Johnson Fights for Top-10 Finish in Richmond
Jimmie Johnson and Team Lowe’s Racing fought a tough battle Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway, but ultimately came away with a 10th-place result.
Johnson started the race third but was challenged quickly by a loose condition in the Kobalt Tools Chevrolet during the first 50 circuits of the 400-lap race.
Crew chief Chad Knaus and the Lowe’s team worked diligently in the pits to make changes to the car but soon Johnson reported a tight feeling, one he would struggle with throughout the night.
Johnson shuffled his way throughout the top 10 for the majority of the event and was running fifth when the race restarted on Lap 177 following the third caution.
Johnson quickly reported the Kobalt machine to be tighter than the previous run and fell back in the pack during an ensuing 191-lap green flag period. But by the time green-flag pit stops rolled around on Lap 267, Johnson was running fourth, but still fighting a “tight-in-the-center” feeling.
A yellow flag eventually waved on Lap 378 and Johnson restarted 10th after coming down pit road for changes. Just three laps later another caution took place and the No. 48 Chevy returned to its pit to continue adjustments.
The Lowe’s Chevrolet restarted 13th on Lap 386 but had driven to ninth by the time the final caution came out on Lap 390.
When the final green-flag waved on Lap 396, Johnson took off, battling traffic and looking to maintain a top-10 position with four laps remaining. But as he and Clint Bowyer’s No. 33 car fought their way around the .75-mile track for the final time, they made contact, resulting in both cars spinning as they crossed the line.
“I guess a little bit of both to be honest with you,” offered Johnson when asked if he was frustrated or glad to have a top-10 result. “Tough night to earn points tonight where we had competitive speed, not dominant speed where we could run with leaders. There at the end, we had guys on tires and I wasn’t on tires and we were just fighting really hard for that spot. Clint (Bowyer) got inside of me off of four and I could hear him in the gas and I wasn’t going to let off. We touched tires and around we went and luckily, I don’t think anyone hit anything hard. Exciting finish for the fans.”
Johnson dropped to second in the driver point standings, 10 points behind current leader Kevin Harvick.
For the second race in a row, the Sprint Cup Series will be under the lights next weekend when they visit Darlington Raceway for a Saturday night event. The race will be broadcast live on FOX beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Lowe’s Chevy Involved in Late-Race Accident at Talladega
Jimmie Johnson was involved in a late-race accident in Sunday’s Sprint Cup event at Talladega Superspeedway, relegating him to a 31st-place result.
Johnson started the race from the top spot after qualifying was canceled for weather and the lineup was set by driver points. Johnson quickly showed his No. 48 Chevrolet was one of the fastest on the track when the race began. He led seven times for a total of nine laps.
As the race wound down, Johnson looked to be closing in on a top-10 finish but made contact with teammate Jeff Gordon on Lap 181 of the scheduled 188, causing left-rear fender damage to the Lowe’s Impala.
Just two laps later, the caution flag waved when five cars wrecked in the tri-oval, extending the race past its scheduled length and forcing the field to execute its first green-white-checkered restart.
Because of the caution, Johnson was able to come down pit road under the yellow flag for repairs but returned to the 2.66-mile oval deep in the pack. The race restarted and Johnson made his way to the front. But before the leader could take the white flag, nine cars wrecked just in front of Johnson in Turn 4. He avoided the collision and moved up the leader board for the second attempt at a green-white-checker finish.
As drivers took the green, Johnson worked his way through the field. But as he attempted to move to the high line on first lap, he made contact with Greg Biffle, spinning across the track and slamming into the inside wall.
The Lowe’s Impala suffered significant damage and was loaded on the truck with two laps remaining.
The final attempt at a green-white-checker finish ended with Harvick edging past Jamie McMurray at the finish line by .011 seconds.
Johnson maintains the Sprint Cup Series points lead, 26 over race winner Kevin Harvick.
The Sprint Cup Series will be under the lights next weekend when they visit Richmond International Raceway for Saturday night’s event. The race will be broadcast live on FOX beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET.
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.
Team Lowe’s Grabs Top-5 Finish in Phoenix
In Saturday night’s race at Phoenix International Raceway, Jimmie Johnson reminded everyone why he had won four of the past five races at the one-mile track by earning his ninth top-five finish in 14 starts. Johnson finished third after a wild race to the finish under a green-white-checker flag.
Johnson started the event from the 16th spot after what he called a loose handling race car in qualifying. But the championship driver didn’t stay mired in mid pack for long moving the Lowe’s Chevrolet to ninth place by Lap 17.
Johnson’s car would mainly stay tight in the center and get loose off in the first part of the race. Chad Knaus and the 48 crew performed flawless pit stops and made adjustments throughout the early going to correct the condition. By Lap 150 Johnson had passed Juan Pablo Montoya for the lead.
