CUP: SPEED Crew Hits The Track One Final Time In 2012

The SPEED crew predicts how things will play out in the NASCAR Sprint Cup season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway...

SPEED Staff | Posted November 15, 2012 Charlotte, NC

A view of the No. 48 Chevrolet driven by Jimmie Johnson, and the No. 2 Dodge driven by Brad Keselowski. (Photo: Getty Images)

Nearly nine months after the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series opened at Daytona International Speedway, it draws to a close a little farther south this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The SPEED on-air crew has been there every step of the way this year, and checks in one last time as the championship battle between points leader Brad Keselowski and five-time champion Jimmie Johnson draws to a close.

Q: While mathematically possible, can Jimmie Johnson realistically make up 20 points on Brad Keselowski to win the championship on Sunday?

“Jimmie Johnson absolutely can make up 20 points and win the 2012 championship. Experience versus inexperience in this situation could play tricks on the No. 2 team.”
--Rick Allen, SPEED play-by-play announcer

“Johnson can do it as easily as Keselowski made up those 27 points at Phoenix, but it will require similar circumstances; i.e. some sort of mechanical failure.”
--Dave Despain, host of Wind Tunnel

“Anything could happen but Jimmie Johnson has only made up 20 or more points on Brad Keselowski three times in 35 races this season. Keselowski clinches with a 15th-place finish or better, and in the last 28 races, he has finished 15th or better 26 times. Therefore, the odds strongly favor Keselowski.”
--Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief

Q: If Jimmie Johnson bucks the odds to win his sixth championship, will it help or hurt the sport’s popularity and level of fan interest?

“If there are hordes of NASCAR fans chanting for more Jimmie Johnson championships, I don't see them. Perhaps they come to the races disguised as empty seats?”
--Dave Despain, host of Wind Tunnel

“The general consensus on Jimmie's NASCAR domination is that it's somehow bad for the sport. If you are a stick-and-ball sports fan who checks out five races a year and sees the same guy at the front, it probably gets old. However, if you follow NASCAR closely, understand the depth of competition and challenges teams face on a weekly basis, I don't know how you can't watch with great anticipation to see what Jimmie is going to do next.”
--Adam Alexander, host of SPEED Center

Q: Should the No. 48 team follow the No. 2’s strategy and calls during the race or should they operate their own race?

“The No. 48 team will go in with a single goal in mind – to dominate the race, a tactic that will force the No. 2 team to perform and potentially make a mistake.”
--Rick Allen, SPEED play-by-play announcer

“They should do exactly what they've been doing since 2006. Their average is pretty good!”
--Dave Despain, host of Wind Tunnel

“The No. 2 team has to race their own race because the outcome isn’t dependent on what they do, so all they can do is focus on what they can control and hope bad luck befalls the No. 2 team.”
--Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief

Q: Jimmie Johnson epitomizes calm, cool and collected. Does he, however, hold the mental edge over Brad Keselowski now that he’s 20 points behind?

“A five-time champion has a mental edge over his competition. Jimmie wants this championship as much or more than anyone else; the difference is it’s out of his control. The title is Keselowski’s to lose -- a scenario that can weigh on a competitor’s mind.”
--Rick Allen, SPEED play-by-play announcer

“I think Brad has demonstrated remarkable poise under pressure, given who he's racing. It takes more than head games to make up 20 points.”
--Dave Despain, host of Wind Tunnel

“It doesn’t really matter who has the mental edge because Keselowski has a 20-point edge on Johnson, and that’s the more relevant edge.”
--Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief

Q: So, who do you think will win the championship?

“When the checkered flag flies on Sunday, Brad Keselowski will have earned enough points to be crowned the champion. That team’s consistency and their determination to win will put Keselowski in a new fraternity of drivers – champions.”
--Rick Allen, SPEED play-by-play announcer

“Keselowski wins because Jimmie blew a tire last week -- simple as that. It's one of the realities of racing's obsession with winning championships; an entire season of hard work can be ruined by one tire failure.”
--Dave Despain, host of Wind Tunnel

Q: It’s the end of an era this weekend for Matt Kenseth at Roush Fenway Racing. How impressed have you been with the manner in which he and his team have performed in what could have been a “lame duck” period the last few months?

“Matt Kenseth always has portrayed a laidback, whimsical persona, but it will be hard for him to keep his emotions in check this weekend. No one, however, will fault him for feeling a little nostalgic as he closes a major chapter in his life and career.”
--Rick Allen, SPEED play-by-play announcer

“I was disappointed to see parts falling off that car early in the Chase. True or not, it gave the impression that the team had stopped trying.”
--Dave Despain, host of Wind Tunnel

“They’ve had a good Chase – not a great one – but they’ve won two races. I think Matt has to be happy about his performance and he is leaving the team on a good, solid note.”
--Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief