NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
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CUP: Johnson Runs Third, Extends Lead
Jimmie Johnson finished third at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday night...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted October 16, 2010   Concord, NC
Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet, stands in the garage area before the the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500. (Photo: Getty Images)
Jimmie Johnson dodged a huge bullet Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway, as he recovered from an uncharacteristic early mistake to finish third in the Bank of America 500.

Johnson spun his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at the exit of Turn 2 on Lap 34, looping all the way around but keeping the car off the wall. The spin caused a tire to go down on Johnson’s car and after he pitted, he got a second flat dropping him all the way to 37th place and looking for all the world like he was going to have a long, miserable evening.

Instead, the four-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup champion made an excellent recovery, methodically moving through the field to finish third behind race-winner Jamie McMurray and Kyle Busch. In the closing laps, Johnson and Busch waged a fierce, but clean battle, with the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota ultimately prevailing.

Still, it was a crucial recovery for Johnson, who extended his points lead to 41 over Denny Hamlin and 77 over Kevin Harvick. And with Tony Stewart finishing 21st and Jeff Gordon 23rd, it’s pretty much a three-person championship battle right now. Gordon is now fourth, 156 points back and Stewart is 177 in arrears.

Afterwards, Johnson acknowledged that he was fortunate to work his way back.

“We just couldn’t give up,” said Johnson. “I hate that I spun out. I’m kind of proud of the fact that I didn’t hit anything because I did a lot of driving out the side and in reverse and turning the wheel and a bunch of stuff trying to keep it off the fence.”

From there, it was a mad thrash trying to find the handle and get back in contention, which Johnson was able to do as the race went on.

“We never gave up tonight,” said Johnson. “We knew that the track would come to us. It was just getting to that point and unfortunately I lost it, but luckily I didn’t hit anything. ... We did what we needed to tonight and got a great finish out of it.”

The closing duel between Busch and Johnson was a spirited fight, one that Johnson said he enjoyed.

“I had a lot of fun racing with Kyle,” said Johnson. “I knew that I could race him hard and we wouldn’t get into a situation where we had a problem. He ran his lane and I ran mine, and he wasn’t mirror-driving me and I wasn’t trying to side draft him and to screw him up or get in there in packed air and turned him around. We just raced really hard for that second spot and he just edged me out.”

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100 and e-mail him at Jensen is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of Speed,” and has appeared on numerous television and radio shows. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association and an NMPA Writer of the Year.

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