Jimmie Johnson is on the verge of clinching the 2007 NASCAR Cup Championship with his recent victory at Phoenix International Raceway for the Checker Auto Parts 500 race, the second to the last race of the 2007 NASCAR Cup season. Johnson was able to win the race as pole sitter Carl Edwards suffered from an engine problem and was forced to retire. Too bad for the Ford driver. Johnson now posted four straight wins son far. 

Johnson said after the race:
"I'm dumbfounded. I'm just as shocked as everyone [else] and couldn't be more proud of this race team. I'm just excited to do this for Rick for Hendrick Motorsports and all the hard work that goes into it. We're giving everybody something to cheer about and we're having a damn good time doing this. Everything just came together for us. We finally figured out what our car wanted, to roll the center a little bit better without sacrificing corner exit. So we were just coming into our groove, and circumstances on tires worked out and off we went."

Johnson is still on top of the championship standings with a total of 6572 and extended his lead over the other drivers.

Check out below for the result of the Checker Auto Parts 500 race.

1.     Jimmie Johnson      Chevrolet      
2.     Greg Biffle     Ford    
3.     Matt Kenseth     Ford    
4.     Tony Stewart     Chevrolet
5.     Ryan Newman     Dodge    
6.     Kevin Harvick     Chevrolet
7.     Martin Truex Jr.     Chevrolet    
8.     Kyle Busch     Chevrolet    
9.     Jeff Burton     Chevrolet    
10.     Jeff Gordon     Chevrolet    
11.     Clint Bowyer     Chevrolet    
12.     Kurt Busch     Dodge    
13.     Casey Mears     Chevrolet
14.     J.J. Yeley     Chevrolet
15.     Johnny Sauter     Chevrolet
16.     Denny Hamlin     Chevrolet
17.     Juan Montoya *     Dodge    
18.     Bobby Labonte     Dodge    
19.     Reed Sorenson     Dodge    
20.     David Stremme     Dodge    
21.     Brian Vickers     Toyota    
22.     Paul Menard *     Chevrolet
23.     Jamie McMurray     Ford    
24.     Robby Gordon     Ford    
25.     Sterling Marlin     Chevrolet    
26.     Aric Almirola     Chevrolet    
27.     Elliott Sadler     Dodge    
28.     David Gilliland     Ford    
29.     Kyle Petty     Dodge    
30.     Sam Hornish Jr.     Dodge    
31.     Dave Blaney     Toyota    
32.     David Ragan *     Ford    
33.     Patrick Carpentier     Dodge    
34.     Bill Elliott     Ford    
35.     Ricky Rudd     Ford    
36.     Johnny Benson     Toyota    
37.     Tony Raines     Chevrolet
DNF    Joe Nemechek     Chevrolet
DNF    Jeremy Mayfield     Chevrolet    
DNF    Kasey Kahne     Dodge    
DNF    Jacques Villeneuve     Toyota    
DNF    Carl Edwards     Ford    
DNF    Dale Earnhardt Jr.     Chevrolet    

Chase for the Championship standings:
 
1.      Jimmie Johnson      6572      
2.     Jeff Gordon     6486    
3.     Clint Bowyer     6331    
4.     Kyle Busch     6185    
5.     Tony Stewart     6169    
6.     Matt Kenseth     6103    
7.     Kevin Harvick     6093    
8.     Jeff Burton     6089    
9.     Carl Edwards     6067    
10.     Kurt Busch     6056    
11.     Martin Truex Jr.     6009    
12.     Denny Hamlin     5973    

After obtaining the NASCAR Busch Series championship last week, Ford driver Carl Edwards continued his success at the Phoenix International Raceway where he earned the Bud Pole for the upcoming Checker Auto Parts 500 race presented by Pennzoil. Edwards was followed by a bunch of Chevrolet driver including teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, who won the previous race in Texas.

Edwards commented about his crew after the race:
"I told them after that lap, I said, 'That was a blast.' The guys did a great job with the car -- everybody. These cars of tomorrow have been a lot of work for everybody on our team, but they've stepped up and done a great job. Since we unloaded this thing has been fast, so I'm really proud of my guys."

Check out below for the starting lineup and the result of the qualifying race for the Checker Auto Parts 500 that will take place at the Phoenix International Raceway.

