Johnson Torpedoes His Way to The Front, Wins Subway 500

With the .544-second win over Denny Hamlin, Johnson climbed from seventh to third in the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup standings.

Photo courtesy: Martinsville Speedway

MARTINSVILLE, Va. - Jimmie Johnson won the battle and took a huge step forward in the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup by winning the SUBWAY 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Martinsville Speedway Sunday.

"I'm happy to finish where we should have," Johnson said after his 23rd career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup victory and his second Martinsville win in three years. "We've been running up front the last three or four races and haven't been able to close the deal and today we did."

It was a topsy-turvy day in the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup standings, with nine of the 10 Chase drivers changing positions.

Jeff Burton, who led the Chase coming into the SUBWAY 500 on the demanding Martinsville half-mile oval, was drop kicked back to fifth after finishing 42nd. Burton was felled by engine trouble before the half-way point of the race.

Kevin Harvick finished ninth in the race but climbed a spot to second in the points while rookie Hamlin jumped two spots up to fourth with his finish.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was poised to make a huge jump in the points when he got caught up in a spin late in the race. Earnhardt turned around in fourth turn while trying to get past Kasey Kahne. If he had made the pass, he would have moved into second in the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup. He wound up finishing 22nd and dropped one spot to sixth in the points.

"I made a mistake coming down in to turn three. I went into three and locked the brakes … a mistake on my part," said Earnhardt.

Bobby Labonte had the feel-good run of the day, finishing third in a Richard Petty-owned Dodge. Last year's champion and Martinsville's spring winner Tony Stewart was fourth, followed by Jeff Gordon.

Hamlin took a shot at getting past Johnson with less than five laps remaining. He got Johnson out of shape, but Johnson recovered and pulled away for the win.

Casey Mears had a strong sixth place finish, followed by Kahne, Jeff Green, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Petty. It was the first time since 1999 that Petty Enterprises had two cars finish in the top 10.

It was a caution-filled day, with 18 yellow flags flying for a total of 107 laps.

There were 16 lead changes among five drivers.

Kurt Busch started on the pole, but didn't lead the first lap after being passed by Gordon.

Subway 500 Race Results

1 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevrolet 500 Running 7 245

2 Denny Hamlin FedEx Freight Chevrolet 500 Running 2 28

3 Bobby Labonte Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge 500 Running 1 43

4 Tony Stewart The Home Depot Chevrolet 500 Running

5 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet 500 Running 5 165

6 Casey Mears Texaco/Havoline Dodge 500 Running

7 Kasey Kahne Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge 500 Running

8 Jeff Green Best Buy/Haas CNC Chevrolet 500 Running

9 Kevin Harvick GM Goodwrench Chevrolet 500 Running

10 Kyle Petty Wells Fargo Dodge 500 Running

11 Matt Kenseth R&L Carriers Ford 500 Running

12 Carl Edwards Office Depot Ford 500 Running

13 Ryan Newman Alltel Dodge 500 Running

14 Tony Raines DLP® HDTV Chevrolet 500 Running

15 David Stremme Lonestar Steakhouse Dodge 500 Running

16 Dale Jarrett UPS Ford 500 Running

17 Brian Vickers GMAC Chevrolet 500 Running

18 Kyle Busch Kellogg's Chevrolet 500 Running

19 Jamie McMurray IRWIN Industrial Tools Ford 500 Running

20 Joe Nemechek U.S. Army Chevrolet 500 Running

21 Sterling Marlin Ginn Clubs & Resorts Chevrolet 500 Running

22 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Budweiser Chevrolet 500 Running

23 Clint Bowyer Jack Daniel's Chevrolet 500 Running

24 Mark Martin AAA Ford 500 Running

25 David Ragan Roush Racing Ford 500 Running

26 Ward Burton Lucas Oil Chevrolet 500 Running

27 Kurt Busch Miller Lite Dodge 496 Running 1 19

28 David Gilliland M&M's Ford 496 Running

29 Kenny Wallace Furniture Row Chevrolet 496 Running

30 Scott Riggs Stanley Tools/Valvoline Dodge 495 Running

31 J.J. Yeley Imitrex/GSK Chevrolet 494 Running

32 Greg Biffle National Guard/Subway Ford 486 Running

33 Dave Blaney Caterpillar Dodge 485 Running

34 Michael Waltrip NAPA Dodge 472 Running

35 Reed Sorenson Target Dodge 460 Running

36 Martin Truex Jr. Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Chevrolet 453 Running

37 Robby Gordon Menards/Mapei Chevrolet 416 Rear End

38 Elliott Sadler Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge 412 Engine

39 Mike Skinner Dutch Quality Stone Chevrolet 341 Accident

40 Travis Kvapil Tide/Downy Chevrolet 332 Rear End

41 Ken Schrader Little Debbie Ford 331 Accident

42 Jeff Burton Cingular Wireless Chevrolet 217 Engine

43 Kevin Lepage Oak Gloves Chevrolet 209 Rear End

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