Auto Racing | 2-tire pit gamble helps Johnson get his 8th win
HAMPTON, Ga. - Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon are turning NASCAR’s Chase for the Nextel Cup championship into a private duel.
A two-tire stop for Johnson paid off with a victory Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, making the Chase a virtual dead heat at the top between the reigning champion and Gordon, a Hendrick Motorsports teammate and friend.
Johnson and Gordon, who came into the Pep Boys Auto 500 separated by 53 points, both struggled with the handling on their Chevrolets for most of the day.
But, thanks to a wild finish, they wound up first and seventh, leaving four-time champion Gordon with a nine-point lead with three of the 10 Chase races remaining.
Johnson said he and team owner Rick Hendrick will donate their $349,561 in winnings from the race to the American Red Cross for the wildfire-relief effort in Johnson’s native California, along with matching donations promised by several other NASCAR organizations.
With all the leaders concerned about running out of fuel, rookie Johnny Sauter’s blown tire brought out the 11th of a track-record 12 caution flags on the 318th of a scheduled 325 laps on the 1.5-mile suburban Atlanta oval.
Denny Hamlin, who had been running sixth, was the only driver near the front who stayed on track; he took the lead. Others pitted, and Johnson jumped from fifth to second as crew chief Chad Knaus made a late decision to change two tires instead of four.
The race restarted on Lap 323, but Hamlin ran out of gas on the restart and cars began dodging to try to miss him and each other.
Martin Truex Jr. wound up slamming into the rear of Hamlin’s car and the caution waved again.
That left Johnson, who barely avoided Hamlin’s slow car, in the lead and set up a two-lap overtime.
The race resumed on Lap 328 and, before the leaders got through the first turn, something snapped in the rear of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s car, sending him into the wall. He collected Jamie McMurray, who had been running fifth, and the race ended under yellow with Johnson picking up his eighth win of the season and second in a row.
“Today wasn’t the best day for our car,” said Johnson, who won twice in Atlanta this year. “Circumstances at the end really worked out for us.”
Kasey Kahne of Enumclaw finished ninth and Vancouver, Wash., native Greg Biffle, who started from the pole, was 22nd.
Note
• Hometown driver Rod Fuller completed the best weekend of his three-year pro career, winning the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals to take the Top Fuel points lead with one race left in the season.
In Funny Car, Tony Pedregon put a stranglehold on the title chase with his fourth win of the year.
Pro Stock standout Greg Anderson won for the fifth time at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to regain the points lead he held for most of the regular season. Andrew Hines, three-time and reigning Pro Stock Motorcycle champ, also won.
Chasing the Cup
Unofficial NASCAR standings, with three races left in the Chase for the Nextel Cup:
Driver
Pts behind
Jeff Gordon
leader
9
111
Carl Edwards
261
Tony Stewart
322
Kyle Busch
328
Kevin Harvick
392
Jeff Burton
400
Kurt Busch
419
Denny Hamlin
424
Matt Kenseth
448
Martin Truex Jr.
513