1.     99      Carl Edwards      Ford     
2.     1     Martin Truex Jr.     Chevrolet     
3.     24     Jeff Gordon     Chevrolet     
4.     18     J.J. Yeley     Chevrolet     
5.     70     Johnny Sauter     Chevrolet     
6.     48     Jimmie Johnson     Chevrolet
7.     16     Greg Biffle     Ford     
8.     96     Tony Raines     Chevrolet
9.     2     Kurt Busch     Dodge     
10.     9     Kasey Kahne     Dodge     
11.     25     Casey Mears     Chevrolet
12.     31     Jeff Burton     Chevrolet
13.     12     Ryan Newman     Dodge     
14.     42     Juan Montoya     Dodge     
15.     11     Denny Hamlin     Chevrolet
16.     19     Elliott Sadler     Dodge     
17.     22     Dave Blaney     Toyota     
18.     17     Matt Kenseth     Ford     
19.     15     Paul Menard     Chevrolet
20.     07     Clint Bowyer     Chevrolet
21.     20     Tony Stewart     Chevrolet
22.     83     Brian Vickers     Toyota     
23.     26     Jamie McMurray     Ford     
24.     10     Patrick Carpentier     Dodge     
25.     41     Reed Sorenson     Dodge     
26.     06     Sam Hornish Jr.     Dodge     
27.     127     Jacques Villeneuve     Toyota     
28.     01     Aric Almirola     Chevrolet
29.     109     Sterling Marlin     Chevrolet     
30.     36     Johnny Benson     Toyota     
31.     78     Joe Nemechek     Chevrolet
32.     43     Bobby Labonte     Dodge     
33.     88     Ricky Rudd     Ford     
34.     29     Kevin Harvick     Chevrolet     
35.     8     Dale Earnhardt Jr.     Chevrolet
36.     45     Kyle Petty     Dodge     
37.     40     David Stremme     Dodge     
38.     5     Kyle Busch     Chevrolet
39.     7     Robby Gordon     Ford     
40.     66     Jeremy Mayfield     Chevrolet     
41.     6     David Ragan+     Ford     
42.     38     David Gilliland     Ford     
43.     21     Bill Elliott     Ford                              
DNQ     55     Michael Waltrip     Toyota     
DNQ     84     A.J. Allmendinger     Toyota     
DNQ     4     Ward Burton     Chevrolet     
DNQ     49     John Andretti     Dodge     
DNQ     44     Dale Jarrett     Toyota     

Hendrick Motor sports driver Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Chevrlet Monte Carlo/Impala SS) is poised to continue his winning streak at the upcoming Checker Auto Parts 500 race presented by Pennzoil that will take place at the Phoenix International Raceway this Sunday. The race will be the 9th of the 10 races for the 2007 "Chase for the Nextel Cup"

Jimmie Johnson commented on his winning spree:
 "I think that we've been on quite a roll here and going to victory lane does something for the crew and the shop that you couldn't do any other way. When you go to victory lane, there's just a buzz that goes through all of Hendrick Motorsports and really on the 48 team."

Johnson currently leads the Chase for the Championship standings with a total of 6382 points, a 30 point lead ahead of his teammate Jeff Gordon. Surprisingly, Gordon is his closest rival for the championship title.

Johnson added: "We have momentum going our direction right now but it's only 30 points and if you look at the last two weeks, I've been able to make up roughly 60 points. Jeff hasn't had bad races the last two events. He's had strong he finishes. So it's not like he's had bad nights. I can finish tenth, he can win, and I'm back in second. So we have a lot of work ahead of us and are happy to be in a position to race for the championship. With good racetracks coming up for us, good race cars in the lineup and momentum from the victories, and our guys are showing up hungry every week, we're trying to get as many points as we can."

Johnson also commented about his friendship with Gordon:
"Jeff is a great friend and great teammate, but he's also the most challenging guy out there for me to beat. And that's with all the respect in the world. But I don't feel bad for him and I know he wouldn't, either. If something happened where he had bad luck and we ended up winning the championship, that's where I would feel bad. But the fact that we are racing as hard as we are for it right now, it's racing."

What will be the future of Kyle Busch in racing?

Two more races for Hendrick Motorsports, and Kyle is outta there. Kyle is moving to Joe Gibbs Racing next year, and his seat at Hendrick will be filled by Dale Earnhardt Jr. This week, Kyle responded to  some questions about his final days with NASCAR's cream-of-the-crop team.

Here's an excerpt from Kansas City's interview with Kyle:

How would you characterize your relationship with Hendrick right now?

Everything went well. We had a couple bad races and guys have taken the blame and stuff like that, which has been good and they have apologized to me, and I accept that and that's cool. You know, there's no hard feelings going out on this deal. It's actually going to be pretty good. I have a lot of friends there.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said he would like to go out by winning one of these last races for his current team. Do you feel that way as well?