He maintained the top spot for much of the mid part of the race, leading four times for 113 of 375 laps. However, as the sun set Johnson began to lose some of the handling of the car. After radioing in that the back of the car was on top of the track a little too much, Knaus commented that the conditions were cooling off and that was likely the reason for the change in feel.
The crew made slight adjustments to the track bar in the final 100 circuits but Kyle Busch was able to hold off Johnson until the closing laps when a caution caused by the 90 car forced the field into a green-white-checkered finish.
“We had a decent night all night long,” said Johnson. “Worked our way up through the pack. Got to the lead, held on to the lead for a long time. As the sun went down and stayed down the temperature kept dropping. We got a little behind on our adjustments. Definitely not bad, but the 18 came to life and was the strongest car this last maybe two runs, I guess it was. So we were just chasing him and trying to work on our stuff and make it better. I was excited to see the caution come out because it was an opportunity to win.”
Knaus radioed to Johnson asking whether he wanted to take four or two tires. Johnson called for four. As he exited the pits, six cars were ahead of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevy, having taken two tires. Johnson restarted seventh and was able to battle his way through traffic to a third-place finish.
“I made the call for four tires,” continued Johnson. “It’s the first time that I can remember in a long time that I actually said what I wanted for a pit stop, with the way Martinsville played out and Bristol and last night’s (Nationwide) race. I knew with the green white checkered there weren’t a lot of laps, but I felt we might get a caution with everybody racing so hard. So I made the call for four and made the most of it. We got from seventh to third and just did what we could. So not a bad night at all. Excited to see us stretch out the points a little bit and get another top-five finish here.”
Johnson expands his hold on the top spot in the point standings, now 36 points ahead of Matt Kenseth and 92 ahead of Greg Biffle.
Team Takes Points Lead with 9th-Place Martinsville Finish
Jimmie Johnson earned his 16th top-10 finish in 17 starts at Martinsville Speedway with a ninth-place result in Monday’s rain-delayed race.
The result propelled Team Lowe’s Racing to first place in the point standings, 14 ahead of second-place Greg Biffle.
Johnson started the event from the third spot after rain washed out Friday’s qualifying session and the field was set by driver points. When the green flag waved, Johnson began battling a loose Lowe’s Chevrolet, but it quickly took a turn and became tight, a condition he would fight throughout the race.
As the laps ticked off, Johnson maintained top-five position on the track as the Lowe’s crew went to work during pit stops. They continued to work on the free condition but Johnson remained tight throughout the race, falling as low as 13th.
Team Lowe’s Racing was running eighth and looked to be closing in on a top-10 finish when Jeff Burton brought out the yellow flag with seven laps remaining. Crew chief Chad Knaus opted not to pit and Johnson lined up sixth, on the outside of row three, when the race restarted.
Johnson wasn’t able move down the track to the inside line and lost several positions before a final caution flag waved with two laps to go.
With a green-white-checkered finish looming, Johnson lined up 11th and set his sights on a top-10 finish. When the race resumed, Johnson battled his way around the track for two frantic laps.
“It was chaos,” said Johnson. “It is amazing the way these bumpers line up. Somebody four cars back can start pushing the guy four cars ahead if he just gets in there and stays in the gas. Looked like someone started pushing the No. 17 (Kenseth) the way that whole thing looked in front of me. I saw the No. 24 (Gordon) leave the bottom and we go in the next turn and the No. 17 was off the bottom. It looked pretty crazy from where I was sitting.”
Johnson escaped unscathed and crossed the finish line ninth.
“We were trying some stuff through the company, especially on the 48 car today,” explained Johnson. “We thought we would get it sorted out in practice and just came up a little short. Didn’t get enough time with our new ideas. Good race experience with it today and we know what we were trying here today will help us at other tracks down the road. In some respects you wish you could just come back with the same stuff all the time and have it work but this garage area doesn’t sit still. With the fast start we have had we wanted to be smart and try some things out. Ninth today was about it for us.”
The finish propelled Johnson to first place in the driver point standings, 14 points ahead of Greg Biffle and 16 ahead of Matt Kenseth .
Teams will enjoy an off weekend before heading west to Phoenix International Raceway for the next Sprint Cup Series event.
The April 10 event will be broadcast live on FOX beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Team Lowe’s Grabs 1st Bristol Win, 50th Career Win
Jimmie Johnson took his first trip to Victory Lane at Bristol Motor Speedway Sunday, earning his first win at the half-mile track, the 50th of his Sprint Cup Series career and the third of the season.
