DOVER, Del. – Recap by Race Chaser Online Managing Editor Jacob Seelman – Sean Gardner/Getty Images North America photo –
Normally followers of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series call Jimmie Johnson ‘Six-Time’ for his half-dozen championship rings.
Sunday afternoon at the end of the FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks from Dover International Speedway, Johnson earned a new title – ‘Ten-Time.’
The title comes for his performance over the final 22 laps at the Monster Mile, in which Johnson wrested the lead from defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick on lap 384 and then held off the field on old tires during a green-white-checkered finish – which pushed the race five laps beyond its scheduled distance – to claim his 10th career victory at the one-mile concrete oval.
The finish was the first green-white-checkered at Dover since 2005 and only the second time in track history that an event was pushed into overtime. Johnson coincidentally won the race on that day as well.
(Sean Gardner/Getty Images North America photo)
“[That was] insane,” said Johnson, who now has four wins on the season and 74 total in his Cup career. “What a long, hard-fought day to get to the front.It seemed like [all day] four or five of us could run the same speed, and [because of that] nobody could pass.”
Johnson was quick to credit his crew for getting his Lowes Chevrolet to the top of the heap, though it took the entire race to get there after the group struggled throughout qualifying and Saturday practice.
“We did a great job of hanging in there. My pit stops today were awesome. We took a chance on pit sequence to pick off a couple of spots and give us a shot for the win. That last set of tires, I was running Harvick down and ended up staying on him. When his car didn’t look as good there at the end, we were able to take advantage of it and it got us a win.”
Polesitter Denny Hamlin led the field away to the green flag and paced the opening 40 laps of the event before Truex came calling to claim the top spot, quickly bolting out to a one-second advantage in his No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet. Truex would hold the point – and lap all the way up to Brad Keselowski’s Ford in 20th – until lap 74, when the first caution of the event finally flew for debris in turn one.
The yellow would send all of the lead lap cars down pit road and allow Hamlin’s FedEx crew to get him back out in the lead on lap 77. The restart three laps later would play kindly to the Joe Gibbs Racing driver, who would sprint ahead again and lead all the way through the race’s one-quarter mark at lap 100.
Truex would take a little longer to work back to the inside of Hamlin’s Toyota, but finally reclaimed the lead in turn one on lap 144 to reassert his dominance at the front of the field. Truex would build a 1.5 second advantage over Hamlin, but green-flag pit stops for the first Truex at lap 158, and then Hamlin at lap 160 would hand the lead to Carl Edwards – the first driver besides the Hamlin/Truex duo to lead a lap all afternoon.
Edwards would lead until the conclusion of the cycle at lap 163 when Dale Earnhardt Jr., who stayed out to regain an early lost lap, assumed the lead just as the second caution of the race flew for problems biting the Ford of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. The caution would also be timely for Edwards, who had a disastrous pit stop after a chassis wrench was stuck in the back of his Toyota leaving the pit lane and was able to keep from losing a lap due to penalty.
Following Junior’s trip down pit road for service, the lead cycled back around to Truex for the restart at lap 169 and the Mayetta, N.J. driver took full advantage of clean air to quickly extenda half-second gap over new second-place man Matt Kenseth. However, after two long green-flag runs, a quick caution would strike at lap 175 for a multi-car incident entering turn one that collected Trevor Bayne, Michael Annett and Justin Allgaier to slow the pace for the third time.
The third caution of the race would also see Kurt Busch’s No. 41 crew attempt to use heat shields to keep their cans of Sunoco race fuel cooler on pit road – NASCAR officials quickly jumped into action and had the crew remove the shields and take them to the garage area. Any potential penalties stemming from the incident will likely be announced on Tuesday.
Truex was able to squeeze back out in front again on the next restart at lap 185, but behind him, Hamlin began to slide down the leaderboard – running 15th by the race’s halfway point at lap 200 in an afternoon of comers and goers.
The No. 78 would continue to pace the field until yet another round of green-flag pit stops around lap 250, but the fourth caution of the event would fly at lap 261 for a wayward tire – the cycle would also see quick pit work by the Stewart Haas crew of Kevin Harvick cycle him into the race lead for the first time on the day when the field slowed.
The outside lane would prevail for the fourth restart of the day at lap 268, as Harvick blasted to a three-quarter second advantage in a hurry and left Truex to scramble with Kyle Busch. Truex would finally break free just before lap 300, but by that time, Harvick had built up a comfortable two-second advantage over the rest of the field.
A tire problem for Kenseth at lap 308 would send him to pit road for an unscheduled stop and take him out of contention for the victory. Kenseth was running sixth at the time, but would ultimately finish 39th after a second pit stop at lap 345 revealed a chassis problem on his No. 20 Toyota.
