Jimmie Johnson Clinches Chase Spot With California Win
Monday September 3, 2007
Jimmie Johnson took control of his own destiny by winning the 2007 Sharp AQUOS 500 in California. This was Johnson's fifth win of the 2007 season which gives him 50 Chase bonus points. Jimmie Johnson will be the point leader when the 2007 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup begins unless Jeff Gordon wins next week in Richmond.
Ryan Newman had engine problems in California which dashed his Chase dreams for 2007. Now only Dale Earnhardt Jr. still has a chance to crack the top twelve. Junior goes to Richmond next week 128 points behind Kevin Harvick in the battle for the final Chase qualifying spot.
Comments
I missed the clean air / dirty air thing of Rustys. Look like alot of people stayed home from the track so they can watch it too. Alot of empty seats there.
Empty seats are becoming very commonplace at Nascar events. Makes one wonder.
“2″ and Dave I am not sure where you both live, but it has been running 114 plus daily in Los Angeles area. This may have had an impact on the turn out in the direct sun of Fontana. Although I agree that attendance is off, but also I’ve noticed since the younger France has taken over the price of a ticket has gone up and up. Tickets to Fontana have always been very high and other than the Cup race. I don’t think they have ever been close to a sell out for NASCAR. I would like to see two things happen. The price of a ticket reflect what the average fan can afford and no more tampering with race tracks such as Bristol.
Lloyd, That may be part of the attendence 114 whew, But as you said if memory serves they never had sell out there, correct?
I always wanted to attend, however tickets are out of reach @ 65K 70K husband an spouce 135k plus all taxes not posible Thanks
I, for one, seriously feel that France, Jr. and the rest of the NASCAR “leadership” stand to lose their customer base and following.
I was one of the first NASCAR fan club members. I gave up my membership when their weekly briefings proved to be mostly self-serving “buy here now” ads. When asked why I gave my up membership I told them exactly how I feel. $40 (probably more now) a year for the “privilege” of receiving advertisements with most of them being e-mail is a bit much.
With the obvious butt-kissing of JPM (who was allowed into this last race tho he didn’t qualify - no other rookie or driver had this gift), the unruly behavior of some of Jr.s fans when Jeff Gordon broke his dad’s record, and the let’s see how we can get whoever into the Chase (even if we have to bend our own rules) mentality added to exorbitant rates that most can not afford it’s no wonder that NASCAR is rapidly losing its’ fan base.
The question is: how long is it going to take them to wake up and get things turned around and equitable? Otherwise, I’m afraid that NASCAR stands to have the last one leaving the building turning the lights out. Permanently.
I use to go to Fontana 3 years in a row but when I lost my husband, I did not have enough to keep paying for them. I know I had a few friends go and they told me it was so hot they hardly could sit till it got dark. When I use to go it was always a sell out. The track has some seats in the middle for their people. We got to sit in them 1 year. Good seats but most are empty on the races. My friends told me it was 114 and Santa Ana winds. Not many would sit in that. If I could have gone I would have, I love Nascar that much.
Brian France is ruining Nascar as we know it…daily rule changes, the dreadful COT, and California is just a boring track, they will never sell out…the COT ruined Bristol, not the new surface.
I know 114 was terrific heat. It reached 109 here 3 days in a row and that was just exhorbant. Even when it was cooler in the early races, there was still lots of empty seats. I agree with #5 comment and Leanna. I think they are just priced ridiculous. #5 you cry about making $135k/yr. Try my siuation. My household income is a blistering $29k/yr That supports 3 people. If you cant see a race, NO WAY I CAN. I know some of you remember me announcing that we went to Brickyard in July. Well tickets was a gift from my workplace. Those tickets had a pricetag of $85 and that is real high for a place like INDY where you cant see much.
I think seats will be empty until prices go backwards some.
Dale put on a good show, alot of distractions with heat They better adjust ticket prices or they will kill the golden egg.
It’s not business it’s now personal. We show loyality by trying to buy the products on the car advertisments. But they are quickly getting over the base of the majority american.
There will aways be someone to pay for the tickets..they may sell less but if they keep raising the price..they don’t need to sell out…Then they don’t have to keep adding seats..another problem solved…Why worry about…Just sit back and enjoy the show….Fans get upset of the strangest things..It’s free on the radio,and sometimes free on TV..and My chair is the best seat in the house.Im a Stewart Fan..But I like each and every driver and always wish them the best..They risk there live’s so I can sit down on a sunday and watch something I love.Will the Fans ever stop complaining?..Nascar has just done a fantastic Job bringing you another race from California…If you were born in the 50’s..you might understand what Im talking about.
It was a comfortable 74 degrees in front of my 65″ Mitsubishi.
I did not have some large person next to me sweating on me or some persons Marboro second hand smoke floating in my face. When a yellow came out, it was an easy walk to my fridge for a cold beverage that I got six at my local grocery store for the same price as one cold one at the track. And when the race was done, it was a simple 25 second walk to my bedroom and I was asleep by the time most at Fontana were just getting to their cars.
#5 if I read your comment right, it was hard to figure out what you was trying to say. You complaing you can’t buy tickets when you make 135k. If you haveing that much problem, try cut down your exspences. 135k you shouldn’t have much problems buying things. Sell 2-3 of your lexus, buy a house that you can afford instead of being a Look at me” type of person.
“Amazing”, apparently you are not familiar with the cost of living in California.
$135k there is like $50k anywhere else. Tag taxes on top of that and you are blessed if you can put food on the table seven days a week!
Remember, it is California, land of the taxed.
