NASCAR Sprint Cup Series - Tums Fast Relief 500

NASCAR Update:  Jimmie Looks for Third Straight Victory in Tums Fast Relief 500

Race-day:  10/25/2009

Race-time:  1:00 pm EST

Jimmie Johnson will be looking to take him his third straight NASCAR Sprint Cup Race in a row when he lines up in the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia.

JJ is looking for his fourth straight NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.  Because he’s won the 3 out of the first 5 Chase races in 2009, there’s little doubt that he’s probably going to get it.  Could Johnson really win a 4th straight Sprint Cup Championship?  Why not?

Jimmie’s odds were at +120 in the BetUS online sportsbook to win the 2009 Sprint Cup before last week’s race at Charlotte.  All Jimmie did was win the race while the individual’s closest to him in the Sprint Cup Chase Standings, Mark Martin, Juan Montoya, Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon finished 17th, 35th, 13th and 4th respectively.  What are the NASCAR odds on Jimmie right now to win the Sprint Cup Championship?  How about -600.

When it comes to this week’s race, the Tums Fast Relief 500, Johnson is, once again, a solid favorite.  He won this race in 2008 when it was called the Tums QuickPak 500 and JJ has won 6 races over the track.  It’s tough to bet Johnson at +200 in the NASCAR sportsbook to win a third race in a row, but this is Jimmie Johnson.

The man is a machine.  Bet against him at your own risk.

Dream Ends for Montoya but Next Year could be Something

With his 35th finish in last week’s Banking 500 in Charlotte, Juan Pablo Montoya pretty much ended any chance he had of catching Jimmie Johnson in the Chase and winning the Sprint Cup, but that doesn’t mean that Montoya’s year was a failure.

Montoya took a huge jump in 2009 just by making it into the Chase.  Then, once he got there he finished 3rd, 4th, 4th and 3rd before the 35th place finish.  Montoya just isn’t going to do enough in the next five races to catch Johnson and has dropped to 6th place in the Sprint Cup Standings, but it’s been a huge improvement year for Montoya in 2009.

Watch out for this guy next year.

Other Two Hendrick Stars Only Challenge to Jimmie

If Johnson loses the Tums Fast Relief 500 this Sunday, then it will probably be to one of his Hendrick Motorsports teammates, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon.

Gordo finished 4th in Charlotte last week and figures to really go after Jimmie in this.  Martin has been somewhat embarrassed after winning the first race in the Chase six weeks ago.  He’s too good of a driver and his crew is too on point for him to keep finishing out of the Top 10.

Gordon is going off at +500 in the sportsbook and Martin is going off at +1200 in the sportsbook.  Both figure to give Jimmie a run for his money.