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| Photo Credit: John Hemelson/Getty Images for NASCAR Johnson claims victory, October 2012 |
"Definitely was a strong performance for the team," Johnson told members of the press after the race.
This marks Johnson's 59th career win, and 7th at the paperclip track, tying with teammate Jeff Gordon.
The driver of the No. 24 Pepsi Max Chevy started in 11th. After an uneventful but smooth and steady race, leading three different times for a total of 92 laps, Gordon finished in seventh and is sixth in points.
Kasey Kahne started in 15th and moved ahead slowly, had a chance to lead 12 laps and went on to finish third at the track he doesn't believe he is good at.
"Felt good to have a good run at Martinsville. It's a tough track for me. Has been since I came into the Sprint Cup Series," said Kahne.
Kahne won the pole here in the spring, but in a weird twist of luck, his engine blew and he couldn't finish the race. Bad luck was a cruel April Fools joke that was played on the three Hendrick Motorsports drivers. Johnson and Gordon were involved in a wreck in the final laps and ruined their chance of a one-two- three finish for the team (Dale Earnhardt Jr. would've been the third).
Earnhardt Jr. was the only HMS driver that had survived the misfortune that day and was the one to finish third. His strongest season with the team will not end well for the Diet Dew No. 88 driver, he lost his chance at the Cup title because he missed the Charlotte and Kansas races for medical reasons. He returned to racing after a two week leave by doctors orders. He suffered headaches after a crash during practice in Kansas in August. He decided to admit having headaches and went to visit a doctor after the crash in Talladega, where he was diagnosed with a concussion, presumably his second in a two month time span. Earnhardt Jr. wasn't as lucky this weekend as he was in the spring race. He started in 20th on Sunday and was a fast mover, holding on to a top ten spot the majority of the day, until a mis-hap with the Penske driver Sam Hornish, and Roush-Fenway's 99 Ford Carl Edwards. Earnhardt spun out as did Edwards and hit the wall, forcing Earnhardt to finish in 21st. Edwards finished in 18th.
Kyle Busch took home second position today. "So close, yet so far away it seems like here at Martinsville time and time again," said Busch in a post race interview. "(We) struggled early, got behind. Spun out there, was able to work on it, get ourselves a pretty decent car. Probably a third- or fourth-place car. I think we were able to come home second there."
It's been a difficult year for the No. 18 M&M's team, they are not in the Chase this year, they fell out of contention after a rough night in Richmond.
Johnson has stolen the lead from Brad Keselowski. The No. 2 Miller Lite team fell two points in standings after finishing sixth. He started the day in 32nd, made a solid run and claimed the lead but couldn't hold on to it until the end. When asked what this meant after the race, Keselowski responded, "Means you can't count this team out. This team has a tremendous amount of heart. I'm proud of them."
He went on to say, " This championship is going to come down to Homestead. You have to be in a position where you're in shot of it. We have to do what we need to do to be in contention at Homestead."
Looking ahead, Keselowski said, "we have Texas coming up, very similar to Chicago. I'm sure it's going to be a duel with the 48 there. We'll keep fighting the good fight and really proud of today."
Clint Bowyer is now third in points. He was also one caught in mayhem last spring in Martinsville but the No. 15 Toyota team faced better luck today. The Kansas native was a threat for victory, as was teammate Brian Vickers. Bowyer finished in fifth and is now third in points.
Bowyer told media, " It is what it is. It was a good day for us. I thought we had a car capable of winning. As soon as it got cool, I got a little bit tight. We lost track position when they beat us out of the pits there and I never could regain it."
This is the highest spot for the Michael Waltrip Racing team, owner Michael Waltrip has never been this close to a Championship title.
Perhaps the spotlight should shine on the No. 55 Toyota driver Vickers. He had the fastest car all weekend, and qualified second. He led 27 laps two different times, and battled for a position with Johnson but settled with an eighth place finish. Vickers will be back for a part-time schedule in the No. 55 for MWR.
The biggest heartache of the day was for the No. 11 team. Denny Hamlin faced misfortune today with two speeding penalties that sent him to the rear. When he finally caught up to a top five position, his engine failed and he was sent to the garage for repairs. Hamlin finished in 33rd place and is now 49 points behind the leader, now sitting in fifth position.
Hamlin did take time to speak to media after the race, "It ended in disappointment," he said. "We overcame the pit road penalties, things like that. Just had a great car. When these things happen, you just got to suck it up and move on."
His Cup title chances are shot for the season, "There's nothing I can do about it," he continued to say, "One of these days it's going to be our time. It's just not right now."
When a reporter asked Johnson his thoughts on Hamlin's misfortune, he admitted, "What it does to my mind is say that anything can happen. I think it was an electrical problem, what we've heard so far. That can happen to anybody."
He continued to say, " I'm not smiling. I'm not anything. It can happen to me. It can happen to the 2. It's just one of those Voodoo things you don't do in this sport. With three races left, anything can happen."
NASCAR's season is quickly coming to a close with three races left: Texas, Phoenix, and Miami-Homestead. It's a three man battle between Johnson, Keselowski and Bowyer.
To date, Kahne is in the best position of his career. After a destructive start to 2012, he's about to finish the season on a high note. He's heading to two tracks where he has a winning history and could win either race. Though his chances for winning the Cup title are now slim, he believes he still has a shot.
"We gained one point in the Chase, so that's good. We've gained one or two points a week for the last few weeks. We'll be there in like a year, I guess," he joked with media. " So, yes, we definitely still have a shot. But we're a ways out. I wish we were within 20 or 15. I think we'd be a lot more legit at that point."
Johnson later commented about Kahne, "He's a great driver, great person. I really felt like if we got him in the Chase, he would do a great job and be a threat. He's certainly showing that.
I think he and that team are going to grow and get stronger as they get more time in the Hendrick system. He's going to be a threat this year and for years to come."
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