Team Lowe’s Finishes 12th in Kobalt Tools 500

Posted by admin on Sunday, March 7, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Johnson started the race 16th but powered through the field when the green flag waved, moving to the sixth spot by Lap 9 of the scheduled 325.

He continued to run up front for the majority of the race, shuffling throughout the top 10 and climbing as high as second place.

Johnson was running sixth and working his way toward the front when a caution flag waved on Lap 293. Because there had been a caution and pit stops on Lap 288, most teams elected not to come down pit road.

But Crew Chief Chad Knaus brought the Kobalt Tools Chevy down the pit lane for four tires after there was an indication of a tire-rub on the No. 48 machine. The team quickly fixed the problem but lost valuable track position when only four lead lap cars pitted.

Johnson restarted deep in the field and worked patiently through traffic during the remaining laps, finishing 12th.

“It definitely wasn’t the finish we were looking for,” said Johnson. “We had to come down pit road to fix the fender and really had no choice. If we got a flat tire we could’ve finished a lot worse than 12th. So not what we hoped for but all-in-all not a bad day.”

The result moves him to fourth in the driver point standings, 74 behind leader Kevin Harvick.

There is no Sprint Cup event next weekend. The series will head to Bristol Motor Speedway on March 21 for the Food City 500. That event will be broadcast live on FOX at 1 p.m. ET.