It was looking so good for Jimmie Johnson before it all went away in just an instant.
Johnson’s No. 48 Lowe’s Monte Carlo had led 82 of the first 223 laps in Sunday’s NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway.
With just 44 laps left, Johnson was less than a half-second behind Tony Stewart, and the Lowe’s car looked poised for his season-leading fifth victory of the 2007 season.
But the right rear tire came apart on the backstretch, sending the Lowe’s car into a spin. It then slammed extremely hard into the turn three SAFER barrier.
Johnson said the cut tire gave him very little warning before the accident.
“There was no indication, ” Johnson said minutes after climbing from the demolished Lowe’s car. “I did get a little bit looser that run chasing Tony (Stewart). But when that thing exploded I thought the drive shaft had come through the car because it was so violent. Then I spun around and into the wall. “
Johnson managed a smile despite the 37th-place finish, which marked the first time he has finished outside the top six at Chicagoland.
The crash also dropped him in the points race from third to seventh. And his body probably won’t let him forget the accident this week.
“I bumped my elbow on the seat and kind of hit my funny bone and it stung a little bit there, ” he said. “I haven’t hit hard in awhile, and that was certainly one of those. As fast as I was going, I knew it was going to be a bad impact. “
Johnson started Sunday’s race in eighth but grabbed the lead just 19 laps into the race. For the rest of the way, Johnson led or was coming up through the field after pit sequencing.
With Johnson on the sidelines, Stewart went on to win his first race of the season. Matt Kenseth was second and Carl Edwards finished third, followed by Kevin Harvick and Casey Mears.
The Nextel Cup Series enjoys an off weekend before moving to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Brickyard 400 on July 29. Johnson is the race’s defending champion.
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