Jeff Gordon (Left) driver of the #24 DuPont Chevrolet and current Sprint Cup points leader speaks with team owner Rick Hendrick (Right).(Photo: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
The good news/bad news season for Hendrick Motorsports continued at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday, where Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin finished third, fourth and sixth, respectively in the Food City 500, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. ended the day 14th.
For Johnson and Martin, the results were season’s-best finishes through the first five races of the year. Martin in particular needed a strong run after two engine failures and blown tire in the prior three races left him in serious danger of falling out of the top 35 in points.
“We started the race and we really weren't very good,” said Martin. “And one little change and on the long run, that car was on fire. I had a blast all the rest of the run. We made one last adjustment trying to get good enough to win and we stepped over the edge and wasn't so good that last run. It is just great for this team to get some forward momentum.”
And Johnson, who had prior best finishes of ninth in Southern California and Atlanta, was positively giddy about his first top-five finish of the season behind the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas of winner Kyle Busch and runner-up Denny Hamlin. “I'm very pleased,” said Johnson. “In some ways to be that close to a win and to see the No. 18 car pull into Victory Lane, I can now see what the leaders do, and I can visualize being in that position someday, where before we were so far off and had some decent runs but really wasn't in the race, racing for the win. Today we did that. So I'm very proud of all the work.”
In fact, Johnson was ready for more afterwards. “I wish we could go race again for 500 more because a couple small adjustments, the rhythm I was picking up of the racetrack, things were really starting to make sense to me. So great effort.” For his efforts, Johnson moved up four positions in points to ninth, his best of the season to date.
Gordon was pleased, too, as his third top-five finish of the season widened his Sprint Cup points lead to 76 over Kurt Busch and 79 over Clint Bowyer. “Right there at the end was the best we had been all day long,” said Gordon. “We just needed to go in a little bit different direction sooner. We got off and we finally got it back and top-five man, I'll take that. … I wish the Chase (for the Sprint Cup) was right now because we are in championship form right now. We are very consistent, we are fighting, we are making good adjustments, great pit stops. I was a little disappointed; I really thought we were going to be better than that.”
