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Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson scored his second straight and series-leading eighth NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series victory Oct. 28 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and moved within nine points of teammate and Chase for the NEXTEL Cup leader Jeff Gordon. Gordon, a four-time series champion, secured his series-leading 26th top-10 finish of campaign with a seventh-place performance. Johnson took his only lead on Lap 322 of a scheduled 324-lap battle and crossed the finish line ahead of second-place driver, Chase contender and Roush-Fenway Racing charge Carl Edwards under caution in a green-white-checkered flag finish on Lap 329. Johnson completed his third track sweep of the season with his second Atlanta win of 2007. He also has taken two wins at Martinsville Speedway and Richmond International Raceway this season.
The El Cajon, Calif., driver, who has now earned two wins and a total of four top-three finishes in his past five races, donated his race-winning check in the amount of $349,561 to the American Red Cross to aid those affected by recent wildfires in his home state. With matching funds from several entities, including his primary sponsor Lowe’s, American Red Cross donations from Johnson’s Atlanta race win will total more than $1 million. Atlanta native Reed Sorenson placed third, Matt Kenseth took fourth and Richard Childress Racing veteran Jeff Burton closed out the Atlanta race top five.
Edwards advanced one spot in the series standings to fourth with his third top-five finish in his past six starts. Sorenson registered his third top-five and sixth top-10 finish of the season, Kenseth moved from 12th to 11th in the Chase standings with his second straight top-five performance, and Burton ascended one spot in the series standings to eighth with his ninth top-five and 15th top-10 finish of the season. Richard Childress racer Clint Bowyer stayed within championship range with a sixth-place Atlanta result that marked his third straight and fourth top-10 finish in his past five races.
Tony Stewart slipped from fourth to fifth in the series standings following his 30th-place Atlanta showing while Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick held steady in the sixth and seventh Chase spots after their respective 20th- and 15th-place race finishes. Kurt Busch moved from 10th to ninth in the standings with an eighth-place Atlanta run that marked his second top-10 finish in his past four starts. Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin, who fell out of contention for the win when water invaded the fuel tank of his No. 11 Chevrolet, lost two spots in the Chase and stands 10th after crossing the finish line 24th. Martin Truex, Jr., fell from 11th to 12th in the standings after his No. 1 Chevrolet made contact with Kyle Busch’s No. 5 and Hamlin’s No. 11 during a race restart on Lap 324. Truex, Jr., held the lead a race-high five times and led a race-high 135 laps.
The Hendrick Motorsports championship showdown makes its next stop at Texas Motor Speedway Nov. 4 for Race No. 8 of the 10-race Chase for the NEXTEL Cup. Coverage is set to begin at 3:00 p. m., on ABC, the Performance Racing Network (PRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 128. Burton won the April 15 race at the track earlier this season after Gordon started from the pole position. Gordon placed fourth in the race and an accident knocked Johnson to a 38th-place finish after he qualified third. Gordon has posted a total of two wins, five top-five and six top-10 finishes in 13 career Texas starts. Johnson has tallied one second-place and a total of three top-five and six top-10 finishes in the Lone Star State through eight career starts.
The top-12 in the series standings are: Gordon (Leader: 6,201 points, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet), Johnson, (Second: -9, Hendrick Motorports, Chevrolet), Bowyer (Third: -111, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet), Edwards (Fourth: -261, Roush-Fenway Racing, Ford), Stewart (Fifth: -322, Joe Gibbs Racing, Chevrolet), Kyle Busch (Sixth: -328, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet), Harvick (Seventh: -392, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet), Burton (Eighth: -400, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet), Kurt Busch (Ninth: -419, Penske Racing, Dodge), Hamlin (Tenth: -424, Joe Gibbs Racing, Chevrolet), Kenseth (11th: -448, Roush-Fenway Racing, Ford) and Truex, Jr., (12th: -513, Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Chevrolet).
