Will you be watching NASCAR history?

If you didn't get to see the championship contenders press conference on Speed Channel today, the point of emphasis is history.

Consider: Jimmie Johnson is going for a record-breaking fourth Cup title in a row. Or Mark Martin could become the oldest Cup champion if he wins his first crown. And car owner Rick Hendrick will tie Petty Enterprises with 9 Cup titles and earn a record-breaking 12th crown among NASCAR's top three series (Cup, Nationwide and Trucks), breaking a tie with Richard Childress Racing.

With Sunday's race the season finale, the question is if history is enough to make you want to watch the race? Will you watch it regardless? Of do you want to see history? Which type of history do you want to see? Johnson winning a fourth? Or Martin becoming the oldest driver in series history to win the crown? Why?

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A FEW ODDS AND ENDS IN REGARDS TO THE 48 TEAM

Chad Knaus calls working on the 48 team a lifestyle. So what does that entail? Many things, including following Chad's rules of tucked in shirts and be clean shaven, among others. But, wait a minute, Johnson wore a beard earlier this season and not everyone on the team is clean shaven, so how did that fly?

"He did that just to (tick) me off,'' Knaus said of Johnson's beard and then explained. "I don't have a problem with the beard, so that's why it was OK. Beards are OK. I don't want two-day old scruff face. You're either going to have a beard, you're going to have a mustache or you're going to have a goatee of you're going to be clean shaven. It's going to be like that and that's the way it needs to be.''

On what drives Knaus:

"I want to figure out how to beat (the competition). I always want to beat everybody else. It's cool because there are so many other teams out there. You're never trying to beat the same person (that's) where it's different from football. Say we're going to play the Bills and we know we've got to beat T.O., we've got to ... keep T.O. double-teamed. That's easy in all respects. That's one team that you've dissected that and you've found their strengths and now you've got to try to hold them down. Try to do that to 42 other teams. it's extremely difficult. It's fun, man. I love what I do. I just absolutely love it.''

Sitting up on the pit box with Knaus is lead engineer Greg Ives. He joined the team eary in the 2006 season, thus he's been there for all of Johnson's title. Although the Michigan native comes from a family that raced (he even drove late models) and did all sorts of mechanical work for the family run business and also for UPS, he went to college not for engineering at first. instead, he was pre-med. He wanted to be a pediatrician or surgeon. Things changed, when, he said, he "really felt like I could be a much better engineer than doctor.'' So he changed his major and the direction his life was headed.

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LAST TIME AROUND

This weekend's race marks the final time some drivers will be with their teams. A look at those moving on.

# Jamie McMurray runs his last race in the No. 26 car for Roush Fenway Racing. He moves on to the No. 1 at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing as Roush shuts the 26 down to meet the NASCAR rule that car owners can have no more than four teams.

# Reed Sorenson runs his final race in the No. 43 for Richard Petty Motorsports. He has not announced his plans for next year, although he likely will end up with a ride in the Nationwide Series. Good bet he could be driving for Braun Racing.

# Martin Truex Jr. runs his final race in the No. 1 at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. He moves on to the No. 56 at Michael Waltrip Racing next year.

# Casey Mears COULD be running his final race in the No. 07 at Richard Childress Racing. Organization is looking for sponsorship but there is question what will happen to this team. Unless Mears finds a sponsor, he might be on the outside looking in even if this car runs next year.

# Erik Darnell's status is uncertain with the 96 car of Hall of Fame Racing since the team's future is uncertain.

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ONE LAST NOTE:

# Rusty Wallace Racing announced Thursday that it will switch to Toyota beginning next year in the Nationwide series for Steve Wallace and Brendan Gaughan.

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