1969rs, you are correct I don’t live there, I live up here in northern California 10 miles north of Seattle in the NW. I was placing my comments based on when I hear the same thing I hear-here when people say we don’t make much here, then they hop in one of their Lexus or Hummers 1. Still at 60k I do pretty good have nice cars, nice house with my family of 4, we still do almost anything we want. Lot of people make less than that. Just what a person priorities are. Yes you right I don’t live down there, then again it’s almost like living there as we have a lot of them living here. They come here and expect us to change for them. Different topic I will let it go for now.
1969rs, I here what you’re saying. My wife watches a show on TV. on sat.morning called “what you grt for the money”. A house like mine thats worth 100k in Independence Mo. cost like 350k in Calif. Two friends of mime live in San Francisco have a duplex they paid 550k for.My son bought 10 duplexes just as nice and about the same size. He paid a little over 1 million for all 10.When we went to San. Fran.to visit our friends last year gas was 1.85 in Mo. but it was 3.35 to 3.65 in Frisco.However at our Nascar track ( Kansas Speedway) ticket prices are way to high also. I don’t have the answer,I just hope Nascar wakes up before it’s to late. I don’t like the chase I feel like a driver that works his butt off two win races shouln not be 350 points ahead at race 26, and next week at race 27 he’s 5 points ahead. I don’t like the cot. The only thing stock in Nascar used to be the body of the car. Now thats not even stock I don’t like getting ripped of for ticket prices so the top ten drivers can earn 10,000,000.00 a year. Who do they think they are,football, basketball ,or baseball players Anyway , sorry for my rambling on and on but I’m truly worried about the future of Nascar.
Ok, just what the hell does all this talk about the cost of a house have to do with NASCAR????
mick20 if houses cost to much people can’t afford pay for the already over priced over rated nascar tickets.
Bull, if a person wants to do something bad enough he/she will find a way, if not he/she will make excuses as to why they can’t afford to do it. It’s as simple as that. If you think the ticket cost to much, then say so!!!!!
mick20 if you have been reading on here for the past several months most of us have said that, they cost way to much. As in others I won’t find a way to buy one of those tickets. Some one on here said priorites, and nascar tickets what they want for them are not on top of my list, maybe #104 of the first 100.
No bull here, If it’s between putting food on my table and taking care of my family needs or wants no matter what it is, tickets are out of the question. I have known people if they wanted something bad enough as you said they done without even the family needs so he or she can get their toy.
Chill Mick20. I think the conversation was about how someone would have liked to attend, but ticket prices have gone thru the roof. They are right.
I recall when I was making a ton less than I am making now, I would buy three tickets, load my two boys in the truck and head to see a very competitive Nascar race.
The last race I attended, I had tickets for the Busch and Cup race at $100+ for the Cup race and $80+ for the Busch race x2. That is $360 for tickets. Layer on the hotel for two nights and they screw you with inflated rates to $150 a night, so there is another $300. then there are meals and gas costs. The weekend cost me over $1000. Then factor in the frustration of traffic getting in and out of the track, souviners, etc.
OUCH!
I can take that $1000+ and throw one heck of a party right here in front of my big screen and zero traffic hassles, no lines at the bathrooms, fresh eats, cold beverages, and my own bed to sleep in.
Nascar wonders why they cannot sell out a venue.
It use to be a freak thing not to sell out a race, now it is the norm. They may sell out Bristol, Daytona, and maybe Charlotte, but the rest, they are struggling with. Thye are trying to take a blue collar sport and turn it into a upscale white collar event.
Just will not work. While they do this, they turn thier backs to the fans that have helped them become so successful.
I havce seen other forms of business do this and have seen it fail 100% of the time. Without change, this too will fail.
Well. I see it doesn’t tske much to stir the pot. I was just saying eather you can or can’t afford to go. As for me, I am a BIG man & would take up two seats (they are very small) So I CHOSE to stay @ home & watch from my comfort king recliner on my 52″ wide screen TV. If I would have saved the money for the TV I could have bought about 8 tickets to my home track (the Brickyard)
but instead of sweating all over the fan next to me I CHOSE to stay home.
That is all I was trying to say, I just used the wrong words. Peace, Mick
PS GO Tony GO!!!
Cool Mick20.
I hear ya. I would like to see the standards they use to determine how far apart they place those numbers on the seats. I do not think they are in line with the ASB (American Standard Butt).
Hey Steve, I was not aware that Newman had engine problems. I was unable to see the entire race, but the highlights I seen showed Newman getting spun out.
My husband and I use to go to Fontana all the time.We stop going because when that lady took over running the track she messed everything up. You now have to buy 2 day race tickets to get a good seat acept for turn 1. The track was selling out until then. We have been there when there was over 105,000 people plus. She Should have left everything alone.
In the trucking world, they refer to L.A. as the shaky city! I always thought it was the earth Quakes. Now I think its the mentallity of those that live there. Tell Forrest hello for me.
I know this dont have nothing to do with ticket prices but how fair is it to Gordon to be that far ahead in points and not start the chase in first place?Im a fan of his but it wouldnt matter who driver was,its not right.The chase was bad before but this is retarded.
willy how fair is it for the rest of the teams out of the top 12 be shut out, ever heard of coming from behind? The chase, cot is crap. Now NHRA doing the chase crap. It’s like cancer it’s spreading.
The Chase is a bogus scheme pulled out of France and his cronies bums to shake more $$ out of NASCAR fans. It’s all about the money.
But, I do love races. Just bought tx to Lowes in October. They cost me $33 each.
We’re in the Diamond Tower, around Turn 2. No view of pit road, no view above the flag stand (as in previous races), but for that price, being at a live race, at night, it’s going to be great.
Won’t get home till the wee hours, but when my son drives, we MOVE it. LOL
There’s nothing like a live race, but yeah, one can way overspend on ‘em — especially living within easy driving of 6 tracks!!
In 2008, I’d better cool my engines and settle for TV viewing. LOL
Go Kahne!