The Hēathernet 20oz. to Geekdom

Carl Edwards races his car to its limits, fans forced to celebrate fifteenth place instead

There is no sport that drains the fun out of a championship like NASCAR. There still remains truth in the statement that it isn't over until the checkered flag waves, but entering this weekend Jimmie Johnson needed to finish merely 36th place or better to secure his third title in as many years. When the last race of the 2008 NASCAR season finished the car in 36th place was the Chevrolet of Joe Nemechek... three laps down. While Carl Edwards drove his 99 Ford on fuel vapors to a well-earned victory, Johnson was walking his car to a 15th place finish. Apparently that's how exciting NASCAR immortality is.

Now the cloud of ho-hum that has been hanging over America's motorsport grows even thicker as 2008's last hurrah can no longer hide the real news from the weekend. Read: Economic woes lurk as Johnson celebrates, weekend wrapup.

Maybe it's all Barack Obama's fault, but amongst the NASCAR gloom I feel hopeful about the hammer coming down on the asphalt ovals. Could the shake up make the 2009 NASCAR season, dare I say it, interesting?