Page 21 - atoday

SPORTS A21
Tuesday 1 March 2016

Johnson pulls alongside the Intimidator with 76th career win

By PAUL NEWBERRY Jimmie Johnson stands with the trophy after winning a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Sunday,
HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) — Jim- Feb. 28, 2016, in Hampton, Ga.
mie Johnson reached an-
other milestone in his bril- Associated Press
liant NASCAR career.
This one was really special. ful they are,” Johnson said. as he struggled to maintain the game for another de- “It’s going to be interest-
Win No. 76. “If I have a chance to win control of his car on fading cade or more. While Petty’s ing to see how many races
Right up there with the In- a seventh and tie Petty and tires, having made his final record of 200 career victo- and championships Jimmie
timidator. Earnhardt, that would be green-flag pit stop ahead ries is unlikely to ever be du- and Chad (Knaus, his crew
Johnson’s victory at At- just monumental.” of everyone else in a strate- plicated — he competed chief) can win.”
lanta Motor Speedway on Polished and well-liked gic bid to snatch the lead largely in a different era It was Knaus who made the
Sunday pushed him into throughout the garage, away from Kevin Harvick. with far more races each call that essentially gave
a tie for seventh place on Johnson would appear to “Knowing dad and know- year — Johnson certainly Johnson a shot at his latest
the career list with the late have little in common with ing Jimmie’s character, has the potential to reach victory. Knowing it would
Dale Earnhardt, who was the Intimidator, a rough- they would’ve gotten the second spot on the list. be tough to get around
killed in a last-lap crash at and-tumble driver who along tremendously and David Pearson won 105 Harvick, who led more laps
the 2001 Daytona 500 just didn’t mind making others dad would’ve thought the times. Johnson has aver- than anyone, the crew
a few months before John- mad and doing whatever world of him,” Earnhardt Jr. aged a bit more than five chief brought in the No.
son joined the Cup series. it took to win the race — said. victories a year, a pace 48 for its last scheduled pit
“I didn’t have a chance to even if it meant knocking “How can you not like Jim- that would push him past stop nine laps before Har-
race against him,” John- someone out of the way. mie? He’s just a good guy the Silver Fox in another six vick, gambling that John-
son said. “There’s been a “He didn’t get that Intimi- who never stepped over seasons. son could make his tires last
big void in my mind ... so dator title by being nice the line with anything he’s Shorter term, Johnson can longer on the bruising At-
to tie him, for me person- to everybody,” quipped ever said or anything he’s set his sights on Cale Yar- lanta track.
ally, it gives me a little bit Rick Hendrick, the owner of ever done.” borough (83 victories), The move worked, giving
of attachment to the great Johnson’s No. 48 car. All he does is win, with stag- Bobby Allison and Darrell Johnson a big lead, though
Dale Earnhardt.” But Earnhardt Jr. thinks gering consistency. Waltrip (84 apiece), and a late yellow flag forced
After a chaotic finish, the his father, if he had lived, The 40-year-old has now longtime teammate Jeff overtime. Everyone came
significance of the triumph would have become fast earned a victory in every Gordon, who retired after back into the pits for new
didn’t occur to Johnson at friends with Johnson. full-time Cup season, ex- last season with 93 wins. tires, Johnson returned to
first. Then it hit him, so he Certainly, he would’ve re- tending the streak to 15 “You’ve got to say that the track still out front, and
took another spin in front of spected Johnson’s skills years in a row. As fit as any he’s one of the best that’s a four-car crash on the
the grandstand, sticking his behind the wheel, which driver in the series, he could ever been in the sport,” backstretch shortly after
hand out of the car to hold were on full display Sunday likely remain at the top of Hendrick said of Johnson. the restart sealed the win.q
up three fingers.
No. 3 was Earnhardt’s num-
ber, of course.
And, in an appropriate
twist, Johnson teammate
Dale Earnhardt Jr. crossed
the line next, edging out
Kyle Busch for the runner-
up spot by mere inches.
“I think dad would’ve liked
Jimmie as a person,” Ju-
nior said, “but he certainly
wouldn’t have enjoyed
competing against him.”
Next on Johnson’s bucket
list: another series champi-
onship. By winning the sec-
ond race of the season, he
essentially wrapped up his
spot in the season-ending
Chase, where he’ll be at-
tempting to join Earnhardt
and Richard Petty as the
only drivers to capture sev-
en Cup titles.
“The six that I have, I know
how special and meaning-