Las Vegas Weekly

November 19, 2009 · 2:11 PM

Photo Gallery: Jimmie Johnson heads to town after big NASCAR race

By Robin Leach

NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson.

Photo: Tom Donoghue/www.donoghuephotography.com

NASCAR fans are right on the edge of sports history. This weekend marks the final week of the year’s racing schedule, and Jimmie Johnson is poised to win a record fourth consecutive championship in Miami at Homestead Speedway.

All Jimmie has to do is finish 25th or better, and the triumph is his. Then he heads to Las Vegas for Champions Week and a slew of award presentations. Jimmie also will appear on our Stewie Awards Sirius Radio live broadcast from The Rio on Dec. 3.

Jimmie heads into the Miami weekend with a 108-point lead over nearest rival Mark Martin after his most recent win in Phoenix. If Jimmie wins, he’ll tie in sports history books with the New York Islanders, who won four consecutive titles from 1980-84. However, he would have to win another four to tie the all-time sports record of eight consecutive championships by the Boston Celtics from 1959 through 1966.

I spoke with the producers of our show in Miami last night, and they reported that the frenzy and anticipation of Jimmie making sports history is in, ahem, overdrive, to put it mildly. History also will be made when team owner Rick Hendrick gets his ninth NASCAR Championship. It’s inevitable that he’ll claim the record and grab the glory because he owns the cars of the top three contenders: Jimmie, Mark and Jeff Gordon. Rick also will be in Las Vegas for Champions Week.

Our contributing photographer Tom Donoghue shot Jimmie during the NASCAR race this year at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and we’re sharing his incredible shots in advance of Jimmie’s arrival. If he wins, he’ll also lead the parade of 12 racecars and the top NASCAR drivers down the Strip.

The El Cajon, Calif., native is hailed as one of the greatest racecar drivers of all time. In 2008, he became only the second driver to win three consecutive Sprint Cup series championships. It was all the way back in 1976, 1977 and 1978 that Cale Yarborough last pulled off the hat trick!

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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