Fonta-stic!
|
by Mike Wells ~ September 1st, 2008 @ 12:36 pm. Filed under: Water From The Well(s). 236 reads |
Article sponsored by
|
|
Jimmie Johnson was not just the class of the field Sunday night, he overpowered it , in route to his third victory of the season at the Auto Club Speedway. The focus would soon shift from Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch to Jimmie Johnson as his lead laps started piling up. He would end up leading 227 of the 250 laps and averaged 165.68 mph.. The two-time reigning Cup champion, Johnson had earned the pole with a lap of 180.397 miles per hour. He clearly had the strongest car as he stormed back every time he relinquished the lead. |
Back in Feburary, Johnson led the most laps here too, but Carl Edwards would pass him with 23 laps to go, snatching the win from him. This time around, nobody could touch him.
Over and over, time after time, Johnson would build leads from 5 to 12 seconds. The only thing that would reel him in was the caution flags. Jimmie Johnson was not fazed a bit, he would just rebuild on the following restart.
Johnson may have been worried after taking four tires on lap 162 while the leaders only took two. By the resrtart on lap 166 he found himself in sixth postion. How soon this would change as he charged toward the front once again. In one lap he gained two spots to fourth, second position after two trips around the 2-mile oval and back in the lead by lap 168.
A caution flag would draw Johnson in again on lap 182 and this time there was a glitch in the pits. Johnson’s jackman had gotten tangled up in the air hose, costing the #48 team valuable time. Johnson would come out of the pits again in sixth position. Once again, he shot through the field claiming the lead in just three laps after the restart.
Another caution brings the boys down pit road on lap 192. Greg Biffle’s crew had a super fast stop getting him out in front of Johnson. But like before, Johnson stormed toward the front, passing Biffle in less than half a lap. Johnson broke Biffle’s mark of 168 laps led set here in 2006.
That was all she wrote as Johnson pulled further away for the last 28 laps to get his 36th career win. Meanwhile, it was a bittersweet end for Biffle, who finished second. Despite a valiant effort, he saw his winless streak extended to 32 straight races. Following Biffle were Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth. Series runner-up Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne, points leader Kyle Busch, David Reutimann and Clint Bowyer rounded out the top 10.
“This race car was unbelievable,” Johnson said. “We’ve been working hard to get it right. We’ve been burning the midnight oil, burning the wick at both ends, and it’s paid off.
“We clinched (a spot in the Chase for the championship) and we got 10 more bonus points, which is important.”
“It’s frustrating no matter who or when you get beat,” Biffle said. “On the inside we’re so competitive and we want to win, and my guys had done such a great job on pit road, it was kind of a little bit of extra adrenaline.
“I drove as hard as I’ve driven in a long time. I was just on the edge and I was running him down. I got within probably 10 car lengths of him and was catching him two-tenths a lap, but he would get better as the run went anyway.”
“We ran alright. It’s great to be disappointed as hell with sixth place,” Edwards said. “That’s wonderful, but we really wanted three in a row. But we can go win the next three in a row, too. Sixth place is definitely not a win, but it’s not running terrible.”
Johnson; Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished 11th; and Jeff Burton, who was 17th, clinched spots in the 12-man Chase for the championship that will begin after Saturday night’s race at Richmond. They joined Busch and Edwards, who previously locked up spots in the postseason.
The next race, we are back at Richmond. Race 26 of 36. September 6, 2008 @ 7:30pm on Saturday.
September 1st, 2008 at 8:46 pm
JJ ran a terrific race. It was good for him but boring to watch. About as interesting as watching grass grow.