NASCAR THIS WEEK

Sports

August 18, 2018 - 4:00 AM

QUESTIONS & ATTITUDE

Compelling questions … and maybe a few actual answers

Jimmie the Bubble Boy?

Not quite, but he’s way too close for comfort — we’re just one Alex Bowman victory away from seeing Jimmie Johnson take his precarious place atop the unsteady orb. A seven-time champ on the playoff bubble and therefore a potential playoff outsider? It’s still a bit unlikely, but its mere possibility is a shock to the system. The “slump” is part of a teamwide struggle at Hendrick Motorsports, but no less striking.

Can Jimmie shake it?

This deep into the season, highly unlikely. Looking back at late spring, there was some mild optimism when he finished between third and 12th in a four-week span. Then he finished fifth and eighth over two weeks the following month. But over the past nine races, he’s had more finishes outside the top 15 (five) than inside of it, with a best of 10th. He turns 43 next month, by the way.

— Ken Willis, [email protected]

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