By Tim Packman, Turner Sports Interactive
September 21, 2002
5:12 PM EDT (2112 GMT)
If fans are looking for a good old knockdown, last-man-standing fight to the finish points battle for this year's Winston Cup Series championship -- - stock the cooler and sit tight.
In years past, the chase for the championship didn't come down to who was going to win -- but by how much.
With nine races to go from Dover on, this is shaping up to be one of the most interesting finishes in NASCAR history.
Sure, there's been battles in the past that have been classic, but it has usually been between two drivers.
Not five.
Realistically -- but a bit of an admitted stretch -- any of the top-eight drivers can step and claim the trophy in Homestead.
Right now, most folks are looking at the top six drivers. But, with the way Ryan Newman has been running, he could become a factor.
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Rusty Wallace finally got the pole demon off his back, and is putting great pressure on himself for win No. 55. He won his lone championship in 1989 and at age 46, he knows where things stack up.
"My mindset toward the later part of the season is that I'm running out of time and I have to get some things done," Wallace said. "First of all, I want to win a championship. Secondly, I want to win a race.
"When you start running out of races you start thinking about how bad you have to get those things done. That's putting a little too much self-induced pressure on myself right now, but what the hell."
With "what the hell" tossed in there, it means that Rusty knows he's putting the pressure on himself --- and he can handle it.
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Can someone like Jimmie Johnson step up and roll to a championship in his rookie year? Sure.
He's been consistent and a contender this year with two wins, six top-five and 16 top-10 finishes. Johnson is tied with leader Mark Martin and Newman for the most top-10 finishes right now.
Newman leads the series with 13 top fives. Matt Kenseth has the most victories with four, but is ninth in points.
Go figure.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. knows he's out of the points battle, so he's just going out for wins and to, in his words, "kick some ass."
But that doesn't mean he hasn't paid attention to the championship chase.
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| Sterling Marlin Credit: Autostock |
"I haven't really been following the points race much except for Sterling Marlin's point lead itself," Junior said. "It seems like from second to sixth, it's flip flopping back and forth each week.
"Hopefully, Sterling can maintain a good pace to win the championship. Being in the sport and being a part of the sport for as long as he has, I think he deserves to win this year. I'm pulling for him. It's anybody's race and hopefully the best man wins.
"Sterling's my pick. I just appreciate that he's been after it for so long and that he's still just as competitive as he is at this point in his career."
Nice to see drivers putting aside sponsorships for the sake of the sport. Junior, sponsored by Budweiser, would like to see what type of party Sterling, sponsored by Coors Light, would have in New York City.
"If he does (win), he'll enjoy himself and appreciate the accomplishments he's made. It'll probably be on one of the first Winston Cup banquets in the last several years that nobody will want to miss."
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| Dale Earnhardt Jr. Credit: Autostock |
Heck, yeah. It would be nice to see someone toss aside the political correctness that seems to be such a part of this sport and just have some fun.
Some folks say they want to see one guy dominate the sport like Tiger Woods does golf. But, wouldn't you rather watch the remaining races to see who is going to outduel who for wins and great finishes?
There would be nothing greater than to have the trophy engraver sitting in wait in Homestead to put the name on the hardware. A great points battle to the finish would provide interesting conversations and keep fans riveted to the points chart.
Stay tuned and enjoy folks. You deserve a good points battle.
Tim Packman's column appears every Saturday on NASCAR.com.
The opinions listed here are solely those of the writer.
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