Jimmie Johnson Wins Fifth Race in California
Anybody else think this is a bad time for most drivers if Jimmie Johnson and crew get on a roll again? With one race left until the Chase, Jimmie Johnson breaks the four month winless drought to be the driver who will start at the top when the Chase starts. Yes, I know Gordon could tie him this week and they could start out tied for the Chase, but I read something the other day that said Gordon and team were preparing for the Chase and not worrying about these other races. Which could be good and bad, extra preparation is definitely good, but being on a hot streak is a lot better if you ask me. I would rather go in on a winning note and already have the confidence built up in me and my team, but, if anyone has been consistent this year, it is Jeff Gordon, so I’m sure they are aware of what they are doing.
Johnson dominated the second half of the race, with Edwards and Kyle Busch running up front as well, Dale Earnhardt Jr. gained 30 points on 12th place, the last spot to get into the Chase, but is still 128 points behind. It’s not looking too good for him right now, but all that needs to happen is for one of the four drivers in front of him to have a real bad day with Dale running up front. I saw an article that said every year since they started the Chase for the Cup, at least one driver has fallen out at Richmond with someone else taking his place. That bodes will for Jr., but it is going to be a tough race to pull off, hopefully he can knock Kurt Busch out, although I’m not sure if he can get knocked out as I haven’t checked all of the various scenarios.
“We’ve been close,” Johnson said of the long victory drought. “We’ve been running good. But it was nice to get the job done tonight.
“Historically, we start the season strong, have a little bit of a struggle when we get to the warm weather and then get it going again. It seems like that’s the way it’s going and I’m just glad to be back in Victory Circle.”
This win was particularly important, with NASCAR awarding a 10-point bonus for each win this season in seeding the 12 drivers who will compete in the Chase. If the Chase began next week, Johnson would be the top seed, with 10 more points than Hendrick Motorsports teammate and series points leader Jeff Gordon, who has four wins.
“We’re fortunate to be in that situation,” Johnson said. “That’s very satisfying. The season is all about a championship, especially when you get in the Chase. It’s time for the pressure to pick up and the hard work to start. And my guys are ready for it.” Source: Johnson wins at California for fifth victory of season
We already have a bunch of race videos posted from last weekends California race, check out the latest below.
Here is how they finished:
1 2 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe’s / Jimmie Johnson Foundation 190/5 250 Running 289,411
2 19 99 Carl Edwards Ford Office Depot Worklife Rewards 170/0 250 Running 185,450
3 5 5 Kyle Busch Chevrolet Cheez-It / CARQUEST 175/10 250 Running 163,225
4 15 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing 165/5 250 Running 163,491
5 7 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Budweiser 160/5 250 Running 180,433
6 8 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker 155/5 250 Running 135,345
7 36 17 Matt Kenseth Ford R+L Carriers 146/0 250 Running 158,941
8 17 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull 147/5 250 Running 102,975
9 1 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite 143/5 250 Running 146,308
10 3 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Dodge Dealers / UAW 134/0 250 Running 148,216
11 11 43 Bobby Labonte Dodge Cheerios / Totino’s Pizza Rolls 135/5 250 Running 138,361
12 33 6 David Ragan * Ford AAA Insurance 127/0 250 Running 137,475
13 22 20 Tony Stewart Chevrolet The Home Depot 129/5 250 Running 143,286
14 12 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil 121/0 250 Running 141,836
15 13 25 Casey Mears Chevrolet National Guard / GMAC 123/5 250 Running 111,525
16 38 26 Jamie McMurray Ford Sharp AQUOS / 3M Vikuiti 115/0 250 Running 104,275
17 10 16 Greg Biffle Ford Aflac 112/0 250 Running 109,325
18 18 84 A.J. Allmendinger * Toyota Red Bull 109/0 249 Running 90,275
19 9 11 Denny Hamlin Chevrolet FedEx Express 106/0 249 Running 108,600
20 24 07 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet DIRECTV 103/0 249 Running 103,900
21 31 41 Reed Sorenson Dodge Target / Memorex 100/0 249 Running 119,083
22 16 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont Cromax Pro 97/0 249 Running 135,011
23 32 66 Jeff Green Chevrolet Best Buy 94/0 249 Running 115,533
24 20 15 Paul Menard * Chevrolet Johns Manville / Menards 91/0 249 Running 91,850
25 14 38 David Gilliland Ford M&M’s 88/0 249 Running 118,189
26 26 21 Bill Elliott Ford Motorcraft 90/5 248 Running 109,589
27 34 96 Tony Raines Chevrolet DLP HDTV 82/0 248 Running 97,825
28 39 45 Kyle Petty Dodge Wells Fargo 84/5 248 Running 103,758
29 23 18 J.J. Yeley Chevrolet Interstate Batteries 76/0 248 Running 117,308
30 41 70 Johnny Sauter Chevrolet Haas Automation 78/5 248 Running 89,750
31 40 01 Aric Almirola Chevrolet U.S. Army 70/0 248 Running 97,200
32 28 00 David Reutimann * Toyota Burger King 72/5 247 Running 100,308
33 42 42 Juan Montoya * Dodge Wrigley’s Big Red 64/0 247 Running 121,625
34 21 40 David Stremme Dodge Target 61/0 245 Running 86,050
35 6 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge Dodge Dealers / UAW 58/0 245 Running 104,345
36 27 36 Jeremy Mayfield Toyota 360 OTC 55/0 229 Accident 85,950
37 43 49 John Andretti Dodge Paralyzed Veterans of America 57/5 203 Accident 95,447
38 30 22 Dave Blaney Toyota Caterpillar 49/0 201 Engine 93,850
39 4 12 Ryan Newman Dodge Kodak think: 51/5 194 Engine 117,875
40 37 88 Ricky Rudd Ford Snickers Generation Max 43/0 179 Accident 116,783
41 35 7 Robby Gordon Ford Original Roadhouse Grill / Jim Beam 40/0 159 Running 85,705
42 25 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota NAPA Auto Parts 37/0 38 Accident 85,640
43 29 78 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet Furniture Row Racing 34/0 9 Engine 85,008
