Yes, the championship is probably determined already.

The 2008 NASCAR Chase for the Nextel Cup is probably over after Jimmie Johnson trounced the field at the Phoenix International Raceway to inch closer to his record-tying third straight NASCAR title.

You read it, Jimmie Johnson, now with 6561 championship points, is on his way for yet another world championship. With the commanding 141-point lead over Carl Edwards, Johnson needs only to finish 36th or better to win it all.

It seems all the changes Jimmie Johnson and his team made worked. Johnson led a race-high 217 of the 313 laps to stretch his lead over Carl Edwards in the standings from 106 to the commanding 141-point barrier.

‘’He’s doing something pretty special,'’ 2004 champion Kurt Busch said after finishing second. ‘’It’s just tough to beat.'’

Jimmie Johnson was coming into the Phoenix International Raceway on the verge of losing his grip of the title after a rather disappointing 15th place finish in Texas. Thankfully, he rebounded perfectly from that debacle last Sunday despite struggling in the final practice before the big race.

‘’The first thing, the garage opens at 8:01, and he calls me right away,'’ Johnson’s crew chief Chad Knaus said. ‘’I was like, ‘Dude, leave me alone. I need to go to work.’ I told him to go back to sleep, you’re bothering me.'’

‘’This is what I’ve worked my whole life for,'’ Johnson said. ‘’We’ve got a great points lead. We’ll go down to Homestead and try to wrap this baby up.'’

‘’If he would have some terrible luck in Homestead, we still have a chance,'’ Edwards said. ‘’We did the best we could, but it’s too big of a spread right now. It’s possible. Not probable, but possible.'’

Who will win the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship? Bodog sportsbook has the odds.

Kyle Busch 2.00

Dale Earnhardt Jr. 6.50

Jimmie Johnson 7.00

Jeff Gordon 11.00

Want more odds? Visit Bodog for more NASCAR betting odds. Want to watch NASCAR live? Get sporting events tickets online now.

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