CUP: Johnson Wins At PIR, Closes On Record

Sprint Cup

CUP: Johnson Wins At PIR, Closes On Record

Jimmie Johnson won his fourth race at Phoenix in the last five starts...

Tom Jensen | Posted November 16, 2009 Avondale, AZ

Jimmie Johnson celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. (Photo: Getty Images)

Jimmie Johnson takes the checkered flag from a NASCAR official after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. (Photo: Getty Images)

Jimmie Johnson knew he wanted to make a statement after his disastrous 38th-place run at Texas Motor Speedway a week earlier.

So the three-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup champion did the one thing that he, crew chief Chad Knaus and the rest of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team do best: Play offense.

Johnson demolished the field in scoring a lopsided victory in Sunday’s Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Impala SS led 237 of 312 laps, earning his fourth victory in his last five starts at the one-mile Arizona oval, and the 47th Sprint Cup victory of his still-young career.

In the process, Johnson all but clinched his fourth consecutive Cup championship, a feat no one else has ever accomplished since NASCAR launched its Strictly Stock Series in 1949.

Heading into Homestead-Miami Speedway for next Sunday’s Ford 400, Johnson unofficially leads Mark Martin by 108 points. If Martin wins and leads the most laps at Homestead, Johnson can sew up the title by finishing 25th or better.

At Phoenix, Johnson was able to dominate the race, with Jeff Burton finishing second in a Richard Childress Racing Chevy. Then came Denny Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, followed by Martin’s Hendrick Chevy and Martin Truex Jr. in an Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevy.

Truex started from the pole, but Kurt Busch jumped from his second starting spot into the lead on the first lap, as Johnson settled into third.

On Lap 34, Johnson got past Truex for second place and immediately started cutting into Busch’s lead. Five laps later Martin passed teammate Jeff Gordon for fifth place.

Johnson took the lead for the first time on Lap 54, as lapped traffic impeded Busch. Denny Hamlin took third on Lap 58 and Martin fourth a lap later.

With the track remaining green, pit stops began on Lap 68, with Johnson pitting from the lead on Lap 73. When the stops cycled through, Busch led again, but Johnson was close behind and quickly pressured for the top spot. Martin and Gordon made it three Hendrick Chevys in the top four, with Hamlin fifth.

Johnson retook the top spot on Lap 90, using Reed Sorenson to set a pick on Busch.

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Tom Jensen

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