Jimmie Johnson cruises to sixth win of season; extends points lead at Charlotte
Hendrick Motorsports' Jimmie Johnson won his sixth race of the season at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Saturday. // David Griffin, NASCAR Scene
CONCORD, N.C. – Jimmie Johnson made a case that he’s still the master of Lowe’s Motor Speedway and took a major step toward a fourth straight NASCAR Sprint Cup title along the way in Saturday night’s NASCAR Banking 500.
Johnson passed Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon for the lead with 13 laps to go and sailed away for his third win in the opening five Chase For The Sprint Cup events.
Johnson captured his sixth win at Lowe’s – but first since 2005 – and stretched his series points lead to 90 over teammate Mark Martin as multiple Chase contenders endured various degrees of setbacks.
Roush Fenway Racing’s Matt Kenseth finished second, followed by Richard Petty Motorsports’ Kasey Kahne, Gordon and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Joey Logano.
Gordon used a strong restart with 17 laps to go to pass Johnson but Johnson battled back to retake the lead two laps later. Johnson was never challenged again while Gordon faded on tires that were older than most of the leaders because of a two-tire stop on his final visit to pit road.
"That last restart, man, I had my hands full," Johnson said. "I was loose on the inside of him. Once I cleared him, I knew we'd be in good shape."
Gordon moved up two spots to third in the standings and trails Johnson by 135 points.
It was a rough night for several Chase drivers, most notably Earnhardt Ganassi Racing’s Juan Pablo Montoya and Martin. And perhaps coincidentally, their problems were interlaced.
Montoya and Martin both ran among the top 10 before suffering damage when the field checked up on a restart on lap 125. Montoya ran into the back of Richard Childress Racing’s Clint Bowyer while Martin clipped the rear of Montoya’s car.
Montoya immediately began freefalling through the field and was 30th when leader Gordon lapped him on the 148th lap. Then on lap 164, Montoya spun along off Turn 4 to bring out the race’s fifth caution.
By the time he could get going again, Gordon had already lapped Montoya a second time. Montoya’s crew later repaired his right-rear quarter panel, only for the piece to fly off and trigger a caution several laps later.
Martin’s crew also conducted repairs – to a hole in the front end of their No. 5 Chevrolet – but Martin’s car was never the same the rest of the night. He eventually lost a lap that he regained with a free pass and finished 17th.
Montoya tumbled three spots to sixth in the standings and is 195 points out of the lead.
Perhaps the only driver as disappointed as Montoya at night’s end was fellow Chase contender Denny Hamlin.
Hamlin, most often known for his short-track abilities, ran uncharacteristically strong at the 1.5-mile Charlotte quad-oval before retiring with engine trouble after 192 laps.
“It’s the best I’ve ever ran at this at this race track,” said Hamlin, who led four times for 54 laps. “[I] had a shot to win it, felt like. I was being so patient behind those guys, not trying to push it and not show everything I had until the very end.”
Fortunes were no kinder to Chase drivers Carl Edwards and Brian Vickers, whose hopes of a championship were already all but over entering the night.
Edwards lost a motor on lap 303 after struggling with an ill-handling car and making an earlier unscheduled pit stop to diagnosis a possible tire problem. He finished 39th.
“That’s a mercy-killing there,” Edwards said. “Just a long night. You’re going to have nights like this. That’s life, that’s racing.”
Edwards’ Roush Fenway teammate Greg Biffle, another Chase driver, brought out the last of 10 cautions when he spun at the start/finish line from contact with Penske Racing’s David Stremme with 20 laps remaining.
Biffle finished 16th.
