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Jimmie Johnson may have won in Texas but second place, Brad Keselowski, made the five-time NASCAR Champion work hard for it.
Keselowski won the battle of next-to-last restart as their cars bumped and banged with the younger upstart holding the lead. But Mark Martin spun bringing out the final caution and set up a green-white-checkered finish.
“The gloves are off and it's bare knuckle fighting,” Johnson said. But the difference in the finish was due that last caution. “Another caution came out and we got by him,” he said.
“I expect a lot of hard racing that's what we've had all season long,” Johnson added. On the other hand. “If he was going to take me out I was going to take him with me. We walked up to that line, got right up in the edge and it stopped.''
Keselowski remained calm. “I thought we had it. I had to choose between wrecking him and winning the race. It didn't seem right to wreck him. I know how to keep him honest. Getting the restarts, eventually you are going to lose them. To win two-out-of-three I felt lucky. Every restart I spun the tires. We fought the best we could.”
Early in the race Keselowski got track position by taking two tires instead of four tires and that same strategy set up the exciting finish.
Then on lap 312 while Johnson and others were taking four tires Keselowski took two.
“Two tires was the right way to go. Paul and I made the decision together I might have poked him a little but it was worth a shot,” he said.
Third place Kyle Busch questioned the restarts “from my experience with Brad,” it seemed normal.'
“I just wish I had some better restarts there at the end of the race or was a little closer to those guys when they were going at it and pushing. When Brad was pushing Jimmie up the track, I could have squeaked in and got underneath him. Just didn't quite have enough there and just didn't have enough to be comfortable. I was a little too loose there in the last couple restarts,” Busch said.
Keselowski could have been a sore loser, but, wasn't. He even went out to Victory Lane to shake Johnson's hand. He said NASCAR officials have made their restart policy clear “I think NASCAR are not going to get out a micrometer and measure them, and via that interpretation it was fair play.”
In notable finishes Matt Kenseth was fourth, Dale Earnhardt came back from almost a lap down to finish seventh. Strangest of all, Kevin Harvick, whose car was damaged by a falling sand bag weight for pre-race parachutist display finished ninth.
Johnson now takes a seven point lead to Phoenix the penultimate race of series.
Note this was Johnson's fifth win of the year, and 60th in his career. And it was Chevrolet's 700 Sprint Cup victory.
Keselowski won the battle of next-to-last restart as their cars bumped and banged with the younger upstart holding the lead. But Mark Martin spun bringing out the final caution and set up a green-white-checkered finish.
“The gloves are off and it's bare knuckle fighting,” Johnson said. But the difference in the finish was due that last caution. “Another caution came out and we got by him,” he said.
“I expect a lot of hard racing that's what we've had all season long,” Johnson added. On the other hand. “If he was going to take me out I was going to take him with me. We walked up to that line, got right up in the edge and it stopped.''
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| Jimmie Johnson leading Brad Keselowski. (Photo: NASCAR) |
Keselowski remained calm. “I thought we had it. I had to choose between wrecking him and winning the race. It didn't seem right to wreck him. I know how to keep him honest. Getting the restarts, eventually you are going to lose them. To win two-out-of-three I felt lucky. Every restart I spun the tires. We fought the best we could.”
Early in the race Keselowski got track position by taking two tires instead of four tires and that same strategy set up the exciting finish.
Then on lap 312 while Johnson and others were taking four tires Keselowski took two.
“Two tires was the right way to go. Paul and I made the decision together I might have poked him a little but it was worth a shot,” he said.
Third place Kyle Busch questioned the restarts “from my experience with Brad,” it seemed normal.'
“I just wish I had some better restarts there at the end of the race or was a little closer to those guys when they were going at it and pushing. When Brad was pushing Jimmie up the track, I could have squeaked in and got underneath him. Just didn't quite have enough there and just didn't have enough to be comfortable. I was a little too loose there in the last couple restarts,” Busch said.
Keselowski could have been a sore loser, but, wasn't. He even went out to Victory Lane to shake Johnson's hand. He said NASCAR officials have made their restart policy clear “I think NASCAR are not going to get out a micrometer and measure them, and via that interpretation it was fair play.”
In notable finishes Matt Kenseth was fourth, Dale Earnhardt came back from almost a lap down to finish seventh. Strangest of all, Kevin Harvick, whose car was damaged by a falling sand bag weight for pre-race parachutist display finished ninth.
Johnson now takes a seven point lead to Phoenix the penultimate race of series.
Note this was Johnson's fifth win of the year, and 60th in his career. And it was Chevrolet's 700 Sprint Cup victory.