Page 19 - ARUBA TODAY

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SPORTS Monday 10 april 2017
Changed track, same result at Texas with Jimmie Johnson win

What a tough track and were in good shape. From the second early restart on
tough conditions. We were there, off we went,” he lap 16, with a somewhat
really in our wheelhouse said. “It was so tough those bold move around the
and we were just able to first 23 laps in traffic. The outside of Harvick going
execute all day.” air was very turbulent, the through the reconfigured
This was the first Cup race track wasn’t very clean.” Turns 1 and 2, where the
in Texas since the 1 1/2-mile Johnson’s only top-10 fin- banking was reduced and
facility was completely re- ish in the first six races this the track widened.
paved and changes made season had been ninth During a caution on a few
to Turns 1 and 2 earlier this at Phoenix. Earnhardt, his laps before the end of the
year. It was Johnson’s sev- Hendrick teammate, had second stage on lap 170,
enth victory at Texas, six in his first top-five finish since Blaney stayed on the track
the last 10 races there. a runner-up at Pocono last for a shot to win the stage
Kyle Larson, the season June, not long before he while other cars pitted.
points leader, finished sec- missed the last half of the Blaney restarted 20th after
ond for the fourth time this season because of linger- that stage and his stop, but
year, but also won at Cali- ing concussions symptoms. after working back into the
fornia. Ryan Blaney won the first top 10, he overslid his pit on
Logano, polesitter Kevin two stages and gave Wood the last caution.
Harvick and Dale Earn- Brothers Racing, the oldest “That last pit stop was pretty
hardt Jr. rounded out the active team in NASCAR, its discouraging,” Blaney said.
top five. longest front-running car “I don’t know what it was
Johnson had to start at the in a race in 35 years. The there at the end of seg-
back of the 40-car field be- 23-year-old Blaney finished ment two and that made
cause of a tire change af- 12th after leading 148 of everybody have split strat-
ter a spin in qualifying. He 334 laps, the first time the egies, and we got in the
had qualified 24th. team led more than 100 back and couldn’t pass
“Oh, probably on the sec- laps in a race since 1982. anybody. It was terrible to
ond or third run I knew we Blaney first got the lead on try to pass people.”q
Jimmie Johnson fires commemorative pistols in victory lane af-
ter winning the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Texas Motor
Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, April 9, 2017.
(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
STEPHEN HAWKINS of malfunction with the sys-
AP Sports Writer tem in the car, but wasn’t
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — sure what the problem was.
Jimmie Johnson still knows “Jimmie felt like it was an
how to get to Victory Lane isolated situation,” Knaus
at Texas, even from the said. “We got him cooled
back of the field on a track off and he’s looking good.
that had changed signifi- He’s ready to go have a
cantly since his first six wins weekend off like the rest
there. of us. Johnson, who last
And while heating up in year won his record-tying
the cockpit because of an seventh NASCAR Cup Se-
issue with getting fluids dur- ries season championship,
ing the race. charged under Joey Lo-
“I’m not feeling the best, gano with 16 laps to go to
but we got into Victory take the lead. The Hendrick
Lane,” Johnson said before Motorsports driver kept his
going to the infield care No. 48 Chevrolet in front.
center to get treatment for “I guess I remembered how
apparent dehydration af- to drive; and I guess this
ter his 81st career victory. team remembered how to
Crew chief Chad Knaus do it,” Johnson said. “I’m
said there was some kind just real proud of this team.
Lewis Hamilton coasts to fifth

title at Chinese Grand Prix

JUSTIN BERGMAN scuttled the highly antici-
Associated Press pated showdown as Ham-
SHANGHAI (AP) — With ilton coasted to victory for
Lewis Hamilton and Sebas- his fifth title in Shanghai
tian Vettel starting side-by- and first of the new Formula
side on the front row at the One season.
Chinese Grand Prix on Sun- Starting from pole position,
day, the stage was set for Hamilton led from begin-
a wheel-to-wheel duel be- ning to end to capture the
tween long-dominant Mer- race in 1 hour, 37 minutes,
cedes and a newly com- 36.158 seconds and pull
petitive Ferrari. even with Vettel atop the
A chaotic start to the race driver’s standings with 43
on a wet track, however, points.q