“I’m just proud of what we continue to do,” said Johnson following the race. “I mean, it’s one thing to have some success, but to continue to do it year after year, to find tracks that really are our weakest tracks, focus on them, get stronger and better at them, is a cool thing to experience. There’s a lot of work that goes into it. I wish everybody could see behind the scenes what effort goes into it from Chad’s side, everyone at Hendrick, building the cars, our engineers, the focus and dedication I have on how to drive this track better, the notes that we pour through, the conversations we have, trying to find the smallest details to make us better week in and week out at this track so we could finally win here.”
Johnson started Sunday’s race fourth and quickly moved to the front of the field, leading for the first time on Lap 6 of 500. He went on to run in the top five for the majority of the race, leading three times for 84 total laps.
When a caution flag waved with only 16 laps remaining, Johnson was running second and came down pit road for fresh tires. Johnson and race leader Kurt Busch opted for four tires while the remainder of the top 10 took only two.
“(Taking two tires) was a pretty easy decision for us,” said crew chief Chad Knaus. “Obviously we were running in the second position coming onto pit road right behind the 2 car. We felt pretty confident that a lot of guys were going to take two tires, but I felt like if we had a really good pit stop, we’d roll out of the pits probably fourth. We had a good pit stop, and were sixth. With the amount of laps we had left, even though they were dwindling, I figured we’d have about 12 laps to go. We felt very confident we’d be able to get back up to the front, get a solid top five.”
Johnson lined up sixth when the race restarted on Lap 490 and quickly picked off the cars ahead of him, moving to third on the first lap and to the lead on Lap 494. The Lowe’s Chevrolet pulled away from the field during the final six circuits and crossed the finish line .894 seconds ahead of runner-up Tony Stewart.
“Every win is extremely special,” said Johnson. “But when a track kicks your butt for so long and you finally can win at that track, there’s just something really unique about that. That’s what I experienced today.”
Johnson moved to third in the driver point standings, 14 behind leader Kevin Harvick.
The Sprint Cup Series will continue short-track racing next weekend when they visit Martinsville Speedway. Johnson has won five of the last seven races at the paperclip-shaped track.
That event will be broadcast live on FOX beginning at 1 p.m. ET.
CAREER NOTES:
Johnson’s Bristol win moves him to a tie with Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson for 10th on NASCAR’s all-time wins list.
Johnson needed only 296 starts to hit the 50 mark. Only three drivers have reached 50 victories quicker – Gordon (232), Darrell Waltrip (278) and David Pearson (293).
Team Lowe’s Finishes 12th in Kobalt Tools 500
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.
Team Lowe’s Leaves Vegas with Second-Consecutive Win
Jimmie Johnson earned his second-consecutive Sprint Cup Series win of 2010 with a victory in today’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
In scoring his 49th career win, the four-time defending Sprint Cup Series champion became the all-time winning driver on 1.5-mile tracks with 15 victories. (Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty and Jeff Gordon have 14.) The win moved Johnson to 12th on the all-time wins list, one race behind NASCAR greats Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson.
“Really proud of the car we brought to the track,” offered Johnson, who jumped seven spots in the standings to fifth in driver points. “We had to work on it some through the race. But, you know, it was so fast on the long haul that we could make up ground from the 20th place starting position we had. Worked up into the top 10. Worked up into the top five… Great day. Pit road, our guys had awesome stops. One issue with the lug nut falling off, and they still recovered from that issue very well. I think we’re pretty solid from a team standpoint from across the board.”
Johnson started the 267-lap event from the 20th position but steadily worked his way through the field when the green flag waved, moving into the top five on Lap 64. He remained in top five positions throughout the race, but spent most of his time chasing teammate Jeff Gordon, who led 219 total laps.
Johnson led only one lap during the first 250 circuits. But when he finally caught and passed Gordon on Lap 251, he never looked back, leading the final 17 laps and collecting the win.
“Everybody at Hendrick Motorsports did a great job on this car,” said Chad Knaus. “People back at the shop had to get this car prepared, turned over. We were back in California when they were building this car. To send that car out from the shop, it run as well as what it did, they did a great job.”
“We’re excited. It’s early in the year,” said Johnson, who now has four wins in Las Vegas. “It is a relief to know that we worked in the right areas over the off‑season. But, you know, Richmond is a long way away from right now. We need to keep collecting points, winning races, make the Chase, then get to work for what we’re really here for.”
The Sprint Cup Series will head back to the East Coast for next weekend’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The event will be broadcast live on FOX beginning at 1 p.m. ET.
Team Lowe’s Earns 48th Career Win with Victory in California
Jimmie Johnson and Team Lowe’s Racing earned their 48th career-win by picking up the victory in today’s Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway (Fontana, Calif.).
