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NASCAR Auto Club 500: Yawn--Jimmie Johnson Wins Again

: Nascar Auto

NASCAR in Fontana the month of February usually means one thing. A long drawn out race of follow the leader. The race had it's moments but as Jimmie Johnson assumed the lead on a controversial new NASCAR rule, he pulled away from the field on the last restart.

Jimmie Johnson the 5-2 favorite to win has won 5 of 15 races in Fontana.

Johnson went on to win his 5th NASCAR Sprint Cup race at the Auto Club Speedway in 15 races. When Johnson emerged from the car he said, "I was worried about that #29 car (Kevin Harvick). We raced all day long and as he was closing on me hit the wall. Then I knew I had it."

"They have a golden horseshoe stuck up their..."

Kevin Harvick when he exited his car said, "We had him until we lost the nose of the car and then just had to hold on to second place against my teammate (Jeff Burton). With the second place finish Kevin Harvick is now in first place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings. Harvick responded with a smile, "That's great only 34 races to go."

NASCAR point leader Harvick was quoted on espn.com after the race. "They're really good, but they're really, really lucky, too, " Harvick said. "Jimmie is a good friend mine, but there's no denying how lucky they are. They have a golden horseshoe stuck up their a--."

Goodyear brings a tire to Auto Club Speedway that wears faster.

One of the issues in the Nascar Auto Club 500 was tire wear. Goodyear brought a new tire for the NASCAR Sprint Cup teams to race with in Fontana. The tire was meant to give up as the length of the run went on. As the drivers completed more than ten laps, the tires would wear and the cars would become loose. The effect was to make the racing more even and in that case it did not appear that NASCAR accomplished the goal.

With not many yellows, engines start to expire and Biffle's crew finds a surprise.

With 110 laps to go Juan Pablo Montoya's engine went up in smoke as he raced down the front stretch. During the ensuing pit stops Greg Biffle had some debris on his grill cleaned off. As Biffle exited the pits, his crewman looked down and realized the debris was actually half of a twenty dollar bill. On the restart Ryan Newman spun his tires as he led the field to the green flag and subsequently blew his engine with 103 laps to go.

96 Laps to go Kyle Busch showed up at the front of the field.

Kyle Busch started making his move after the yellow flag for Montoya. As the race restarted, Kyle Busch passed eight cars, at one point making it four wide and when Ryan Newman's engine went up in smoke Kyle Busch found himself right behind his brother Kurt Busch.

On the restart for Newman's blown engine, Kyle Busch came from fourth to first in two laps and captured the lead with 96 laps to go. During Kyle Busch's pit stop his side fin was loose. The side fin, that runs along the rear window, is required by NASCAR rules. The fin was tightened and Kyle Busch made his run to the front.

Rain gets closer with less than 50 laps to go.

The NASCAR crew chief's computers were working overtime as strategys began to play out. With 30 laps to go Brad Keselowski spun out as the leaders were pitting. The situation put Jimmie Johnson in the lead with a controversial ruling that put Kyle Busch and Clint Bowyer at the tail end of the field.

NASCAR defending champ Johnson never trailed after the restart, as Richard Childress Racing teammates, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton battled to the checkered flag behind him. Harvick closed the gap with less than five laps to go but hit the wall as he reeled in Johnson. The incident slowed Harvick down enough to put him out of contention. The win was Johnson's 48th NASCAR Sprint Cup win.

sources:

Fox Sports TV

Speed TV

www.espn.go.com

By Todd Jacobs -
Todd Jacobs is from Anaheim, California and resides in the city of Las Vegas. Todd worked for Orange Coast Magazine as News Editor in the '80s and recently began writing for several online sites including:...

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