Johnson stumbles, Vickers takes advantage

Brian Vickers, pole sitter for the Carfax 400, almost left empty-handed again. Five times this season, the pilot Red Bull had managed to take pole but without ever realizing it afterwards. This time, it's done. Brian Vickers took his second Sprint Cup victory, his first of the year. But if he owes his success to his speed and his strategy, he was also able to count on the failure of Jimmie Johnson.

Three times champion of Nascar, the No. 48 is not successful on the Michigan circuit, where it has never won. And yet, he still largely led this weekend. In the lead for 133 laps, the driver supported by Lowes had to resolve to return to his pit box three laps from the finish, having run out of fuel. Brian Vickers, in ambush, took advantage of this, having the bare minimum to finish the race and do a few “burns” to celebrate his victory.

If Vickers started on pole, it was Mark Martin who controlled most of the start of the race, until the first yellow flag. After most of the competitors stopped, Matt Kenseth was able to take the lead, ahead of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. The latter, much more comfortable than at Watkins Glen, then got the better of his two predecessors in order to take control of the race. After 76 laps, Johnson leads from Martin, Kenseth and Gordon.

A new yellow flag is waved three-fifths of the way into the race. Tony Stewart is quicker than Jimmie Johnson to come out of the pits and takes the lead. At the restart of the 121st lap, Johnson catches Stewart but, behind, Kurt Busch and David Ragan make a mistake: another yellow flag. At the next restart, this time it was Stewart who dominated Johnson, before the latter regained his possession and Ragan made a mistake again, causing a new safety car period. A little later, it was Juan Pablo Montoya, 3rd on the grid but not in good luck during the race, who caused the yellow flag to come out, one of his tires puncturing on Kasey Kahne's car.

The Colombian was able to return to the peloton during the following neutralization, as a Lucky dog. But that wasn't enough for Montoya, who didn't manage to get back into the lead, just like Mark Martin. Leader at the start of the race, the veteran lacked efficiency during refueling.

Pushed by Kevin Harvick on lap 157, David Stremme skidded but managed to maintain control. Despite everything, the yellow flag is out again. At the restart, Jimmie Johnson and Brian Vickers exchange the lead, the younger of the two passes in front. Ten laps later, Johnson took him back. But the two men are almost out of gas. Behind, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr hope to take advantage of the windfall. Finally, only Johnson has to go back to his box. Vickers can then savor his victory, his first of the year, a victory which punctuates a successful weekend for the Red Bull driver. “ I've had a lot of problems lately, I'm happy to see that things are working out in our favor for once, said the pilot Toyota at the arrival. When I was called on the 149th lap, I thought it was going to be just about fuel, but in the end, it went well. »

Three races from the end of the "regular season", Vickers moved back into 13th position in the standings, ahead of Clint Bowyer and Kyle Busch, the latter not having managed to achieve a good result in order to return to the Top 12. Despite his three victories, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver could therefore be eliminated prematurely from the title race. The next Bristol event is already crucial.