Johnson, Team Lowe’s, Earn Runner-Up Finish in Texas
Jimmie Johnson overcame a flat tire and avoided a multi-car accident late in Monday’s race to bring home a runner-up finish at Texas Motor Speedway.
Johnson started the race fourth and challenged as a top-five car throughout the event, leading 39 of 334 laps.
When he and teammate Jeff Gordon made contact on the track racing for position on Lap 241, the Lowe’s Chevrolet suffered left-front fender damage, causing a tire rub. Johnson eased his way around the 1.5-mile track for the next 30 laps, hoping a caution flag would wave and he could visit pit lane for repairs. But on Lap 272, he was forced to give up his fourth-place running position when his front-left tire went flat during the green-flag run. When Johnson returned to the track he was 19th and one lap down.
But with green-flag pit stops ensuing, Johnson not only got his lap back, he eventually returned to the top spot as all the cars on the lead lap pitted.
Johnson continued to run in the top five as the laps ticked down, but on Lap 317 a final caution flag waved when Gordon and Tony Stewart made contact, starting a chain reaction that collected nine cars and brought out the red flag.
After sitting on the track during the red-flag period, tire pressures had dropped on the Lowe’s Impala and Johnson lost two spots when the race restarted with 12 laps remaining. But as the tire pressures rebuilt, so did Johnson’s momentum. He drove from seventh to second in the closing laps and crossed the finish line just .152 seconds behind race winner Denny Hamlin.
“All in all it was a great day,” said Johnson. “We had that left-front tire go down and we were fortunate enough to catch the caution when we did. And then at the end the car was just dragging the nose too bad for the first couple of laps. I think we sat too long and the front tire pressures dropped and I lost a few spots – I almost hit the wall down in (Turns) 1 and 2 trying to work the top. When those front tire pressures came in and the splitter got off the ground I started coming, but it was a lap too late.”
The finish expanded Johnson’s lead to 108 points over second place Matt Kenseth in the driver point standings.
Talladega Superspeedway is the next stop for the Sprint Cup Series. The race will be broadcast Sunday, April 25th at 1 p.m. ET on FOX.
