CONCORD, N.C. - You often hear about the physicality of a particular sport, whether it’s a lane-packing zone defense matched up against a low-post centric offense in basketball, or in how a football team’s offensive line counters a physical “D” line with a powerful ground attack.
Each are strategic in nature and offer windows into how games are won or lost.
In NASCAR, short-track racing is considered a contact sport, with drivers often being “physical” to pass and operate in close quarters. The season-opening Clash at Bowman-Gray Stadium is a terrific example of short-track racing at its finest, as North Carolina’s quarter mile “Madhouse” has provided its share of disagreements throughout the years.
Another facility with a short track reputation is the 1.058-mile New Hampshire Motor Speedway, host of this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series Round of 12 playoff race. While it's a mile in length and considered more of an intermediary facility, its flat-track configuration lends itself to drivers “creating their own lane,” when a position or two is desired. Those moments make for great theatre.
The June 2010 race at New Hampshire was one of those occasions. At the time, Hendrick Motorsports' Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team were in the middle of their fifth consecutive championship winning season. Fellow Hall of Fame driver Kurt Busch was also a force, as the 2004 Cup Series champ won his share of races. Both extremely competitive by nature, it shouldn't have been a surprise that they didn’t always see eye to eye.
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Heading into the race, Johnson sat second in points, only 140 behind Kevin Harvick, while Busch was sixth, 216 points out of the lead. Both were also solidly in the mix for a top 12 “Chase for the Championship” spot with 10 races remaining in the regular season. However, a win at New Hampshire would have gone a long way towards solidifying their positioning for the championship.
A tight points race wasn’t the only reason for heightened emotions though. Prior to the race, Johnson talked about the tough as nails competition that existed week in and week out.
“Track position is more important than it’s ever been,” Johnson told the gathered media. “Guys are fighting for that track position and doing things that aren’t necessarily fair. It could be the guy passing or the guy blocking, and then a feud starts.
“After 15 laps of that, chasing this guy, and he ran me all over the place the last week, I’m sending him," Johnson added. "Then, you send him, he goes home and says, ‘Okay, well, when the chance comes back, I’m going to send him. This energy has been created because of that.”
His words proved to be prescient on this weekend.
Johnson came into New Hampshire race day qualified 10th, and by lap 60, the California driver had already moved into the top three before green flag stops scrambled the field.
At around the 100-lap mark, Johnson and crew had trouble with the left-rear tire on pit road, dropping the No. 48 entry towards the back half of the top 10. The setback was temporary, as Johnson overcame a loose race car and promptly picked his way forward again.
With 110 laps to go, the battle between Johnson and Busch started to heat up. Johnson was seventh and Busch was eighth, with the two tussling for position. Johnson eventually pulled away, but Busch had tapped his left-rear a few times to let Johnson know he was there.
Once clear of the fray, Johnson set sail, ducking under Kyle Busch for second place with 50 laps remaining. While chasing down leader, Jeff Burton, caution came out on lap 284. Johnson came in for two tires on a last second pit call from crew chief Chad Knaus, as Burton stayed out for track position, setting up a final run towards the checkered flag.
On the restart, Johnson’s newer tires prevailed, as he grabbed the top spot with 14 laps to go. It was his first lead of the day. Two laps later Burton and Kyle Busch got together bringing out the caution, as Kurt Busch moved into second. The restart had Johnson on the inside and Busch to the outside with nine laps to go.
As the cars headed to turn three after the green flag, Busch hit the left rear of Johnson, moving him out of the way to grab the lead. A few minutes later with three laps to go, Johnson returned the favor entering turn three, gaining position underneath Busch and pulling ahead on the penultimate lap. The No. 48 never looked back, securing his 52nd career victory. Tony Stewart also got by Busch for second down the stretch.
“Yeah, you’re going to have that on short tracks,” Johnson said after the race. “We had so much green flag running, I knew at some point we would get bunched up, and it would all break loose. And it certainly did.”
The move was one of many between the two drivers during that time, making for a great rivalry and a compelling weekly storyline for race fans.
Johnson went on to win his fifth championship, scoring six victories, 17 top fives and 23 top-10 finishes that season. His seven NASCAR Cup Series championships tie him with “The King” Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the most all-time, staking Johnson’s claim as one of the sport’s greatest drivers.