Motorsports

For most, window of contention closes fast

Drivers know it's tough to build a strong team and tougher to remain good.

By BRANT JAMES
Published September 16, 2006

Jimmie Johnson was a rookie when he first stared into the portal. It was 2002, and he had become an instant contender for a Nextel Cup champ-ionship with three victories. Tougher to slink through than the window of his No. 48 Chevrolets, always at risk of slamming shut, that window of opportunity invites him, taunts him and, ultimately, defines him.

At 30, Johnson has 22 Nextel Cup victories in parts of six seasons. He drives some of the best, most scrutinized and well-sponsored equipment in NASCAR. He is a two-time series runnerup after finishing fifth as a rookie, but as successful as he is, he is not a champion.

As Johnson begins his third consecutive Chase for the Championship, second in points behind Matt Kenseth, at New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon on Sunday, he contemplates yet another opportunity that many never get.

Talent, age, equipment, crew chief camaraderie and opportunity align for only so long, if ever, and Johnson's series-leading number of wins since 2002 suggest he has a leg through that proverbial window of opportunity.

Johnson knows there are no guarantees how many times he will have this kind of chance, but driving for Hendrick Motorsports reassures him he has not squandered his best chances.

"I'm very happy with everything I've done. I do want to be a champion," he said. "That's what I've set out to do. And if it's this year or next year or 10 years from now, I'm going to be around for a long time and I know that driving for Rick Hendrick I'm going to have that shot year after year. It's just a matter of getting everything put into place."

Points leader Matt Kenseth, 34, begins his third Chase trying to maximize the sweet spot of his career with a run for a second title since 2003.

"You know you're only going to race for so long," he said. "There's a window for everything in life. "

After finishing second to Kenseth in 2003 and to Kurt Busch by a margin of eight points (the smallest ever) in 2004, Johnson's team could be excused a certain mental fragility. Finishing fifth last season suggests a lapse, that the run was ending, but Johnson said the team learned from each of those disappointments, from how aggressive to be with engines and set-ups to how to points-race when that's all that is needed.

Johnson has won four times, three early in the season when he has normally thrived. But where there were summer swoons in past years, there was consistency in 2006.

"Let's put it this way," said Johnson's crew chief Chad Knaus. "I think what we've got - and this is all because of what (team owner) Rick (Hendrick) has done and been through his entire life - is we have the longevity to stay here and do whatever it is we need to do to win the championship. That's something a lot of places don't have."

Roush Racing does, but Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards learned how unpredictable a season can be after failing to make the Chase just a year after tying for second in the standings.

At 36, Biffle has slogged his way to Nextel Cup with a workman's steps, capturing championships in the truck and Busch series, struggling early in his Cup career before becoming a star last season with a series-high six wins. He finished 35 points behind champion Tony Stewart, and to this day is dogged by the thought of a lug nut left loose on his car at Texas with three races left. The mistake forced an extra pit stop and eventually, he believes, cost him the title.

Neither Biffle nor his team became less talented this season, and his equipment was still some of the best in the garage. But he was harpooned by a maddening spate of misfortune and broken parts early in the season, relegating him to 12th place and denying him a Chase berth.

He spoke about the illusory nature of a racing career before the season began, saying, "I got five years (in Cup) already and I'm in here digging every year."

"I probably don't have a chance to win seven (championships)," he said, referring to the record held by Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. "Definitely, this is the time I've got to get it done. And keep in mind I don't want to do this forever. I love to do it, but this is a big commitment in your life. This is your life. Period."

Edwards, 27, failed to qualify for the Chase because of some bad runs, pit mistakes and other people's wrecks. Though 13th in points, he doesn't see this year as a squandered piece of his prime.

"You have a fast car and you go out there and do your job and win races, there you go, you're a hero," he said. "It doesn't matter if it's your first year or your fifth year. If you can do it, you can do it. You can do a lot of speculating and a lot of try to predict and label, but you get on a roll and you do well. You can create your own history and that's what's neat about racing."

Certainly, drivers can be competitive at any age. Dale Jarrett and Dale Earnhardt won championships in their 40s. Jeff Burton is seeing a rare second window open at age 39 with Richard Childress Racing.

Mark Martin, 47, begins the Chase seventh and though he never has won, he has produced strong points finishes for most of the past 18 years, making his window more like a set of French doors. He has finished second four times, third four times, fourth three times and in the top eight 15 times. But he is the exception. His relationship with team-owner Jack Roush has kept him in good equipment, extending his chances for a championship.

Staying with a good team is as important as staying sharp mentally or physically. Sponsors want younger, hipper, more marketable characters in exchange for $20-million checks that pay for top-notch equipment.

After ruining his summer, he said, consumed with the stress of taking advantage of what is supposed to be his last full Cup season, Martin said he is trying to simply enjoy the moments of the Chase.

"I'm incredibly competitive and let's face it, where I am at this stage in my career at 47 years old, doing this for all this time, if it weren't for that I would be riding around in the back," he said.

In many ways, Martin has become the standard-bearer for both productive longevity and long suffering.

Knaus said before the season that a first championship for Johnson would be big for the sport because of the team's history of coming so close. But he didn't want anything to do with references to other famous bridesmaids such as Phil Mickelson (before he broke through to win a golf major) or the Buffalo Bills.

"We're talking about racing," he said. "I don't want to be Mark Martin, how's that?"

[Last modified September 16, 2006, 02:14:46]