One to Go

One more race to go, huh? Wow, what a ride it's been. Mathematically, only one driver can catch Jimmie Johnson now, and that's Carl Edwards.

Carl has an uphill battle all the way now though. He's got to hope that Jimmie Johnson either wrecks or blows an engine in the early laps at Homestead. Given Jimmie Johnson's track record, neither is likely to happen. My prediction is that Jimmie Johnson will indeed win 3 Sprint Cups in a row. I don't suppose that's going too far out on a limb either.

Jimmie could blow an engine or get caught up in an early wreck. Right now the 48 team has got to be thinking pole, pole, pole at Homestead. The best way to insure that Jimmie Johnson will not be caught up in an early wreck it to make sure he starts out front. Chad Knaus and the Lowe's boys will do their best to make sure that Jimmie starts up front.

One doubt in their mind must be the valve train problems experienced by teammate Jeff Gordon last week. As unusual as it is for a Hendrick engine to let go, Jeff's did at Phoenix on Sunday. Normally, the Hendrick engines have been almost bullet proof for a long time, but this only goes to show that with one race to go, anything can happen. Jimmie Johnson's best bet is to win the pole and stay out front all day, and pray that the engine holds together.

It's only a two man show now, and by my calculations, Jimmie Johnson holds a 141 point lead. It's not impossible for Carl Edwards to overcome that, but it's going to take much more than winning the race and leading the most laps. Carl will have to have a ton of luck on his side, and Jimmie will have to have a ton of bad luck on his side.

That's why we run the races though. Odds are that Jimmie will for the 3rd consecutive year be our Sprint Cup Champion. But, 10 races ago, it appeared that Kyle Busch was our obvious Cup winner.

Anything can happen on the race track. This season isn't over until the checkered flag drops at Homestead.

Special prayers and thanks to our nation's veterans on this special Veteran's Day. If you know a veteran, please take time to shake his or her hand and thank them for their service to our country.