Looking back at the 2008 season ...
Some numbers to put Jimmie Johnson’s championship year in perspective, and how those numbers ranked overall in 2008:
7 Sprint Cup wins (third)
15 top-five finishes (third)
22 top-10 finishes (second)
10.5 average finish (second)
2567.24 miles led (first)
1,959 laps led (first)
10,643 laps completed (third)
But perhaps Johnson’s most important stat was 11 poles (first) and an average start of 8.5 (first). Sure, some of the Johnson’s poles came courtesy of rained-out qualifying sessions, but he still got first dibbs on the best pit stalls, and therefore had an advantage over his peers on most occasions. Also, he had only one DNF.
Looking ahead to next year ...
Number crunching if fun when you’re researching stats and comparing one driver to another. It’s not fun when the crunching means layoffs. It’s no secret that today’s economic climate has hit our favorite NASCAR teams hard. The downsizing has gained momentum throughout the season, with Chip Ganassi laying off 71 people during the summer when he shuttered the No. 40 team and some the sport's big guns — Hendrick Motorsports, Roush Fenway Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing — announcing layoffs in the past month. If fact, some crew members and other team personnel were told they were losing their jobs during the season-finale weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Some estimate that as many at 1,000 NASCAR team members will lose their jobs. It’s hard to say how these cuts will affect the sport. Frankly, we should just be thankful NASCAR and other motorsports will continue to provide us a fun (but still not cheap) distraction during trying times.
-- Michele Vincze
Photo: Getty Images
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