Sao Paulo, Martinsville, and Irwindale.
By: Drew Hierwarter
The Formula 1 World Championship has come down to the final race of the season with three contenders in position to win it all. But only point leader Lewis Hamilton, Jr. can make it happen on his own. If he wins, he is champion. It’s that simple. Both of his close rivals, Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso, must hope for some trouble to befall the others. For Raikkonen, this is his first chance at the title and he knows what he faces; “I think you are always a little bit nervous every race, but I try to do the same as in any other race, I try to do the best I can. I try to win the race, for us to be one and two and then it’s not really up to us any more, so that’s really all we can do and hopefully we can achieve that.”
Alonso has been here before. This is his third straight year in contention for the championship and he is clearly focused on the proverbial big picture; “Now it’s more a championship thought so when you are in the car you don’t care too much about the race result, you just concentrate on how many points you will get. I think especially in this last race it’s about all the combinations we know that we need to be champion. You try to do your maximum, you try to do your best. Sure it’s not only up to you.”
As for Hamilton, he feels that his error in China only made him stronger, more confident about winning the championship this weekend in Brazil. “It definitely didn’t make me more nervous,” he said. “If anything it took the pressure off my shoulders and I think I came out of it even stronger. I thought it would knock my confidence and put me on my back foot, but I went away and I thought about the weekend and I feel I’m even stronger than I was, for whatever reason. It was a good learning experience . . . I feel totally relaxed now and fully confident in the team and our ability to challenge for the title.”
You can catch the race live on Speed TV beginning at 11:30 AM Eastern time on Sunday.
It’s beginning to sound a little like a broken record, but look to the Hendrick Motorsports’ twins, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson to do well this weekend in the NASCAR Nextel Cup “Subway 500″ at Martinsville, VA. Just like their winning records at Charlotte, these two have combined to win five of the last seven races on the southern Virginia, half mile oval. And with them being first and second in the points going in, things don’t look good for everybody else. Third place driver Clint Bowyer has finishes of 22nd, 23rd, and 11th in his three starts at Martinsville so a top five finish would be a big boost for him and keep him within one race of the points lead. Fourth place Tony Stewart still has a shot, but it’s a long shot and getting longer each week. He needs to put together a string of five straight top tens or better in the races remaining, and not have any more of the bad luck that has been dogging him since the start of the Chase.
California’s Irwindale Speedway will once again be the venue for what has become the Daytona 500 for short track racing. The 5th annual NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown takes to the banked half-mile showplace located just a few miles east of downtown Los Angeles this Friday and Saturday nights. The event features the top drivers from NASCAR’s touring and development series, including the Busch East Series and the Grand National West Series in a 250 lap race with close to $417,000 up for grabs. But much more important to the drivers are the bragging rights that go with a win in this prestigious race and the chance to display their talents in front of a national TV audience. Watch rookie sensation and Busch East champion, Joey Lagano and Grand National West champion Mike David go head-to-head on Speed TV beginning on Friday night with qualifying at 8:00 PM Eastern, 5:00 PM Pacific on Speed TV. On Saturday night you can catch the 250 lap Showdown at 11:00 PM Eastern, 8:00 PM Pacific. Both events will be seen live with veteran race broadcasters, Mike Joy and Dick Berggren calling the action.