Cross' Words: The End

The Nextel Cup era came to a close at Homestead on Sunday night, and no one quantified the four-year stretch as well as Jimmie Johnson: two championships, a runner-up finish and a fifth-place finish. In short, he dominated the 144 races from 2004-2007.

"Jimmie's just getting better and better, and just phenomenal," team owner Rick Hendrick said Sunday night. "He's so intense. He studies what he wants to accomplish or tries to accomplish.

"For the level of competition to do what they've done and to do it in the Chase ... I don't think I've seen a more dominant performance since I've been racing."

To say that Johnson has the sport by the tail may be an understatement.

"It's tough to put into perspective, but I can tell you how proud I am to be in this position," Johnson said after winning the 2007 title. "To be considered or to earn our way, I should say, into the statistics and victories and being a back-to-back champion. Only 10 teams having done that.

"In my heart of hearts, it means the world to me. Since I was a kid, I just wanted to race. I wanted to be the best at racing. I didn't know where it would lead me or what was in store for me or where it would go, but I loved to race. And to be here racing on the main stage of NASCAR, and to have the success of the championships means the world to me. It is something I'm very, very proud of and thankful of as well."

Johnson's 2007 championship season was the sixth consecutive year in which he has posted a top-five finish in the point standings. Among modern-era champions only Darrell Waltrip and Benny Parsons had longer streaks.

Onlookers cannot deny that the level of competition today is at an all-time high. That Johnson is the cream of the crop only solidifies the notion that he, crew chief Chad Knaus and the No. 48 team have a handle on how to attack the Chase. Remember, he fell only eight points shy of winning the inaugural Chase in 2004.

"I think our team, and Chad and I, we like to go out and let our stats speak for ourselves," Johnson said. "That's been my style and the way we've done things all along. We'll leave the opinions to everyone else, and hope that our record speaks for itself. We'll work hard, and do everything we can to win races and championships. We're very proud of that. We're in elite company winning two championships, winning back-to-back championships is something I'm very, very proud of.

"The good thing, I feel, is we're just really hitting our stride. I think we have a lot of good years ahead of us, and we'll be fighting for more championships and certainly winning more races as years go by. Hopefully we can be a three-time champion in the near future."

Johnson's domination also takes on added significance when you realize that his back-to-back titles ended the series' longest repeat drought -- seven years. Previously, the longest time between consecutive championships was four years, between Joe Weatherly's last title in 1963 and David Pearson's '68 championship season.

"It's absolutely phenomenal," Knaus said. "I'm very proud and very pleased of what we were able to accomplish.

"We have a lot of guys at Hendrick Motorsports and guys and gals that contribute a lot and go in the same direction. But the heart and soul of the 24 and 48 shop is back in Charlotte right now celebrating. I wish they all could be here, because if it wasn't for those people, we wouldn't be where we are today. It's been a phenomenal ride. Sad it's over, but I can't wait for Daytona now."

Say What?

"It's been hard, man. This whole year has been hard -- and I don't ever want to do it again. I just want to get happy. I want to get to where I'm in a good place, and I want to get to a place where I can run well and win races like I know I can. I want to get around good people and quit having to deal with jerks, and just set myself apart from all the things that get on my nerves and get right."
-- Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Junior finished with a career-high nine DNFs -- as many as he had in 2006 (3) and 2005 (6) combined. This year also marked the fourth time he has finished outside the top 10 in points (16th) in eight seasons.

Figuratively Speaking

2 -- Drivers during the past two years who averaged a top-10 running position:

• Jeff Gordon -- 10.049
Gordon's average was 9.076 (first) this year and 11.023 (second) in 2006.

• Jimmie Johnson -- 10.091
Johnson's average was 9.304 (second in 2007) and 10.842 (first) last year.

Odds 'n' Ends

• Ricky Rudd's final race ended with a 21st-place finish. After 906 starts the Rooster, 51, is retiring with 23 wins, 194 top-five finishes and 374 top-10s. He finished in the top 10 in points 19 times, including runner-up to Dale Earnhardt in 1991.

Few remember that it was Rudd -- driving the No. 3 Piedmont Airlines Chevrolet -- who gave team owner Richard Childress his first Cup Series victory on June 5, 1983, at Riverside International Raceway.

• The Truck Series is where it's at, apparently:

While we're on the Truck Series, congrats to Ron Hornaday for winning his third series championship. Mike Skinner also deserves kudos for a memorable run this year, his fourth top-five points finish in six full NCTS seasons.

• Travis Kvapil will return to the Cup Series in 2008, driving the famed No. 28 for Yates Racing. ... No pressure, for a guy who's career-best finish is seventh in 70 starts.

With Yates partnering with Roush Fenway Racing, Kvapil will be one to keep an eye on at Daytona.

Kvapil returned to the Truck Series this year for the first time since 2004 and posted his fifth top-10 points finish (sixth) in five years on the circuit.

• Congrats to Clint Bowyer, who began the Chase in 12th position and ran his tail off to finish third, including his first career victory at Loudon in the Chase opener. Bowyer and teammate Kevin Harvick were the only two full-time drivers who did not have a DNF in 2007.

• NASCAR's TV ratings dropped most weekends in 2007. Cup racing on FOX, TNT, ESPN and ABC averaged about 4.2 percent, down almost 10 percent from last year and 21 percent from two years ago. The ratings are steady among males ages 18 to 34, with the largest decline among viewers 55 and older.

"Well, they're not leaving the sport," says NASCAR CEO Brian France, "but they are getting their NASCAR fix differently than they did before. There are lots of different ways to watch or read or pick up video clips than there ever has been before. That obviously has some impact on your [television] ratings."

• For each Juan Montoya, Patrick Carpentier, Jacques Villeneuve and Dario Franchitti there is a Joe Nemechek, Sterling Marlin, Ward Burton and Ken Schrader.

The face of NASCAR is changing. The fan base is changing. Time will tell. Tick-tock.

• There are drivers not named Jimmie, Jeff or Junior; too often we overlook that. Fortunately, those "other" drivers also have passionate fans and don't let us forget "their" driver. Thank you.

And Finally ...

It's been real. It's been fun. I now bid you adieu. Here's hoping everyone has a joyous holiday season and a happy new year.

... Preseason Thunder begins in about six weeks.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.