Jimmie Johnson piloted his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS to Victory Lane at Martinsville Speedway, the seventh round of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chase for the Championship. By virtue of the win the six-time series title holder is now part of the Championship Four at Homestead Miami Speedway where he will battle for his seventh NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship. Johnson, who has spent his entire motorsports career in the cockpit of a Chevrolet racecar, is the first driver locked in to the season-ending four-car play off for the coveted crown.
Martin Truex Jr. was consistently solid Sunday afternoon at Martinsville Speedway’s short track, finishing seventh in the Sprint Cup Series race, his 16th top-10 result of the season.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – RACE WINNER - WHERE DID YOU COME FROM AT THE END? “We really had great long run speed. We lost track position through a couple of different means there at the first half of the race. Honestly, that caution with the No. 19 car put us in the catbird seat. I wasn’t sure I could get by the No. 18 or the No. 11, but we got going and I got by both of those guys. I thought ‘man I hope this stays green’ because that really suits what our racecar was doing all day long.”
After gaining six positions in the opening laps, the Fastenal Ford wheel hopped on lap 21 sending Ricky Stenhouse Jr. for a spin. The damage was too sufficient for the crew to repair resulting in a 40th-place finish in Sunday’s Goody’s 500 at Martinsville Speedway.
BRAD KESELOWSKI – No. 2 Alliance Truck Parts Ford Fusion – PRESS CONFERENCE – “It was a good day for us, not the win. I think we had the speed capable to pull it off, but still a really strong day. The car was good. The team executed really well, we just kind of missed out on the racing Gods today. We have a lot to be proud of, a great effort, and showed that we’re still a strong team if not the strongest in the garage and I’m really proud of that.”
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS, won the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 on Sunday at Martinsville Speedway to automatically clinch a berth in the final round of the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup. It was Johnson’s ninth career win at Martinsville.
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., DRIVER OF THE NO. 88 CHEVROLET SS, met with member of the media as a spokesperson for Goody’s and discussed an upcoming promotion, but also discussed racing next year and many other topics.
Toyota driver Christopher Bell (fourth) was the top-finishing Tundra driver in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race at Virginia’s Martinsville Speedway on Saturday.
MARTIN TRUEX, JR., No. 78 Auto Owner’s Insurance Toyota Camry, Furniture Row Racing - Starting Position: 1st - Are you more excited to get the pole at Martinsville or redemption after being eliminated from the Chase last week? “Mostly because it’s Martinsville – I’ve been second here a few times."
JOEY LOGANO – No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Fusion – PRESS CONFERENCE – THIS IS YOUR FIFTH STRAIGHT FRONT ROW START HERE. “So close to getting that fourth pole in a row. It would have been pretty cool to be able to say you did that, but it’s been a great streak."
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