Last night, Jimmie Johnson became the first driver in NASCAR’s 61-year history to win four consecutive Sprint Cup championships. Any way you cut it, that’s pretty impressive–Jimmie and Chad the entire Hendrick organization absolutely deserve to revel in the victory they’ve earned. At the same time, Jimmie (perhaps unfairly) has come to represent to a lot of folks everything that is bloodless and corporate about modern stock car racing. There’s a good chance that his run of wins will turn a lot of people away from the sport, as the abysmal ratings of this year’s Chase for the Cup have already suggested–especially old-school fans who crave the firey personalities and distinguishable cars and cut-throat driving of yesteryear’s NASCAR. People forget that Jimmie grew up in a trailer park, and that just like everyone else he earned his salt in motorsports, rising through the ranks of motocross and off-road and the minor leagues of ASA and NASCAR to get to where he is today. But regrettably, despite his obviously prodigious driving skill and team dedication, he often comes across as simply a corporate racebot who’s just had everything handed to him. How about you–what are your feelings on Jimmie’s fourth championship victory? And how will it affect how you watch NASCAR in the 2010 season?

Personally, I find most of the traditional luxury cars at SEMA to be a little boring. I just really don’t care if somebody slapped a sweet set of wheels on a 7 Series BMW and rolled it on to the red carpet. Yawn. That said, I’d like to nominate the following cars for best luxury ride: the black Porsche Panamera (not everyone finds it as ill-proportioned as I do) ,  the killer widebody Bentley in the Nutek Wheels booth, the unreal House of Kolor Monte Carlo, this uber-tough diesel powered Caddy, and David Huang’s aggressively attired Lexus IS 300. Even if you think I’m totally high with these choices, vote for your favorite!

We’ve featured this awesome ’71 Riviera in the blog before. Now how about this cool Abarth clone Buickman is building?

Scott has the top rated Subaru Brat on CarDomain. Check out his ride page for more on this awesome Subie!

Hypertech was at SEMA talking about their new Max Energy Sport line, which is aimed at the import tuner market, including popular enthusiast models by Honda, Nissan, Infiniti, Subaru, Mazda and Mitsubishi, with more makes and models to be added soon. Besides tuning your engine for increased efficiency, horsepower and torque, the Max Energy Sport Power Programmer allows you to raise or lower your vehicle’s top-speed limiter to match the speed rating of your tires, adjust the maximum engine rpm, read and clear diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) and remove the electronic throttle restriction. You can keep your Max Energy Sport Power Programmer up to date via the internet, and you can also revert to your stock factory tuning at any time. More info at Hypertech.

Earlier this week we stopped by Walden Speed Shop to observe what makes these world-class metalcrafters tick. Greeting us at the entrance were a beautiful ‘27 T-Bucket with a Buick Nailhead 425 and a partially built ‘36 Ford smuggling an L92 crate motor between its bulging fenders. A gorgeous collection of vintage gas station signs hung like tapestries of automotive art signaled good things in store. Continue reading and view more photos on MotorMavens!

One cop drives recklessly and two kids end up dead. Watch the video and read about the tragic Milford-area wreck at wtnh.com

This week’s ebay Motors Showdown really hit a chord with people. Even with our ongoing commenting issues (now even I can’t comment, and yes, we are working on it) we got a HUGE response on this one. At first it looked like the IROC was gonna walk away with it, but then the Fox body rallied, and in the end this one is just too close to call!

Looks like the 1988 Camaro IROC Z-28 got bid up to $4,550 with the reserve still not met before time ran out. The 1989 Mustang GT auction still has three days to go, with the bid currently at $2,550. But any way you look at it, both of these cars offer a big bang for the buck. And we’ll definitely run more Mustang vs. Camaro shoot outs in the future, cause they are a of of fun!

When we went for our weekly trip down the dark halls of CraigsList and saw the words Road Runner and NASCAR pop up in a listing, we cringed and clicked the mouse button. We were shocked to find a bitchin’ car that we’d proudly drive the wheels off of.

We were convinced that this thing would be a mess. Some hacked up, mullet-worthy creation that had been sitting behind someone’s house for a decade or so. Instead, this is a nicely done car, signed by Richard Petty, that has a nice drivetrain and all the right stuff to turn heads at any cruise night or car show.

Sure, it’s not for the owner who wants to blend in with the crowd, but hey, what hot rodder on Earth wants to meld into the crowd? Not us, that’s for sure! The price tag is steep, but not totally unreasonable as everything on the car is brand new and this baby is a turn key find.

Click here to see the CraigsList ad.

Life got you down? Itching to travel? Tired of seeing your neighbor scratching his butt when you leave the house every morning? What you need, son, is a house on wheels. Yes, sell that boring ol’ house on a foundation and put your money into mobility, maybe something like a 1938 Curtiss Aerocar, towed by a one-of-a-kind Chevrolet-based streamlined tractor, currently for sale on Hemmings.com for $250,000. Continue reading at Hemmings

This is so bizarre. Last Friday, after I shot a few drift cars at Nikko circuit, I was on my way to the actual historical town of Nikko, to relax for a bit before heading up to Ebisu for the Drift Matsuri. As I set the Audi S4 I was driving on cruise control, l sat back and enjoyed some tunes from the crisp Bang & Olufsen audio system. After cruising for twenty minutes or so I suddenly had to hit the brakes and pull a U-turn. I couldn’t believe my eyes, I had just driven by an abandoned gas station with three neglected vintage Skylines lined up next to each other. I parked up and got the camera out. Continue reading at Speedhunters

By Dino Dalle Carbonare

The green category seemed a little subdued this year, and there were a lot of cars we’d already seen during previous visits to SEMA. Still, that didn’t stop us from finding some real standouts in the zero-emissions, electric, hybrid, and alt-fuel divisions–showing that green performance is still alive and well. For one thing, there was the Corsa Motorsports hybrid-electric LMP1 car, which will be running a full series in the American Le Mans Series this year. And the Progressive Automotive X Prize contingent was out in force, vying for the $10 million prize in the race to build marketable ultra-fuel efficient cars–we thought the Saba Motors electric roadster was one of the coolest rides in this section. The LPG-powered ‘56 Ford pickup was an absolute knockout with its candy paint, copper-lined engine compartment, and propane-powered 460 big block. That all-electric 1976 Porsche 912 took a more subtle approach to vintage green, looking refined and flawless following its concours-level restoration and EV drivetrain conversion. Then finally there was Factory Five’s new electric hot rod, a total show-stopper that handily lived up to the hype that’s surrounded it in recent months. Vote on your favorite SEMA green car, below!

You know the drill: Come up with a caption for the picture below by noon PST next Thursday. If you submit the funniest one, we’ll send you some CarDomain swag. Three entries per member max. Good luck!

Twin charging is a new way to gain ultimate boost and less turbo lag. The following video illustrates one of the hottest GT-R’s from Japan with a twin turbo, twin supercharged setup. Ability to boost lag free with an awesome low and top end, twin charging is the ultimate in forced induction setups. Learn more about how this twin charging system works at Tampa Sports Car Examiner.

Classic Recreations has announced plans for the G.T.500CR, a 1967 Shelby continuation vehicle. All three G.T.500CR models will feature a hand-built 427 cubic inch (7.0L) engine, model specific bodywork, custom paint and hand-stitched upholstery. Every car will have an official Shelby serial number, badges and will be included in the official Shelby Worldwide Registry. Check out the official announcement at Motorator for package details and specs.