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Track Talk for November 10,08

THE BIG STORY

Jimmie Johnson essentially clinched his third consecutive Sprint Cup championship with his third consecutive victory at Phoenix International Raceway in Sunday's Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500k. It was his seventh win of the season. Johnson tops Carl Edwards by 141 points and needs only 36th place at Homestead to take the title. The Chase standings, with Phoenix finish in parenthesis: Johnson; Edwards (fourth); Greg Biffle (11th), - 203 points; Jeff Burton (ninth), - 269; Kevin Harvick (seventh), - 328; Clint Bowyer (12th), - 335; Jeff Gordon (41st), - 410; Matt Kenseth (15th), - 470; Denny Hamlin (fifth), - 471; Dale Earnhardt Jr. (sixth), - 474; Kyle Busch (eighth), - 481; Tony Stewart (22d), - 502.
Also: Pro Mod and IRHA driver Matt Hagan will drive an NHRA Funny Car for Don Schumacher Racing next season. His Dodge Charger will be sponsored by BrakeSafe Rear-End Collision Avoidance System… Jerry Coons Jr. won the USAC Silver Crown championship. Bobby East took both the Silver Crown and midget races in Thursday night's Copper World Classic at Phoenix. Coons locked up the USAC sprint car tile Saturday night as Kevin Swindell won at Manzanita Speedway. Return to Top

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Jimmie Johnson took the pole Friday at Phoenix with a 134.725 mph lap. Sunday, Jamie McMurray led the opening lap. Johnson's Chevrolet didn't get to the lead until lap 81 but dominated from there, commanding 217 of the 313 laps. (A late yellow added one lap to the scheduled distance.) A rain shower caused an early red flag. Jeff Gordon ran in the top five until engine failure sidelined him. An eight-car wreck created a second red flag on lap 275. Johnson passed McMurray easily for the lead after a late round of pit stops and won by .295 second over Kurt Busch. McMurray, Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin followed. Johnson averaged 97.804 mph with 10 yellows for 55 laps. Chevrolet clinched the manufacturer's title.Return to Top

NASCAR Nationwide Series

Carl Edwards and Clint Bowyer both did what they had to do to keep the series championship going until the final race in Saturday's Hefty Odor Block 200 at Phoenix. Edwards' Roush Fenway Ford took the lead on a pit top under yellow and led the final 78 laps to win his sixth race of the season. Bowyer was running seventh when the field bunched on a restart on lap 80 and, in a multi-car wreck, he hit the back of David Ragan's Ford. Bowyer was 30th after repairs to his car's nose. He pitted for four new tires on the last of nine yellows (for 41) laps and used the extra grip to move up to fourth. He's 56 points ahead of Edwards. Poleman Denny Hamlin was the runner-up by .096 second and Kevin Harvick was third. Edwards' averaged 95.373 mph. A.J. Allmendinger finished 12th in the Valvoline Dodge.Return to Top

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series

Only three points separate Johnny Benson and Ron Hornaday Jr. after Friday night's wild Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix, won by Kevin Harvick. On lap one, Hornaday got loose under Busch while going for the lead. The damage was extensive to Hornaday's Chevrolet while Benson's Toyota had more repairable damage. Benson later was involved in several more incidents and the race ended with Hornaday in 25th place and Benson in 26th. Harvick, who owns Hornaday's truck, finished .940 second ahead of Busch for the win. Todd Bodine was third. Harvick averaged 88.178 mph with seven yellows for 41 laps. Benson won't return to Bill Davis Racing next season and his future plans are unclear. Return to Top

Valvoline Winners Last Weekend

Carl Edwards, NASCAR Nationwide Series, Phoenix.Return to Top

Racer of the Week

Jerry Coons Jr. USAC Silver Crown and sprint car champion.Return to Top

Yes, He REALLY Said That

Jeff Burton, on comparisons of his career with Jeff Gordon's. "I told Jeff that he and I were the same with the exception of four championships, 50 wins and 70 poles. Other than that, we've done everything the same." Return to Top

This Weekend

NASCAR wraps at Homestead, with Friday Trucks, Saturday Nationwide and Sunday Cup finales. NHRA concludes at Pomona.

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Put an End to Transmission Leaks

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MaxLife ATF with Stop Leak is designed to help stop leaks in transmissions with over 75,000 miles. It also reconditions and revitalizes old seals.
Check it out

Help Your Vehicle Age Gracefully

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Once your car hits the 75,000-mile mark it's time to be more diligent about maintenance. Here's how to keep your car youthful in appearance and performance.
Read on

Going from Beater to Beauty

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Just because you drive an older car doesn't mean it has to look like a time capsule. Take a look at these photos and see how a Buick Century was updated to join the 21st century.
Learn more

Getting a Neglected Car Road Ready

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If you ever need to take a car from storage to the street - here's how it's done. Photos and step-by-step instructions walk you through the process.
Read about it

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I.N. Sider ponders what might happen in 2009 in the new Behind [Closed] Garage Doors column, now posted at Valvoline.com.

I.N. Sider is the pen name for an independent motorsports business-person who has a quarter-century of professional experience working in almost every major North American racing series. The writer is not an employee of Valvoline or Ashland Inc. The column is intended to inform, entertain, and stimulate thought on the contemporary motorsports scene. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of Valvoline or Ashland Inc.

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"Track Talk" is a summary of the week's racing news and results of nationally televised events. The information has been obtained from on-site reporting plus race telecasts, major news outlets, tracks and sanctioning organizations.