One more shot for NASCAR glory

One more time. One more shot, one more race for glory.

After 35 races there remains one more event, 400 miles that will crown a champion Sunday night in south Florida. No matter who that champion is it will be an historic night in NASCAR.

One of two drivers will wear the crown. If Jimmie Johnson takes the title, he’ll become only the second driver in NASCAR history to win the Cup championship three times in a row. Should Carl Edwards pull off the improbable however, it will be a stunning achievement matched only perhaps by the memorable finish in 1992 when Alan Kulwicki shocked everyone by snatching the title from Bill Elliott after the last race of the season.

Heading into that Atlanta race the points spread was much closer, and a total of six drivers were mathematically eligible, but the battle came down to two. Elliott and Kulwicki raced side by side nearly the entire race swapping the top spot. In the end Kulwicki led one more lap than Elliott and while Elliott won the race, Kulwicki finished second, got the bonus for leading the most laps and won the championship by a mere 10 points.

The final race of the season is now in Homestead and while many are already crowning Johnson champion, should he stumble or suffer one blown tire, get caught up in someone else’s accident or have one small 10 cent part fail, all the glory could go to Carl Edwards.

It’s a tall order for Edwards; all Johnson has to do is finish 36th or better on Sunday to win. And Johnson certainly has momentum. Over the past nine Chase races, Johnson has three wins, six top fives, eight top 10s, and an average finish of 4.7

What: FORD 400 Where: Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead, FL GREEN FLAG:3:45PM ET Nov 16 TV: ABC,3:00PM ET Radio: MRN/Sirius Satellite Ch. 128.  Distance:267 Laps 400.5 miles Track layout 1.5 mile paved track 2007 Winner: Matt Kenseth

 “I really think where we are in points is going to allow me to go to Homestead and take a little pressure off my brain this week,” Johnson said. “We can just relax and get in the car and set it up, just do what we know how to do.”

But Edwards has had an excellent Chase as well, winning two races and racking up seven top fives, with an average finish of 8.8.

He’ll need a lot of help to catch Johnson, but it’s not impossible. In 2005, Edwards made up 127 points over Johnson at Homestead during the final race. Edwards finished fourth while Johnson, who crashed early in the race, finished 40th. Had Edwards won the race that night he would have been awarded 147 points, six more than he needs this year.

“It’s possible, not real probable,” Edwards said, “but I guarantee that’s not going to change the way we do business. We’re going to go to Homestead with everything we’ve got. We’ll be aggressive and try to win the race.”

Bottom line, the race for the championship isn’t over until the checkered flag falls Sunday night. The championship is still up for grabs. But if there are no last minute heroics or drama and Johnson does lock up his third title, don’t look for Edwards to reflect too long on the loss, he will look forward to the future and many more chances to win a Cup title.

“I can say with certainty, no matter what happens on Sunday, our team has become stronger, and I do feel like we can win at almost any racetrack we go to,” he said. “We ran really well at places like Daytona this year; the road courses were great; Martinsville, a place that I had struggled a lot at. So no matter whether it works out, the Cinderella story for us, or if Jimmie gets this thing, I feel very positive and excited about the years to come. I think we're going to be great. That's how I look at this year, no matter what."