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Sprint Cup
CUP: Points Leaders Battle To A Draw
Jimmie Johnson’s car looked like a Saturday night modified…
Sunday’s Hollywood Casino at the newly repaved Kansas Speedway was a thuggish and ugly affair, more like mixed martial arts on four wheels than crisp and precise wheel-to-wheel racing.
And when it was over, oddly enough, there was no change whatsoever at the top of the points, although plenty of drama for points leader Brad Keselowski and second place Jimmie Johnson.
Johnson came into the race 7 points behind Keselowski and left Kansas 7 points behind Keselowski.
The weird thing?
Johnson probably should have left the 1.5-mile track either in the points lead or so far behind that his championship hopes were dashed altogether. Instead, a combination of his own gaffe and swift and efficient work by his crew kept him exactly where he began the day.
The five-time champion took the lead on Lap 75 and stayed out front for 44 laps, before making a green-flag stop for fuel on Lap 118. Five laps later, a caution flew for debris and Johnson was caught a lap down. As a result he took the wave around to get back on the lea lap, restarting at the tail end of the field in 23rd place.
When the green flag came out on Lap 128, Johnson started picking up positions, but he spun in Turn 4 and backed his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet hard into the outside wall on Lap 136, heavily damaging the rear end of the car. Johnson was running 20th at the time.
But he kept his car on the lead lap through a lengthy series of pit stops and his Hendrick crew did yeomen service taping down the rear deck-lid and spoiler. Ultimately, Johnson survived to finish ninth, one spot behind Keselowski. Because Johnson led a lap and Keselowski didn’t lead any, their point margin stayed the same.
Afterwards, Johnson knew he could have finished 40th, but the racer in him was frustrated that he didn’t win with a car that was fast enough to get the job done.
“I’m definitely proud of this team and the fact that we never give up and continue to fight and get every point we can,” said Johnson.
“All that said, I’m very proud but also disappointed,” said Johnson. “I crashed the car. Spun out trying to get inside of the 56 (Martin Truex Jr.) He bobbled a little in front of me and I thought that was an opportunity to jump in the gas real hard and when I did that, my car took off and I couldn’t catch it.”
Call it a woulda, coulda, shoulda day. You’ll have those in big-time auto racing.
“All in all a good day, but it could have been a lot better,” said Johnson. “I think we could have been in Victory Lane and stretched some points on these guys.”
As for points leader Keselowski, he didn’t personally go through the drama Johnson did, but during many of the record number of 14 cautions, he was inches away from someone who did wreck.
“I don’t even know how to explain it,” said Keselowski. “I’m just ready to go home and have a couple of beers. It’s just a long day.”
Unlike Johnson, Keselowski wasn’t disappointed to finish where he did. He was — understandably — happy to make it through the chaos.
“There was caution after caution,” Keselowski said. “And it seemed like every wreck that happened today happened right in front of me. So I’m happy I survived the carnage and brought back a decent car … and dodged a bullet of a race. That’s the only thing I can use to describe it. Whew. Tough day.”
With four races left on the schedule, the leaders gained a little ground on Denny Hamlin, who is now 20 points back after finishing 13th. Clint Bowyer, who was sixth on his home track, is fourth in points, 25 behind Keselowski with Kasey Kahne 30 points back in fifth.
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 when it was over, oddly enough, there was no change whatsoever at the top of the points, although plenty of drama for points leader Brad Keselowski and second place Jimmie Johnson.
Johnson came into the race 7 points behind Keselowski and left Kansas 7 points behind Keselowski.
The weird thing?
Johnson probably should have left the 1.5-mile track either in the points lead or so far behind that his championship hopes were dashed altogether. Instead, a combination of his own gaffe and swift and efficient work by his crew kept him exactly where he began the day.
The five-time champion took the lead on Lap 75 and stayed out front for 44 laps, before making a green-flag stop for fuel on Lap 118. Five laps later, a caution flew for debris and Johnson was caught a lap down. As a result he took the wave around to get back on the lea lap, restarting at the tail end of the field in 23rd place.
When the green flag came out on Lap 128, Johnson started picking up positions, but he spun in Turn 4 and backed his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet hard into the outside wall on Lap 136, heavily damaging the rear end of the car. Johnson was running 20th at the time.
But he kept his car on the lead lap through a lengthy series of pit stops and his Hendrick crew did yeomen service taping down the rear deck-lid and spoiler. Ultimately, Johnson survived to finish ninth, one spot behind Keselowski. Because Johnson led a lap and Keselowski didn’t lead any, their point margin stayed the same.
Afterwards, Johnson knew he could have finished 40th, but the racer in him was frustrated that he didn’t win with a car that was fast enough to get the job done.
“I’m definitely proud of this team and the fact that we never give up and continue to fight and get every point we can,” said Johnson.
“All that said, I’m very proud but also disappointed,” said Johnson. “I crashed the car. Spun out trying to get inside of the 56 (Martin Truex Jr.) He bobbled a little in front of me and I thought that was an opportunity to jump in the gas real hard and when I did that, my car took off and I couldn’t catch it.”
Call it a woulda, coulda, shoulda day. You’ll have those in big-time auto racing.
“All in all a good day, but it could have been a lot better,” said Johnson. “I think we could have been in Victory Lane and stretched some points on these guys.”
As for points leader Keselowski, he didn’t personally go through the drama Johnson did, but during many of the record number of 14 cautions, he was inches away from someone who did wreck.
“I don’t even know how to explain it,” said Keselowski. “I’m just ready to go home and have a couple of beers. It’s just a long day.”
Unlike Johnson, Keselowski wasn’t disappointed to finish where he did. He was — understandably — happy to make it through the chaos.
“There was caution after caution,” Keselowski said. “And it seemed like every wreck that happened today happened right in front of me. So I’m happy I survived the carnage and brought back a decent car … and dodged a bullet of a race. That’s the only thing I can use to describe it. Whew. Tough day.”
With four races left on the schedule, the leaders gained a little ground on Denny Hamlin, who is now 20 points back after finishing 13th. Clint Bowyer, who was sixth on his home track, is fourth in points, 25 behind Keselowski with Kasey Kahne 30 points back in fifth.
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.
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