Forget golden horseshoes, the Jimmie Johnson Chad Knaus team proved again a combination of good driving and spot-on pit calls is virtually unbeatable as he won for the second time in two weeks.
“There was nothing in my head that I had to prove something. We slept great that night in California. Happy to get it done again,” said Johnson of his 49th victory placing him in 12th spot in all-time NASCAR Cup wins.
Last week Jimmie Johnson got lucky on a late caution and took the win. This week, a decision to take four tires instead of two put him in a position to overtake race leader Jeff Gordon with 17 laps to go. Gordon had led the most laps only to be beaten by his teammate.
“No luck in that one,” Knaus radioed Johnson after their 49th victory. Chad Knaus explained: "I didn’t outsmart him (Jeff’s crew chief), he didn’t make the wrong call. The only way to beat them was to take four tires. I didn’t know what they planned.”
“That was one heck of a race,” said Johnson. “Jeff and I were racing so hard at the end. I wasn’t sure I could get away from him at the end.”
Gordon got overtaken by Kevin Harvick at the end.
Second place, Harvick, surprisingly wasn’t upset with coming up just a little short.
“It was a good day. I put us behind (with a crash in practice on Friday). It’s promising to go to the back and come to the front. It was tough to pass.” He left with confidence “we could run with them and they know it”
Jeff Gordon, who finished third after leading the most laps, sighs and said he was “very disappointed to get beat by a two versus four-tire stop. We came here to win. We just thought it would take two tires.”
For the championship “I’m hoping that they (#48) peak early this year!”
“I knew we were a sitting duck,” Gordon continued “if we’d won the race we’d look like a genius. Steve (LeTarte his crew chief) is pretty upset (for the two-tire decision). We needed the 48 to take four tires.”
This Sunday all hell broke loose for the Earnhardt Ganassi team. Jamie McMurray, the Daytona 500 victor, had a run in with teammate, Juan Pablo Montoya, in turn four on lap 94 which wrecked the Columbian, and pole sitter Kurt Busch.
Montoya radioed his crew chief, Brian Pattie, “He (McMurray) ran me to the fence. He run straight in my (rear). I know he's a *&^% driver but come on.'' Montoya’s crew fixed the rear-end of his car and he returned to the track but finished 20-laps down.
Then McMurray apologized to Montoya and his crew on the radio: “I know he’s trying to a prove a point and show how good a driver he is,” Montoya said, sarcastically, while watching repairs to his damaged car. “
He nearly ran me into the fence in turn two as well, I don’t know, he’s not doing himself any favors. He plain simple just wrecked me,” Montoya added. Later Montoya’s crew replaced the rear end to enable him to get back on the track and earn points.
After NASCAR suffered the embarrassment of the pothole in Daytona, they were further embarrassed today by malfunctioning caution lights, which themselves caused two caution periods.
“There was nothing in my head that I had to prove something. We slept great that night in California. Happy to get it done again,” said Johnson of his 49th victory placing him in 12th spot in all-time NASCAR Cup wins.
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| Photo: Philippe Champoux/Auto123.com |
Last week Jimmie Johnson got lucky on a late caution and took the win. This week, a decision to take four tires instead of two put him in a position to overtake race leader Jeff Gordon with 17 laps to go. Gordon had led the most laps only to be beaten by his teammate.
“No luck in that one,” Knaus radioed Johnson after their 49th victory. Chad Knaus explained: "I didn’t outsmart him (Jeff’s crew chief), he didn’t make the wrong call. The only way to beat them was to take four tires. I didn’t know what they planned.”
“That was one heck of a race,” said Johnson. “Jeff and I were racing so hard at the end. I wasn’t sure I could get away from him at the end.”
Gordon got overtaken by Kevin Harvick at the end.
Second place, Harvick, surprisingly wasn’t upset with coming up just a little short.
“It was a good day. I put us behind (with a crash in practice on Friday). It’s promising to go to the back and come to the front. It was tough to pass.” He left with confidence “we could run with them and they know it”
 |
| Photo: Philippe Champoux/Auto123.com |
Jeff Gordon, who finished third after leading the most laps, sighs and said he was “very disappointed to get beat by a two versus four-tire stop. We came here to win. We just thought it would take two tires.”
For the championship “I’m hoping that they (#48) peak early this year!”
“I knew we were a sitting duck,” Gordon continued “if we’d won the race we’d look like a genius. Steve (LeTarte his crew chief) is pretty upset (for the two-tire decision). We needed the 48 to take four tires.”
This Sunday all hell broke loose for the Earnhardt Ganassi team. Jamie McMurray, the Daytona 500 victor, had a run in with teammate, Juan Pablo Montoya, in turn four on lap 94 which wrecked the Columbian, and pole sitter Kurt Busch.
Montoya radioed his crew chief, Brian Pattie, “He (McMurray) ran me to the fence. He run straight in my (rear). I know he's a *&^% driver but come on.'' Montoya’s crew fixed the rear-end of his car and he returned to the track but finished 20-laps down.
Then McMurray apologized to Montoya and his crew on the radio: “I know he’s trying to a prove a point and show how good a driver he is,” Montoya said, sarcastically, while watching repairs to his damaged car. “
He nearly ran me into the fence in turn two as well, I don’t know, he’s not doing himself any favors. He plain simple just wrecked me,” Montoya added. Later Montoya’s crew replaced the rear end to enable him to get back on the track and earn points.
After NASCAR suffered the embarrassment of the pothole in Daytona, they were further embarrassed today by malfunctioning caution lights, which themselves caused two caution periods.
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