordon. It is also the most wins in a single season since Gordon posted a 13-win effort in his third championship season of 1998.

Johnson had to work awfully hard for the win.

He and Matt Kenseth were locked in a side-by-side battle for the final half dozen laps. The racing was a lot closer than Johnson or owner Rick Hendrick would have liked, with so much on the line, but Johnson felt "comfortable" next to Kenseth.

"There are only a handful of guys that I would feel comfortable racing that hard with at the end, being in the position we're in," Johnson said. "So there aren't many, and Matt is certainly one. I've had a lot of great racing with Matt over the years, and I think we both have respect for one another. We can get in there and do it all without running each other over."

Even with that, there were a couple of times where both drivers lost grip and got close to the wall and the other racer.

"I was thinking, 'We've got an awful lot at stake here, and Jeff was running seventh, and we don't need this,'" said Rick Hendrick.

But Johnson didn't yield and finally got around Kenseth with a couple of laps to go. The pass added 15 points to Johnson's total. The difference means that Johnson owns a 30-point edge instead of 15 with two races to go.

Now it's on to the short, flat one-mile Phoenix International Raceway oval.

Johnson has made eight starts at PIR, yielding no poles, no wins, but six top-10s and an average finish of 7.3.

Gordon as been a little better with three poles, one win and a stunning 14 top-10s in 17 starts.

Barring a complete mental collapse or engine failure, it is not likely that this race will win or lose the 2007 Nextel Cup championship. However, it will set up the final parameters for what should be a great finish at the Homestead-Miami Speedway next week.

Busch

Arizona.Travel 200 - Phoenix International Raceway - Phoenix, AZ

After stumbling to the "finish line" Carl Edwards finally clinched his first Busch Series title last week in Texas.

So with the championship officially out of the way, the only thing that will matter this week for the 43 starters is winning the race. No points racing, this should be 43 drivers with one goal - win.

Clint Bowyer won the spring event edging Matt Kenseth in the process. But it was Kenseth who won last fall, beating out Kevin Harvick by 0.337 second. Bowyer finished fourth.

With 30 laps to go in the April race, Kenseth went to the high side and made the successful pass around Bowyer. Kenseth and Bowyer moved out on Burton in third leaving him more than one second back with 20 laps to go.

Bowyer kept taking a peek to the inside, but couldn't make the move just yet. Then with 14 laps he tried it again and got side-by-side. He edged in front of him, but Kenseth wouldn't go away.

The fun battle was interrupted when Stephen Leicht crashed to bring out one more caution flag.

The race restarted with seven laps to go and Bowyer got off well. In fact, he broke free of Kenseth and Jeff Burton began to pressure Kenseth for second place. The second-place fight left Bowyer to cruise to the checkered flag and his first Busch win of 2007.

Craftsman

Casino Arizona 150 - Phoenix International Raceway - Phoenix, AZ

It's deja vu all over again in the Craftsman Truck Series. Thirteen years ago, in 1995, the season was winding down and Mike Skinner held a small lead over Ron Hornaday Jr. Skinner won the finale to clinch the inaugural truck series title.

After a third-place finish last Friday by Skinner and a late race accident to Hornaday Jr., Skinner brings a 57-point lead to the Phoenix International Raceway.

The differential is one of the closest with two races to go and the closest since Bobby Hamilton brought a slim seven-point edge over Dennis Setzer to PIR in 2004.

But as in the Nextel Cup Series, this matchup is likely to head to Florida with the championship still in doubt. The only way Skinner can clinch this week is a win and "most laps led" bonus while Hornaday Jr. finishes dead last without leading any laps.

However, assuming Skinner starts the final race, Skinner has to leave PIR with a 141-point lead (195 is the maximum you can earn in a race minus 55 for last) to wrap up the championship. That could be done with Hornaday Jr. finishing as high as 18th if everything falls into place.

Hornaday Jr., for one is not ready to give up, particularly at PIR where he has had good success.

"I have two wins at Phoenix International Raceway and I like that track a lot," said Hornaday Jr. "We are taking the truck that we won with at New Hampshire and it is a good truck. Rick Ren (crew chief) and all the guys on the Camping World team have put a lot of hard work into that truck to get it ready for this week."

CHAMP CAR

Gran Premio Tecate - Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez - Mexico City, Mexico

With the Champ Car Series having been decided three week's ago in Surfers Paradise, there seems little to watch in the Champ Car series finale this Sunday.

Mario Dominguez and fellow Mexican David Martinez will be among the favorites at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Martinez finished 10th in his Australian debut.

It will also be the final look for Champ Car fans at Sebastien Bourdais as he is set to embark on his Formula One career in 2008 with Toro Rosso. The four- time series champion (four straight) has put together quite a resume in Champ Car World Series racing.

In 72 starts, the Frenchman earned an amazing 28 poles, 30 wins (41.67%) and 43 podiums. He was even better in 2007 winning seven of 13 events (53.84%).

Bourdais' numbers dwarf those of the all-time series greats A.J. Foyt (67 wins in 369 starts = 18.16%), Mario Andretti (52 wins, 12.77%), Michael Andretti (42 wins, 13.59%) and Al Unser 39 wins, 12.62%).

Of course it is a different era than when those legends drove against each other. In those days, the CART Series was a top series which drivers fought all their life to join. These days, with the IndyCar/Champ Car split having ruined open-wheel racing in America, most of their good drivers seek fame and fortune elsewhere - like Formula One or NASCAR.