Nascar – Jimmie Johnson like last year

Jimmie Johnson once again proved he was at home in Martinsville. The five-time Sprint Cup Series champion achieved the same scenario as last year by taking pole and victory. The driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet led for more than two thirds of the race and easily managed to maintain the advantage over Clint Bowyer (Michael Waltrip Racing) during the final restart (after a red flag caused by the fire). on Kurt Busch's n°78). “I always have fun in Martinsville”, comments the winner who takes the lead in the Championship. “You have to stay focused and not make mistakes. I was prepared for all situations after studying our previous races here. I took advantage of a good position at the last restart but I always felt good on this track. Being in the lead always allows you to manage your race. »

The Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets finished at the front with Jeff Gordon third ahead of his teammate Kasey Kahne who continued his very good start to the season. The only downside was that Dale Earnhardt Jr only took 24th place after being involved in several collisions and lost the lead in the Sprint Cup. His rival Brad Keselowski (Penske Racing) remains at the forefront, taking sixth place with a tiny delay over Kyle Busch (Joe Gibbs Racing). Jamie McMurray (Earnhardt Ganassi Racing) finished seventh ahead of Marcos Ambrose (Richard Petty Motorsports) and Greg Biffle (Roush Fenway Racing). Mark Martin manages to secure a top ten on the Toyota No. 11 by Denny Hamlin whom he replaced this weekend. Danica Patrick (Steart-Haas Racing) took a very satisfactory 12th place behind Brian Vickers (Michael Waltrip Racing) after his No. 10 Chevrolet started from the back of the grid following an engine change.

The ranking of the drivers of the Nascar Sprint Cup is to be consulted here. The video of the last moments of the STP Booster 500 can be seen on this link.

Discover the report from the Nascar at Martinsville in the next issue of AUTOhebdo, available from Tuesday in digital version for iPad, PC and Mac, and from Wednesday on newsstands.