Sunday's Subway 500 NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Martinsville demonstrated how quickly things can change in The Chase for the Nextel Cup. Everyone talks about Talladega being the wild card but the half mile Martinsville short track tightened up the points race considerably. Kurt Busch won the pole.
Points leader Jeff Burton-#31 Cingular Chevy started 28th and he paid for that starting spot on lap 3 when Kyle Petty-#45 Wells Fargo Dodge spun out. While checking up, Martin Truex Jr-#1 Bass Pro Shops Chevy ran into Reed Sorenson-#41 Target Dodge and Jeff Burton hit Joe Nemechek-#01 US Army Chevy. The damage to Burton's car seemed minor ar first but by lap 40 he found he was missing two hood pins.
Meanwhile Jeff Gordon-#24 Dupont Chevy leads. Jeff Burton's crew tapes up the loose hood but he's starting to overheat. Burton goes down a lap on lap 106. Jimmie Johnson-#48 Lowe's Chevy takes the lead on lap 153. Burton tells his crew the engine is dying. Owner Richard Childress tells him to stay out as long as he can. Burton says if he doesn't come in the engine will blow up. The engine quits anyway and Burton finishes 42nd and drops to fifth in the points.
Johnson continues to lead. A caution comes out on lap 242 when Tony Raines-#96 DLP Chevy cuts a tire when clipped by David Ragan-#06 Ford. Travis Kvapil-#32 Tide Chevy hits the wall. Johnson & Dale Earnhardt Jr-#8 Budweiser Chevy pit but Jeff Gordon stays out to lead. Denny Hamlin-#11 FedEx Chevy takes the lead on lap 256. A Matt Kenseth-#17 R & L Carriers Ford spin brings out a caution on lap 279. Johnson & Earnhardt stay out to run first and second.
Ken Schrader-#21 Little Debbie's Ford crashes hard when tapped by David Ragan on lap 331. Everyone pits and Kurt Busch-#2 Miller Lite Dodge leads. Jimmie Johnson gets the lead back on lap 353. Kurt Busch its the inside wall on lap 363. Jeff Gordon pits knowing that everyone else may pit later and he'll get the lead. A Jamie McMurray-#26 Irwin Industrial Tools spin brings out a caution on lap 399. Everyone pits but Bobby Labonte-#43 Cheerios Dodge, Casey Mears-#42 Texaco Havoline Dodge made their final pit stops earlier and lead.
With his fresher tires, Jimmie Johnson takes the lead on lap 444. Mark Martin-#6 AAA Ford has no water pressure. He pits for water and finishes 24th. Dale Earnhardt Jr. spins on lap 476 and finishes 22nd. Denny Hamlin gets around Bobby Labonte for second on lap 484. A Kenny Wallace-#78 Furniture Row Chevy spin brings out a caution on lap 489 and gives Hamlin one last chance for the win. He gets beside Johnson but is unable to pass him and Johnson gets the win.
Congratulations to Jimmie Johnson, crew chief Chad Knaus & car owner Rick Hendrick on the win. It was an emotional win as it was two years ago that a Hendrick plane crashed en route to Martinsville and killed ten people including Rick Hendrick's brother John and his son Ricky. Big top ten finishes for Bobby Labonte, Casey Mears, Jeff Green & Kyle Petty. Matt Kenseth finishes 11th and leads 9th place Kevin Harvick by 36 points. The championship is now a tossup again. Next week is Atlanta. Here's the top ten of the race.
#/Driver/Sponsor/Make/Owner
1.48/Jimmie Johnson/Lowe's/Chevy/Rick Hendrick
2.11/Denny Hamlin/FedEx/Chevy/Joe Gibbs
3.43/Bobby Labonte/Cheerios/Dodge/Petty Enterprises
4.20/Tony Stewart/Home Depot/Chevy/Joe Gibbs
5.24/Jeff Gordon/Dupont/Chevy/Rick Hendrick
6.42/Casey Mears/Texaco Havoline/Dodge/Chip Ganassi
7.9/Kasey Kahne/UAW-Dodge Dealers/Dodge/Ray Evernham
8.66/Jeff Green/Haas Automation/Chevy/Gene Haas
9.29/Kevin Harvick/GM Goodwrench/Chevy/Richard Childress
10.45/Kyle Petty/Wells Fargo/Dodge/Petty Enterprises
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