Hendrick duo mulling all-star race struggles
By Lee Montgomery - Associate Editor
Sunday, May 18, 2008
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CONCORD, N.C. – Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon have 15 victories at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, including all-star races. But though Johnson finished fourth in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on Saturday night, the Hendrick Motorsports duo struggled.
Only a gamble on pit road got Johnson to the front of the pack in the final segment, while Gordon limped home with a 15th-place finish.
But the all-star race wasn’t a total loss for both drivers, as they learned how important track position is at the 1.5-mile track with NASCAR’s new model car.
“Track position is everything,” Johnson said.
“I think it shows that clean air is extremely important,” Gordon said.
But Gordon had other worries Saturday, as his No. 24 Chevrolet didn’t handle well. He started second but never led and never was a factor.
“Pit strategy is important,” Gordon said. “You’ve got to have the car close, and that was our problem. We could never gamble to get the track position because we weren’t close enough, so we’ve got some work to do.
“But the guys that were close, they just felt like, ‘Hey I can’t pass back here. I’m pretty good, but I just can’t pass back here.’”
That’s what Johnson thought as he started 21st in the 24-car field. His No. 48 Chevy ran well, but crew chief Chad Knaus decided not to change tires for the final segment, giving Johnson the lead.
Johnson couldn’t hold the top spot, but expect more of the same strategy in next weekend’s Coca-Cola 600.
“We didn't make any adjustment and picked up a half a second in speed,” Johnson said. “I really think we learned a lot tonight about our car even if we didn't win. … We are learning a lot. We are making gains, and I am happy to do that. I am happy to have a good run here at Lowe's and we will have our Lowe's Impala tuned up for next weekend.”
- Mentioned Drivers:
- Jeff Gordon
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