While nine-time Dover winner Jimmie Johnson was able to rally from the 14th starting spot to take second from Truex on lap 317, the final cycle of pit stops from laps 324 to 336 allowed Harvick to extend his gap to nearly a straightaway over Johnson.
While the Fords of Joey Logano and Greg Biffle stretched their fuel to lap 355, and fellow Blue Oval driver Brad Keselowski went all the way until lap 358 before making his final stop for service, the real game-changer would be the fifth caution of the afternoon flying with 25 laps to go after synchronized spins by Kyle Busch and Brian Scott off the exit of turn four bunched up the field for a wild finish.
Varying strategies saw Harvick and Johnson stay out, Truex and Kasey Kahne take two tires and Hamlin restart fifth as the first car on four tires – all for a planned 17-lap sprint to the checkered flag.
The restart would bring disaster, however, as first Hamlin and Clint Bowyer got together and then Hamlin came up the race track, clipping Kurt Busch and sending both cars hard into the SAFER Barrier to both draw the sixth caution of the race with 14 laps to go, and freeze the field with Johnson securely out front.
For Hamlin, who led 118 laps on the afternoon, he could only watch his hopes at victory evaporate – the polesitter would finish 21st, ___ laps down.
From there, 10 laps would remain to settle it as Kahne shoved his teammate down into turn one to give Hendrick Motorsports the top two spots, but a tangle between Casey Mears, Greg Biffle and A.J. Allmendinger just before Johnson took the white flag set up the deciding green-white-checkered restart.
The extension of the race left Johnson shaking his head despite the fact he was able to hang on for the checkered flag.
(Sean Gardner/Getty Images North America photo)
“[I was thinking] ‘Really, guys? We’re this close, and you had to tear your stuff up?’” Johnson laughed. “I know that’s racing though and it happens.”
While Harvick forced his way up the middle of a three-wide scramble to ultimately claim the runner-up position, he just didn’t have enough time, or car, left to chase down Johnson at the finish.
“We were just terrible on restarts,” Harvick admitted. “The trackbar broke, and we were really, really tight on the restarts there. Just in a box, and not looking for cautions at the end, but real proud of this team. It’s a strong run for me on one of my weaker race tracks.”
Kyle Larson somehow found his way through the late-race drama to garner the third spot at the final flag, with Kahne and Richard Petty Motorsports’ Aric Almirola rounding out the top five.
Heartbreak continued for Truex and the Furniture Row Racing team, as the No. 78 finished sixth after leading the most laps for the third consecutive race. Jamie McMurray, Paul Menard, Clint Bowyer and Jeff Gordon completed the top ten.
Johnson was all smiles after the event, reveling in the significance of joining Hall of Famers Richard Petty, David Pearson, Dale Earnhardt and Darrell Waltrip as only the fifth driver in Sprint Cup history to acquire ten or more points-paying wins at a single race track.
“I love it here, but there’s some real pressure that comes with [coming back to Dover],” Johnson explained. “It’s special to get this win, and join the double-digit club. I’m thankful my engineers and Chad stayed in it today and got the job done for us. This is a really cool day.”
Crew chief Chad Knaus agreed, in amazement of what his driver has been able to accomplish at the concrete track over the course of his career.
“It’s pretty spectacular,” Knaus smiled. “I just couldn’t be happier. Everything worked out great [despite the late-race drama]. I guess I’m just getting older and mellower – I can handle things like that now (laughs).”
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series resumes their 2015 season next Sunday, June 7 with the running of the Axalta ‘We Paint Winners’ 400 from Pocono Raceway.
RESULTS: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series; FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks; Dover International Speedway; May 31, 2015
- Jimmie Johnson
- Kevin Harvick
- Kyle Larson
- Kasey Kahne
- Aric Almirola
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Jamie McMurray
- Paul Menard
- Clint Bowyer
- Jeff Gordon
- Joey Logano
- Brad Keselowski
- David Ragan
- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- Danica Patrick
- Tony Stewart
- Greg Biffle
- Ryan Newman
- Carl Edwards
- Alex Bowman
- Denny Hamlin
- Sam Hornish Jr.
- Landon Cassill
- A.J. Allmendinger
- David Gilliland
- Cole Whitt
- Casey Mears
- David Ragan
- J.J. Yeley
- Jeb Burton
- Kurt Busch
- Matt DiBenedetto
- Austin Dillon
- Brendan Gaughan
- Mike Bliss
- Kyle Busch
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- Brian Scott
- Matt Kenseth
- Josh Wise
- Michael Annett
- Justin Allgaier
- Trevor Bayne
