That’s the biggest story this weekend at TMS, but not the only story.
Here’s a look at some of the story lines to watch for this weekend:
1. Going for four straight
By Sunday night, we should have a much better idea if Johnson is going to wrap up his record fourth straight Sprint Cup points championship. With three races remaining, Johnson holds a 184-point lead over Mark Martin and a 192-point advantage over teammate Jeff Gordon.
The bad news for Martin and Gordon is that Johnson likes Texas. He’s had a win and nine top-10 finishes in 12 races at the mile-and-a-half track with an average finish of 8.5 — better than any other Chase driver. If Johnson can average a top-10 finish in the final three races, he’ll lock up the title.
2. Going for four straight, Part II
While it doesn’t compare to what Johnson is trying to accomplish, Kyle Busch has a streak of his own on the line today at TMS. Busch has won the last three Nationwide races at the track.
And starting position hasn’t mattered. Busch won from the pole last spring, but at the 2008 spring race, he came from near the back of the field, starting 31st.
3. How do you define boring?
Every year, the critics come out at Texas, calling it boring racing, as the cars tend to spread out around one of NASCAR’s fastest tracks. The last two years, since the debut of the safer, less aerodynamic Car of Tomorrow, the criticism has ramped up.
Maybe there’s some down time during long green-flag runs, but the track has a knack for producing excitement in the closing laps.
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