Avondale, Ariz. — When a fluke accident cost Jimmie Johnson a huge chunk of his points lead, he knew there was no more room for error in his bid to win a NASCAR record fourth consecutive championship.
But when it came time to plot a strategy for Phoenix International Raceway, playing it safe was never an option.
Johnson cruised to a dominating victory Sunday that moved him to the edge of history, winning the fourth race of this Chase for the Sprint Cup championship in what his rivals considered a “statement” showing.
“I guess in the end it could be looked at like that,” Johnson acknowledged. “It was, ‘Hey, guys, you know, we need to step up and get it done ... we need to show what we’re made of, we need to get this done.’
“I guess in the end, it could have been a statement that we’re sending. I’m very proud of the fact we looked each other in the eyes, knew what we had to do, and delivered.”
Johnson was wrecked on the third lap of last week’s race at Texas and sat inside his disabled race car as his crew did a total rebuild of the Chevrolet.
He limped to a 38th-place finish that sliced his lead in the standings to just 73 points over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Mark Martin.
His win at Phoenix — Johnson’s fourth in the last five races here, and seventh victory of the season — stretched his lead to 108 points over Martin heading into the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Johnson needs to finish 25th or better next week to grab a spot in NASCAR’s record books.
“We gave it everything we had,” said Martin, who finished fourth.
Jeff Burton finished second and was followed by Denny Hamlin, Martin and pole-sitter Martin Truex Jr.
Auto racing
Patrick deal denied
Avondale, Ariz. — Rick Hendrick said Sunday he has no deal to bring IndyCar superstar Danica Patrick to NASCAR, and there’s no certainty she’ll even be driving stock cars next season.
Golf
Wie gets first LPGA win
Guadalajara, Mexico — Michelle Wie has earned her first win on the LPGA Tour, closing with a 3-under 69 to finish two strokes ahead of Paula Creamer in the Lorena Ochoa Invitational.
Wie’s solid final round Sunday left her at 13-under 275 after starting the day at the Guadalajara Country Club tied for the lead with Cristie Kerr at 10 under. Morgan Pressel (67), Jiyai Shin (71) and Kerr (72) were three back.
Ames wins in playoff
Lake Buena Vista, Fla. — Stephen Ames won his second title in three years at the Children’s Miracle Network Classic on Sunday, edging George McNeill and Justin Leonard in a playoff.
College football
USC tumbles in AP poll
New York — After another humiliating loss, Southern California tumbled to its worst ranking since Pete Carroll’s Trojans began their run as one of college football’s best programs in 2002.
USC is No. 22 in the Associated Press Top 25 released Sunday, dropping 11 spots after losing 55-21 to Stanford. Meanwhile, Stanford soared to No. 14.
Texas KR suspended
Austin, Texas — Texas freshman kick returner D.J. Monroe has been suspended indefinitely after being arrested on a drunken driving charge.
OSU QB day to day
Stillwater, Okla. — One big hit has complicated a short week of preparation for No. 12 Oklahoma State.
With less than two minutes left in a 24-17 victory against Texas Tech on Saturday night, quarterback Zac Robinson ran into a nasty collision with safety Jamar Wall that left both players sprawled out on the Boone Pickens Stadium turf.
Robinson had to be helped off the field, leaving his status for Thursday’s game against Colorado in doubt.
Cowboys coach Mike Gundy said Sunday that he believes Robinson will be able to play this week, but the team’s medical staff will continue to evaluate him every day.
OU turns to walk-on kicker
Norman, Okla. — Frustrated with his other kickers, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops has turned to a walk-on in his quest for consistency.
After one scholarship kicker had an extra-point try blocked and another missed a 35-yard field goal, Stoops called on sophomore Patrick O’Hara on Saturday. O’Hara went 2-for-2 on extra points and booted a 26-yard field goal as Oklahoma beat Texas A&M, 65-10.
Stoops hasn’t committed to making O’Hara the Sooners’ starter but says the Topeka, Kan., product probably has the strongest leg of any of the five kickers on Oklahoma’s roster.
Three Vols benched
Knoxville, Tenn. — Three Tennessee players charged with attempted armed robbery won’t practice or play for the time being.
Coach Lane Kiffin said Sunday he has no timeline for making a decision on the future of wide receiver Nu’Keese Richardson, safety Janzen Jackson and defensive back Mike Edwards. He says he wants to gather all the necessary information first.
SJSU’s Tomey to retire
San Jose, Calif. — San Jose State football coach Dick Tomey will retire after the season.
The school said late Sunday that Tomey would hold a formal news conference today to discuss his decision. The Spartans, 1-8 after Saturday’s 24-9 loss to Utah State, have struggled and their only win came against non-Football Bowl Subdivision school Cal Poly on Sept. 26.
The 71-year-old Tomey is finishing his fifth season at San Jose State, 29th overall as a major college head coach and 46th in the business. He has an overall record of 182-143-7 at Hawaii, Arizona and San Jose State.
College basketball
WSU player suspended
Wichita — The NCAA is standing by its suspension of Wichita State basketball player Clevin Hannah.
On Saturday, the NCAA denied the school’s appeal. That means the school will be without its leading scorer for the first three games of the season.
Hannah played the 2008-09 season without being properly certified as an amateur because of an administrative error.
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