Jimmie Johnson won the race held at Martinsville Speedway, the track where Gordon has had more success than most anyone, allowing him to approach the leader, and giving him hope to win the title.
Johnson made the pass he didn’t allow Gordon to make in the spring, sneaking inside his Hendrick Motorsports teammate with 44 laps to go Sunday and holding on for his series-high seventh victory of the year and the 30th of his career.
Jimmie Johnson celebrating (celebrating his victory)
Newman challenged Gordon for second on Lap 492, getting increasingly more physical, and finally passed him on the inside on the 494th circuit as Johnson opened a lead of nearly 2 seconds. He then had to withstand a two-lap overtime sprint to the finish, with Gordon lurking third and ready to take advantage if the leaders faltered.
They didn’t have the opportunity, and Johnson held on through one overtime green-flag lap before David Ragan’s Turn 1 spin ended it. Johnson gained in the Chase with four races remaining, cutting Gordon’s lead to 53 points heading to Atlanta next weekend.
Martinsville Speedway accident
The Martinsville Speedway registered a record 21 caution flags, slowing the proceedings for 127 laps, and forcing the race to be extended by six laps. Even the hoped-for dash to the finish was cut short by yet another accident just before finish.
The Nextel Cup Series races are getting more exciting just before the end of the season making them a real pleasure to watch. So enjoy these last ten laps of Martinsville Speedway race fount on YouTube!
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