The final showdown, Ford Championship weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, lived up to the hype and finally determined the 2010 Sprint Cup Champion. Here are the surprising and not surprising moments from this year’s last race of the season:
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[/media-credit]Surprising: The most surprising aspect of this final showdown, with three viable championship contenders, was the up and down nature of the race for all of them. Even with the best qualifying lap of the three contenders, there were times when Jimmie Johnson struggled, especially during a few fateful pit stops. Denny Hamlin had trouble early in the race, with a spin that damaged the splitter and hurt the handling of his race car. After a particularly stellar pit stop, Kevin Harvick was ready to lead and collect his five bonus points, until being pulled back in by the NASCAR officials for a pit road speeding penalty. The 2010 Sprint Cup championship truly was up for grabs until the final laps of the race concluded.
Not Surprising: In spite of the drama, the pit crew swap with Jeff Gordon’s crew, and the fact that he arrived in Homestead-Miami behind in the points, Jimmie Johnson made history yet again with his fifth consecutive Sprint Cup Championship. With his wife Chandra and four month old daughter Genevieve, sporting her own pink “48 Kid” headset to protect her tender ears, Johnson celebrated yet again, emotionally but proudly hoisting the coveted Cup above his head, surrounded by his extended Hendrick Motorsports team. Johnson finished the Ford 400 in the second position, securing the championship by just 39 points over Hamlin and 41 points ahead of Kevin Harvick.
Surprising: While Johnson secured the Cup for Hendrick Motorsports, it was surprising how poorly the rest of his teammates fared in the last race of the season. Mark Martin finished 16th after starting in the eighth position. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., battling his car and seemingly his crew chief as well, finished in the 27th spot. Worst of all, Jeff Gordon lost a cylinder and then eventually blew his engine, finishing 37th and falling from sixth to ninth in the point standings.
Not Surprising: A Ford prevailed for Ford Championship weekend and Roush Fenway Ford driver Carl Edwards was able to back flip his way into Victory Lane for the second time in as many races. Edwards thrilled the crowd, with whom he celebrated as is his newest tradition, as well as his wife Kate and baby daughter Annie who were also on hand for the festivities. Edwards described his race win, the 18th of his career, as “pretty damn awesome.”
Surprising: It was surprising that the battle between Joey Logano and Juan Pablo Montoya, both of whom crashed into each other on the track right in front of then point leader Denny Hamlin, spilled over vociferously into the garage area, at least if Twitter chatter is to be believed. Logano definitely said that he was “sick of it” and apparently of Montoya, who he accused of crashing him “twice now this season.” Logano finished 39th and Montoya finished 35th as a result of their on and off track disagreements.
Not Surprising: Kyle Busch, fresh off his prediction that he would be assisting his JGR teammate as best he could, got into it with Kevin Harvick late in the race. Busch got the worst of the deal, however, when Harvick refused to lift, hooked Busch and sent him crashing. Busch’s car burst into flames, with the driver thankfully making a quick exit with an assist from the emergency personnel. After the race, Harvick had some unkind words to share about Busch, saying that Busch raced him “like a clown” all day. As for Busch, he finished 32nd to Harvick’s third place finish, as well as losing one spot in the point standings, falling to the eighth position.
Surprising: In the midst of the most tumultuous times at Richard Petty Motorsports, with the drivers and teams set to learn their fate and future in the upcoming week, two drivers shone in the 2010 finale. A.J. Allmendinger, who qualified fifth, spent much of the race at the front of the pack, finishing in the fifth position. Better yet, Aric Almirola, behind the wheel of the No. 9 car recently vacated by Kasey Kahne, rallied from his 24th starting spot to finish fourth, one of the best finishes to date for the young driver.
Not Surprising: Kasey Kahne, now driving the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota, started from the pole position and finished well, securing a sixth place finish. Kahne and crew both, however, will have to face medical procedures after this race finale. Kahne is scheduled to have both knees operated on in the off season and one of Kahne’s crew members, the rear tire carrier, was hit by Harvick during one of the pit stops, sending him to the hospital for a leg injury as well.
Surprising: Stewart Haas Racing overcame adversity in a surprising way in this season’s finale, with both Newman and Stewart both finishing in the top ten at Homestead-Miami Speedway, seventh and eighth respectively. This was especially significant for Stewart, who was a lap down and had to claim the ‘lucky dog’ at one point in the race. The last time that both SHR cars finished in the top ten together was in October at Auto Club Speedway when Smoke won and Newman finished fifth. Stewart also gained two positions in the point standings, climbing to seventh, while Newman finished 15th in the point standings.
Not Surprising: Matt Kenseth, behind the wheel of his No. 17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion, had a top ten finish to show for his 400th career start. Kenseth finished his 2010 season locking up the fifth spot in the point standings.
While Johnson hoisted his championship flag yet again with the Florida sunset in the background, the rest of the drivers, crews, and teams were packing up their cars and haulers for the last time this season. Racers and fans alike will now look forward to the 2011 season and the next race, the Daytona 500, on February 20th, 2011. Until then, have a blessed Thanksgiving and a wonderful holiday season!
