The two-time reigning Cup champion was easily the class of the field in the Pepsi 500, leading 228 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.
“This race car was unbelievable,” said Johnson, who has struggled at times this season, particularly on the bigger ovals. “We’ve been working hard to get it right. We’ve been burning the midnight oil, burning the wick at both ends, and it’s paid off. We clinched (a spot in the Chase for the championship) and we got 10 more bonus points, which is important.
FIN ST CAR DRIVER MAKE
1 1 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet
2 15 16 Greg Biffle Ford
3 21 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota
4 33 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet
5 37 17 Matt Kenseth Ford
6 26 99 Carl Edwards Ford
7 11 18 Kyle Busch Toyota
8 4 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge
9 12 44 David Reutimann Toyota
10 31 7 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet
11 18 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet
12 19 83 Brian Vickers Toyota
13 22 6 David Ragan Ford
14 2 84 A.J. Allmendinger Toyota
15 3 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet
16 17 12 Ryan Newman Dodge
17 27 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet
18 5 10 Patrick Carpentier * Dodge
19 7 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet
20 23 42 Juan Montoya Dodge
21 24 43 Bobby Labonte Dodge
22 14 20 Tony Stewart Toyota
23 42 38 David Gilliland Ford
24 13 26 Jamie McMurray Ford
25 39 66 Scott Riggs Chevrolet
26 16 5 Casey Mears Chevrolet
27 41 41 Reed Sorenson Dodge
28 34 28 Travis Kvapil Ford
29 8 22 Dave Blaney Toyota
30 10 8 Aric Almirola Chevrolet
31 32 77 Sam Hornish Jr. * Dodge
32 40 21 Marcos Ambrose Ford
33 30 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota
34 6 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge
35 35 0 Mike Skinner Toyota
36 25 1 Regan Smith * Chevrolet
37 29 15 Paul Menard Chevrolet
38 38 45 Kyle Petty Dodge
39 9 2 Kurt Busch Dodge
40 36 7 Robby Gordon Dodge
41 28 96 Ken Schrader Toyota
42 43 8 Johnny Sauter Dodge
43 20 78 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet
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