JOHNSON WINS BANK OF AMERICA 500

Multiple chasers run into trouble at Charlotte

Jimmie+Johnson+burning+out+at+Charlotte

Austin Travis

Jimmie Johnson burning out at Charlotte

Jimmie Johnson took his 78th career win on Sunday at Charlotte after holding Matt Kenseth on a restart with 18 laps to go to win for the third time this season.  He clinched his berth in the Round of 8 with the win.  “This is massive,” Johnson said in Victory Lane.  “I’m so happy about that.  So happy to be in Victory Lane with this guy, with Chad Knaus (crew chief).  We’re a brotherhood on this number 48 team, and just so thankful for the friendship and the hard work.  Same thing for everybody at Hendrick Motorsports.  We’re really going to enjoy this.”  On lap 259, a huge 12-car pileup took chasers Austin Dillon and Chase Elliott out of the race.  Dillon was hit from behind on the restart by Martin Truex Jr., and Dillon spun hard into the inside wall as cars piled up behind him.  “I tried to give him a shove,” Truex apologetically said on his radio.  “I just turned him around like a damn idiot.”  “I’m fine,” Dillon said after the crash.  “It just sucks.  We’ll have to work hard the next two weeks to get the points back.  I felt like I got to third gear pretty well, and then the next thing-I feel contact, and I’m spinning through the grass.”   Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano ran into problems at the same time on lap 155.  As Harvick’s car all of a sudden shut off, Logano blew a right side tire and slammed the wall hard.  Harvick’s crew could not diagnose why the car shut off.  Denny Hamlin blew his engine on lap 309 of 334 while running in second.  Here are the current Chase standings.

*= First Chase appearance

1.     Jimmie Johnson                               ADVANCED

2.    Matt Kenseth                                     +31

3.    Kyle Busch                                         +27

4.    Brad Keselowski                               +25

5.    Kurt Busch                                         +24

6.    Carl Edwards                                     +20

7.    Martin Truex Jr.                                +19

8.    Denny Hamlin                                   +3

__________________________ CUTOFF

9.    Austin Dillon*                                     -3

10.    Chase Elliott*                                      -3

11.    Joey Logano                                         -6

12.    Kevin Harvick                                     -8