NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
  • Peg It on GarageMonkey
CUP: Johnson’s Championship Hopes Damaged
Blown tire, meeting with wall slow Jimmie Johnson Express…
Mike Hembree  |  Posted November 11, 2012   Avondale, AZ
Jimmie Johnson crashed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AdvoCare 500 at Phoenix International Raceway and limped to finish 32nd. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
Jimmie Johnson’s search for a sixth Sprint Cup championship took a near-fatal hit Sunday when he crashed with 76 laps remaining in the AdvoCare 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.

Johnson was running seventh when his right front tire blew, sending his Chevrolet into the fourth-turn wall. The car absorbed major right-side damage, and Johnson eventually drove the wounded vehicle to the garage for repairs. He returned to the race 38 laps off the lead pace with 36 to go and finished 32nd.

Ironically, Brad Keselowski, Johnson’s major challenger in the championship race, had taken the race lead a few minutes before Johnson’s crash.

Keselowski eventually finished sixth after the mayhem of the closing laps.

Johnson had a seven-point lead over Keselowski entering Sunday’s race. At Homestead, all Keselowski needs to win the title is a 15th-place finish, regardless of Johnson’s finish. All other Chasers have been eliminated from championship contention.

“It's way, way out of our control after the problem we had today,” Johnson said, calmly addressing reporters after the race. “We still have to go to Homestead and race, and anything can happen down there. But it’s not the position you want to be in leaving Phoenix.

“But that's racing, and we'll go to Homestead and do all we can down there and see how things pan out.”

Goodyear officials at the track said melted bead from brake heat caused Johnson’s tire to blow.

“We were cruising along, and I think we were going to have a top 10‑day, maybe a top‑five day if things worked out at the end,” Johnson said. “I had a slight vibration starting in the right front. I didn't know where it was really coming from, but we know now that it was the right front. As I was coming off of turn four, it went down and straight in the wall it went.

“Another 30, 40 feet around the corner I probably would have just had a flat and not hit the wall, but where it let go I had a direct line into the wall and knocked it down.”

It was a stunning turn of events for the 48 team, which typically thrives in the tempest of the Chase. Now it faces a tough uphill climb at Homestead.

“Anything can happen down there,” Johnson said of Homestead. “I'm very proud of the year. I'm very proud of the effort the entire Lowe's team has put in. I hate to see it potentially end this way, but again, that's racing.

“I've been doing this a long time. I've won a few championships, and I've lost a lot. Losing isn't any fun, but we'll be back next weekend and next year hungrier than ever and do the best we can.”

Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 30 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
mike.hembree's avatar

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike Hembree

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR
Advertising | Jobs | Feedback | FAQ | Terms of Use | NEW Privacy Policy | Ad Choices | Site Map
Fox Sports | FUEL TV | FX Network | National Geographic | IGN | AskMen
The Motor Sports Authority, SPEED and associated logos are registered trademarks of Speed Channel Inc.
All Rights Reserved © Speed Channel, Inc. 2013

All external links will open in a new browser window. SPEED.com does not endorse external sites.