DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The strong 2008 seasons by Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch (from Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota, respectively) has made this year's Manufacturers' Championship one of the most heated — and coveted — in history.
With three races remaining in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, only five points separate the top three in the Manufacturers' Championship standings.
Chevrolet took the lead for the first time in 22 races after Jimmie Johnson's second-place finish at Atlanta. Chevrolet, with 198 points, now leads Toyota by one point and Ford by five. Dodge, with 138 points, is 60 points out.
"Several teams have made it a point to say that they'll do everything they can to 'get the next spot' if it means moving Chevy further ahead in the manufacturers' points race," said Pat Suhy, GM Racing NASCAR Group Manager. "I know they'd go for it anyway, but it feels good to know that they're thinking of us at the same time as they are themselves."
Kyle Busch, in winning eight races during the 26-race regular season, put Toyota in prime position to win the Manufacturers' Championship in only its second season.
"The competition between four manufacturers is one of the reasons we decided to become involved in NASCAR, and there's undoubtedly a huge sense of pride in earning the Manufacturers' Championship, especially with the intense level of competition in the series," said Lee White, president and general manager of TRD, U.S.A.
Ford entered the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup trailing Toyota by 18 points. But three wins in seven Chase races have cut the deficit by 13.
"It's obviously been one of the most competitive seasons, in terms of manufacturers that NASCAR has seen in many years," said Doug Hervey, North American Operations Manager, Ford Racing Technology. "Fortunately for us, we've got three race tracks coming up where our teams really excel, especially Homestead Miami Speedway, so we're optimistic about our chances of coming back and winning the manufacturers' championship."
Source: NASCAR
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Jimmy Johnson is gonna make it three championships in a row. I thought that Kyle Busch was going to win it this time around, but the cocky young driver hasn't done well in the Chase. Funny how he's kept his mouth shut since the regular season ended.
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