Of course, I want to win every week. I've run up front in every single race these past few weeks, and I've had chances to win, but what are you going to do, go home and pout about it because you didn't get a win? No, you're going to try harder for the next week. We led a bunch of laps in Atlanta, a bad pit stop took it away from us. At Texas we led the most laps and were leading at the end of the race and took four tires instead of two tires, which got us back in traffic a little bit.

If the team change is not a distraction, you still have to handle the ups and downs on the track. Is there a best way to do that?

I mean, the best way to do it is just let stuff go and put it behind you. You've got three cars every week and you're running well and running up front and looking good and everybody is feeling good, so there's really not much more that you can ask for. There are frustrations that you can't win … and yet you see your teammates winning eight, nine, whatever races a year. It kind of makes you think like, well, what do I have to do to win one of these things? But it's not my time yet, I guess, and hopefully maybe one of these years it will be.

[credits: Kansas City]

The rumors about Nico Rosberg's inception in team McLaren Mercedes is finally over! Whew!

Right. Williams has recently announced that Kazuki Nakajima is signed to the team to race in the 2008 season of Formula 1 along with Nico Rosberg. So it is official that Williams team will have a Japanese-German driver lineup for 2008. Nakajima is very happy that he will be retained in Williams team after his first race in the Formula 1 season finale in Brazil where he finished in the 10th place.

A statement from Williams team quoted Nakajima as saying, "This is the crowning of a great year for me. It was an amazing experience to drive out of the garage as a Formula One driver at Albert Park last March, and now to be confirmed as a race driver for AT&T Williams is a dream come true."

He added; "I am very grateful to Toyota for the support I have had through the Toyota Driver's Programme and to Williams for the team's faith in me. There is plenty of work to be done before next season starts, but I am resolved to do whatever is necessary and to show Williams and Toyota that they have made a good investment."

Meanwhile, Team Principal Frank Williams also commented:
"I am delighted to confirm that Nico will be racing for the team for his third consecutive year after demonstrating impressive and widely applauded form in 2007. Nico will be ably partnered by Kazuki, who has impressed the team over the past year. He has pace and the right aptitude to develop into a competitive Formula One racer and over the course of the next season, we will provide him with all the necessary support and assistance to hone his talents."

I am looking forward with Williams' new lineup for 2008. In the other hand, there are still no confirmations about Alonso next team for 2008. Rumors said Renault is planning to sign Alonso back to the team. Well, let us just wait and see for the outcome of this issue… soon.

Yeah, Schumi's back on F1 track. But don't be too excited. He will only be testing Ferrari at Barcelona next week to help the Scuderia team adapt to the traction control ban.

Everybody's favorite F1 Champ has been called up by Scuderia. The team wants to tap Schumi's knowledge of driving F1 cars without the use of electronic driver aids such as traction control. Schumi will get behind the wheel of Ferrari F2007 as part of the team's preparations for the upcoming season.

The former F1 Champ has remained part of the Scuderia team since quitting competitive racing just over a year ago and he attended several grands prix this season in his role as 'special advisor' to the Italian team. While next week's test will be partly for pleasure, the German could also make a valuable technical contribution for the upcoming season, when traction control will be forbidden from F1 racing.

Schumi's spokesperson said the former Champ's test does not mean he intends returning to racing. "It's probably a one-off. Michael does not intend at all to go back to F1," his spokeswoman told BBC Sport. "He's testing just as part of his contract, which is to help Ferrari in whichever area he can. He is much more experienced than the other drivers in cars without electronic aids, this will be good input for Ferrari. There is nothing intended about coming back to racing."

Schumi, the seven-time World Champ, who hasn't taken part in a F1 test since retiring from the sport at the end of the 2006 season, will be in action on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Circuit de Catalunya.  He is expected to spend a couple of days at the said circuit in Spain, during the first multi-team test since last month's Brazilian GP, which saw Scuderia and Finn Kimi Raikkonen grab the constructors' and drivers' titles for this season.

"Michael has a big experience in driving cars with no traction control and no electronic aids, so it makes sense for him to give his input," Schumi's spokesperson told Reuters.

Schumi has driven the F2007 on one previous occasion when he put in a handful of demo laps for Fiat bosses at Ferrari's Fiorano circuit in Italy recently, said F1's Official Web site.

Lucas di Grassi finally showed off at the Oxford Children's Hospital. The Formula One star of the future and Brazilian racing driver Lucas di Grassi was seen at the hospital with patients. He is also the current racer of the Renault Driver Development programme which is based in Enstone.

He has also visited the terrace play area in the hospital which the team sponsors and he also saw some of the patients testing Formula One cars.