Johnson started the 250-lap event from the seventh spot and quickly made his presence known, taking the lead for the first time on Lap 30. He went on to lead eight times throughout the race for a total of 101 laps, more than any other competitor.
Luck fell Johnson’s way when on Lap 224 he brought the Kobalt Tools Chevy down pit road for a green-flag stop. As Johnson received four tires and fuel, a caution flag waved when Brad Keselowski made contact with the Turn 4 wall. Because of Johnson’s pit stall selection and the speedy stop by the 48 crew, he was able to beat the leaders across the line and took the lead when other cars came down the pit lane under the yellow flag.
“The deal on pit road, we got lucky,” said Johnson, who is now tied for 12th on the all-time wins list. “We were in our pit box and the caution came out. We were able to just beat the 31 (Burton) car off of pit road where the scoring line is at the end of pit road. You know, certainly got lucky. We were running third or fourth or fifth at the time, so it’s not like we totally backed into this thing. But we got a really nice gift with the way things worked out, then it was kind of up to me to hang onto it.”
Johnson led the field back to green when the race restarted on Lap 231 and despite a hard charging Kevin Harvick never lost the lead.
“I got away from the 29 (Harvick) and 31 and thought I was going to be able to motor off, have a nice smooth ride till the end,” added Johnson. “I started losing the handling on the car a little bit. The 29 was really coming on. All I could do was kind of change my line of what he was running because I hadn’t really run there yet over the course of the race, and I started working my way higher in turns three and four, trying to find some more grip and anything to help myself out. I guess he got into the fence at one point, did some damage to his car.
“(It was a) great race. I think today was a great race for NASCAR, great race on this racetrack. I know it’s big and spread out from time to time, but in every situation I was in, there was a lot of great racing going on.”
Johnson’s win moved him from 35th to 12th in the driver point standings.
“We led a bunch of the race so it was obvious we had a fast racecar,” offered crew chief Chad Knaus. “It was a great day for the Lowe’s/Kobalt Chevrolet. Jimmie did a fantastic job of driving the racecar. It’s on to Vegas.
The Sprint Cup Series will travel to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for next Sunday’s event. It will be broadcast live on FOX beginning at 3 p.m. ET.
Johnson, Team Lowe’s, Relegated to 35th-Place Finish in Daytona
It was a roller coaster day at Daytona International Speedway for Jimmie Johnson and the Team Lowe’s Racing crew. After overcoming a flat tire on Lap 117 of the scheduled 200, the team waited out two red-flag periods before a final 39-lap run to the finish. But with fewer than 12 laps remaining Johnson reported a problem in the rear end of his Lowe’s Impala SS, which ultimately forced him to the garage and relegated him to a 35th-place finish.
Johnson started the season-opening event third and maintained a top-ten position for most of the race. But when a yellow flag waved just past the halfway mark, Johnson indicated he had a flat tire and brought his machine down pit road for new Goodyears. When he arrived in the 48 pit stall, the team discovered fender damage where the shredded tire had made contact. The crew used the caution period wisely and remained on the led lap while making several trips down pit road for repairs.
But before the race was restarted, NASCAR determined that a pothole between Turns 1 and 2 needed attention and brought the field down pit road under a red flag. NASCAR and track officials spent the next hour and 45 minutes repairing the problem.
“They are doing their best to get the show in,” said Johnson during the red-flag break. “The thing keeps coming out (patch to fill the hole) whatever they’re putting in isn’t getting hard enough to stay. But we were all dodging it. Now we know where it’s at. Everybody is dodging it.”
The event was eventually restarted and when the green flag waved the Team Lowe’s Chevy quickly moved from 34th to 18th, where it was running when a second red flag period began in order to continue working on track repairs.
The drivers once again brought their machines down pit road where they remained for 45 minutes before returning to the track for the final 39 laps. Johnson made a charge through the field when the green flag waved and was running in the top 10 when he reported on Lap 188 of 200 that there was a problem in the back end of his 48 Chevrolet.
“It was something with the drive, either the axel or the rocker broke in the rear end or something with the hub on the left side,” explained Johnson. “We only (had) drive in the right rear tires, so something broke coming through Turns 3 and 4 and I just had the one wheel driving.”
He maneuvered his machine down the pit lane and to the garage before it was deemed unfixable.
“It’s definitely not the finish we wanted,” said Johnson. “It was a really long day and we had a great car so to go home with a 35th-place result is disappointing. Luckily it’s just the first race – we’ll head to California next week and hope for better luck.”
The next stop on the Sprint Cup Series schedule is Auto Club Speedway (Fontana, Calif.). The Feb. 21 race will be broadcast live on FOX beginning at 3 p.m. ET.
