Super Fast Johnson Wins in Fontana

by lgal3824 | August 31, 2008 at 08:10 pm

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It was a fantastic day in Fontana, and you couldn't ask for better track conditions. Sitting across from Jimmy Johnsons pit, the view was spectacular. Johnson was at the first post position, and dominated the entire race. Effectively clinching a berth in the 2008 Pepsi 500 Sprint Cup Series.

FONTANA, Calif. (AP)—Jimmie Johnson overpowered the field Sunday night in the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Auto Club Speedway, grabbing his third victory of the season.

The two-time reigning Cup champion was easily the class of the field in the Pepsi 500, leading 227 of the 250 laps on the 2-mile oval.

He won the race at the former California Speedway for the second straight year and again gave notice to points leader Kyle Busch and series runner-up Carl Edwards—the two hottest drivers in the series coming into this race—that he remains a serious contender for a third straight title.

Runner-up Greg Biffle had the next best car throughout the race, but he couldn’t keep up with Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet, finishing more than 2 seconds behind the winner.

One moment could have changed everything. Coming out of the pits, Johnson found himself only inches in front of Biffle. But with some excellent skill, and alot of luck he pulled ahead again.

After the restart on Lap 166, Johnson was fourth after one lap, second after two trips around the 2-mile oval and back in the lead on lap 168.

On the next pit stop, on lap 182 during another caution, Johnson's jackman got tangled up in the air hose, costing the team valuable seconds. Johnson again came out of the pits in sixth. And, again, he rocketed back into the lead in just three laps after the green flag waved.

On Lap 192, during yet another caution, Biffle's crew pulled off a lightning stop that got the No. 16 Ford out just ahead of Johnson's Chevy. But it took Johnson less than half a lap to zoom back into the lead this time.

And that was the race as Johnson pulled away over the last 28 laps to get his 36th career win.

Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished 11th, and Jeff Burton, who was 17th, clinched spots in the 12-man Chase for the championship that will begin after Saturday night's race at Richmond. They joined Busch and Edwards, who previously locked up spots in the postseason.

But the drivers vying for the final positions in the Chase remained in a close battle, with Matt Kenseth moving past Jeff Gordon into ninth place, and Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer remaining 11th and 12th. David Ragan is 13th, 17 points behind Bowyer, while Kasey Kahne remained 14th, 44 points out of the Chase lineup.