Page 18 - aruba-today-20171111

A18 SPORTS
Saturday 11 November 2017
Johnson needs win to chase

8th NASCAR championship

By JENNA FRYER times, we’ve not made the the waning laps.
AP Auto Racing Writer best decisions and have While Johnson is chasing
AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) — made them very hard to speed, Elliott has his eyes
It wasn’t supposed to be drive. I think Texas was an only on victory lane.
this difficult for seven-time example of that and also “Our task at hand is pretty
champion Jimmie Johnson Kansas. We spun twice simple, we have to win
to chase a record-break- there. So, it’s just trying to the race to move on next
Jimmie Johnson, left, talks to a crew member in the garage ing eighth NASCAR title. make the cars faster.” week, everybody in here
during a practice session for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup series auto Yet here he is, with one race This strange position for the knows that,” Elliott said. “It’s
race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, Friday, Nov. to go before next week- seven-time champion led not the most ideal situa-
3, 2017. end’s championship finale, to a question Friday about tion, but if you were able to
Associated Press
and Johnson needs to pull his future with crew chief pull it off, it would be a lot
off the performance of the Chad Knaus. The two have of momentum moving into
year to earn the right to won all seven titles togeth- next week.”
defend his crown. There’s er, but Johnson admitted Busch won at Martinsville to
only one slot left in the final 2017 has been one of the earn his spot in the finale,
four, and five drivers will be most challenging seasons Harvick won at Texas and
chasing that berth Sunday of his remarkable career. Truex clinched his spot on
at Phoenix Raceway. Could that lead to chang- points. Truex, the strongest
A win by Johnson or the es at the end of the year for driver all season and favor-
other four playoff drivers the No. 48 team? ite to win the title, will race
will earn them the right to “I started this with Chad the final two weeks without
race Martin Truex Jr., Kyle and I want to finish it with team owner Barney Visser
Busch and Kevin Harvick at him,” Johnson said. “Crew on hand.
Homestead-Miami Speed- chiefs live in dog years The Furniture Row Racing
way for the championship. versus drivers. I think he’s owner suffered a heart at-
Johnson is a four-time win- made that known that his tack last weekend and was
ner at Phoenix, but this sea- time might expire before recovering from bypass sur-
son has been a struggle. mine does, just because of gery in Colorado. The tim-
Although he has won three the wear and tear of being ing is heartbreaking for Viss-
races this year, they all a crew chief.” er, who has largely spent
came in the first third of the Johnson is signed through most of his own fortune on
season. He is winless since 2020, Knaus through 2018. fielding a NASCAR team.
Dover in June, and John- On Sunday, the duo will be The car is fully sponsored
son has just one top-five fin- chasing Brad Keselowski, next year and Visser will get
ish in the last 21 races. Ryan Blaney, Denny Ham- some financial relief.
He’s also ranked last lin, and Johnson’s own “It’s a chance of a lifetime
among the eight title con- teammate, Chase Elliott. to be in position to win the
tenders, 51 points out of The curious part of John- NASCAR Cup Series cham-
mathematically qualifying. son’s struggles is that Elliott pionship,” said Visser. “I
“At the end of the day, has actually excelled dur- hope to be in touch with
chasing speed is really the ing the playoffs and might Martin and Cole (Pearn,
culprit,” Johnson said Fri- have locked in a berth for crew chief) leading up
day. “The start of the pro- the finale at Martinsville if to Homestead and par-
cess is just trying to make he hadn’t been wrecked ticipate without too much
our cars faster. And, at out of the lead by Hamlin in excitement.”q

Massa could give new Formula

E series a boost in Brazil

AP Sports Writer ignored at home. Nelson Pi-
SAO PAULO (AP) — The quet Jr. won the first title in
new Formula E series needs 2014, and Lucas de Grassi is
a boost, and it’s likely to the defending champion.
get one from Formula One That could soon change. Williams driver Felipe
veteran Felipe Massa. Massa has a high profile. He Massa, of Brazil, attends a
Massa will step away from won 11 Formula One rac- press conference ahead
Formula One after the final es with Ferrari and came of Sunday’s Formula One
Brazilian Grand Prix, at the
race of the season in two within one point of winning Interlagos racetrack, in Sao
weeks in Abu Dhabi. He the season championship Paulo, Brazil, Thursday, Nov. 9,
hasn’t confirmed it, but the in 2008, losing out to Lewis 2017.
Brazilian seems almost cer- Hamilton. “When I won this Associated Press
tain to join the new elec- year’s title not a single lo- here, the interest is grow-
tric-powered car series. cal paper cared,” Di Grassi ing. More Brazilian drivers
Brazilians have been domi- told The Associated Press. see Formula E as a real al-
nating the Formula E cir- “Now that Massa could ternative and the future for
cuit, but have been largely join and a race will be held electric cars.”q