Andrew House, the Head of Major Gifts for the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Charitable Funds, explains, "Renault F1 Team have been great supporters of our 0x00a315million fundraising campaign to build the Children's Hospital, by making a very significant donation and also giving us these fun toy cars, which the children love. It was great to be able to show Lucas and Donna what a difference their support has made. Donations like theirs have enabled us to create one of the best children's hospitals in the country."

Lucas di Grassi was noted commenting on the event: "It was wonderful to meet and talk to the children at the Oxford Children's Hospital. I have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to live out my dream by pursuing my racing career. But the determination and courage you have to show at the wheel, are nothing compared to what these children tackle and overcome every day. It has been a privilege and an inspiration to meet them, and I am proud to be part of a team that is committed to supporting the local community."

The Children's Hospital opened its doors in January this year and has already helped tens of thousands of patients. It is a bright, colourful space, designed to make children and their families feel as comfortable as possible.

You can visit www.oxfordradcliffe.nhs.uk/getinvolved or call 01865 743445 to know more about the Oxford Children's Hospital.

Ford driver Carl Edwards in currently on the 5th place at the Chase for the Championship in NASCAR Nextel Cup. But on the NASCAR Busch Series, Edwards already won the championship title. Right. The recent O'Reilly Challenge race that also took place at Texas Motor Speedway secured Edwards' title, although Chevy driver Kevin Harvick     won the race.

This is the first time for Edwards to win a NASCAR championship. Check out what he said during the press conference.

"I'm proud of my guys. We had an unbelievable first half of the season. We had some many points. These guys have been working very hard. I'm so grateful to be driving this car. To win it here at Texas, this track has a lot of memories here for me. It's just a really good feeling."

Anyway, just check out below for the final point standings of NASCAR Busch Series.

1    Carl Edwards    4494    
2    David Reutimann    3942    
3    Jason Leffler    3733    
4    Kevin Harvick    3713    
5    David Ragan*    3576    
6    Bobby Hamilton Jr.
7    Stephen Leicht    3337
8    Greg Biffle    3256
9    Marcos Ambrose*    3225
10    Mike Wallace    3188
11    Matt Kenseth    3136
12    Denny Hamlin    3011    
13    Clint Bowyer    2961    
14    Scott Wimmer    2907    
15    Jeff Burton    2812    
16    Kyle Busch    2748    
17    J.J. Yeley    2716    
18    Steve Wallace    2639    
19    Kyle Krisiloff*    2634    
20    Casey Mears    2536
21    Mike Bliss    2447    
22    Brent Sherman    2425    
23    Dave Blaney    2401    
24    Jamie McMurray    2087    
25    Brad Keselowski*    
26    Jason Keller    2069    
27    Kasey Kahne    1956    
28    Bobby Labonte    1929
29    Reed Sorenson    1881
30    Aric Almirola    1850
31    Regan Smith    1820
32    Shane Huffman    1727
33    Tony Stewart    1723
34    Juan Montoya*    1689
35    Todd Kluever    1687
36    Brad Coleman*    1680
37    Eric McClure    1639
38    Kelly Bires    1620
39    David Gilliland    1597
40    Ward Burton    1555
41    David Stremme    1554
42    Stanton Barrett    1212
43    Paul Menard    1208
44    Jon Wood    1154
45    Robert Richardson, II*    
46    Richard Johns    1057
47    Robby Gordon    1027
48    Danny O'Quinn Jr.
49    Ryan Newman    851
50    Morgan Shepherd 789

After the official announcement regarding Fernando Alonso's departure from Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team, a lot of rumors bouncing around the F1 racing community if who will replace the Spanish driver and become Lewis Hamilton's teammate for the 2008 season. But the team have not yet confirm whether they will sign a new driver or put their test drivers on the McLaren seat.

Martin Whitmarsh, CEO of the team was quoted by the Guardian newspaper in the UK saying, "In truth I think we're rather dictating the driver transfer market at the moment. Until the second McLaren drive is sorted out I don't think you'll see much movement, so we're not really hurried."

He added: "Obviously there are some drivers who've approached us who are contracted elsewhere and we've had to say we can't talk to them unless they can prove they are free to negotiate."

Some sources also said that there is a possibility that Nico Rosberg will complete the McLaren driver lineup, as Lewis Hamilton said that Rosberg is one of the drivers that he would want to team up with. But Williams team confirmed that the German driver has already been signed to the team.

According to Engineering Chief Patrick Head:
"Nico is contracted to our team for 2008 and we have an option for his services for 2009. We are planning to go into next season with Nico as our lead driver, and we would not entertain any approach from McLaren for Nico."

Well, let us just wait for McLaren's announcement soon.