Johnson takes charge

Jimmie Johnson won the Fontana race this Sunday, ahead of Jeff Gordon. He moved into the lead of the championship with six races remaining but was only ahead of Mark Martin by a handful of points.

Published on 12/10/2009 à 12:19

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Three-time reigning Sprint Cup Series winner Jimmie Johnson took charge again. This Sunday, during the Pepsi 500, the Hendrick Motorsport driver dominated the proceedings, holding the race lead for more than half of the 250 laps at Auto Club Speedway. However, it was at the end of the race and with a bit of luck that Johnson was able to build his victory.

With less than six laps remaining, Jeff Gordon was still leading the race when Jimmie Johnson caught up with him and took the lead in the Pepsi 500. A few seconds later, the marshals waved the yellow flag and neutralized the race due to a big accident involving several drivers, including Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne and Marcos Ambrose. The positions are therefore fixed, with Jimmie Johnson, installed in the lead, ahead of Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Juan Pablo Montoya.

At the restart, two laps from the finish, Jimmie Johnson took the lead over Jeff Gordon, whom he managed to outrun. After 250 laps, he snatched his fourth victory of the season and moved to the top of the Sprint Cup Series general classification, twelve points ahead of Mark Martin.