Subscibe to our feedJohnson Finishes 11th at Richmond
Jimmie Johnson started fourth in Saturday night’s Sprint Cup Series event at Richmond International Raceway.
Early in the 400-lap race, Johnson was able to maintain top-five position on the track. But as the laps ticked off, the 48 Team began to struggle with a loose race car on the long runs.
Click here to see photos from the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond
Johnson’s 48 Chevrolet fell back a little, but he managed to stay in the top 10 most of the night. While he was unable to make a charge on the field, Johnson crossed the finish line 11th, salving a decent finish in the last race before The Chase begins.
“We’re disappointed with the night for sure,” said Johnson. “I felt like we had a better shot tonight than what we finished. We started off decent and then just started getting really, really loose on the longer runs. We salvaged a decent finish out of it and had a decent night, so all in all it’s good. We really wanted to get 10 more points and give all the Lowe’s employees something to cheer for. But we’ll have to save that for the Chase and get to work.”
With three wins this season, Johnson will enter next week’s race tied with Tony Stewart for second in the point standings. Mark Martin’s four wins places him first.
The Chase lineup will be: Martin, Stewart, Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne, Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Brian Vickers, Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman, Juan Pablo Montoya and Greg Biffle.
Next week’s event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway is the first of 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Coverage will begin Sunday, Sept. 20 at 1 p.m. ET on ABC.