NASCAR: Jimmie Johnson finds Victory Lane at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Jimmie Johnson took a huge step toward his seventh NASCAR Cup championship Sunday, winning the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The victory, coming in the first race of the second round of the Chase, ensured Johnson a spot in the third round. Matt Kenseth, who started at the rear of the field for a pre-race rules violation, was second.

The race was costly for other drivers in the Chase. Five of them finished 30th or lower, including Kevin Harvick (38th) and Joey Logano (36th). Chase Elliott (who led 103 laps) and Austin Dillon were caught up in an accident on a late restart and finished 32nd and 33rd, respectively. Denny Hamlin was running near the front on Lap 309 when the engine blew in his No. 11 Toyota. He finished 30th.

Kasey Kahne, who is not in the Chase, was third. He was followed by non-Chasers Ryan Newman and Kyle Larson. The highest finishing Chase driver after Kenseth was Kyle Busch in sixth.

Sunday’s race was postponed from Saturday becaue of rain from Hurricane Matthew. The Chase will continue next Sunday at Kansas Speedway.

Turning point

Johnson, starting alongside leader Kenseth on a restart on Lap 317, took advantage of his position on the inside of the track to take the lead. He jetted away from Kenseth and won by 1.5 seconds.

Chase update

How the NASCAR Chase drivers fared:

1. Jimmie Johnson (3,045 points*): Won the race and knows he already has nailed down a spot in the round of eight of the Chase.

2. Matt Kenseth (5 behind): Started at rear of the field for unapproved adjustments to his No. 20 Toyota. Then he had a pit-road penalty (over the wall too soon) on the first caution of the day. He was still in position to win late before Johnson overtook him on the final restart, and finished second.

3. Kyle Busch (9 behind): Finished sixth, involved in a wreck with Chase Elliott on a restart on Lap 259.

4. Brad Keselowski (11 behind): Seventh-place finish continues a strong, consistent Chase for the No. 2 Ford.

5. Kurt Busch (12 behind): Wasn’t happy with his No. 41 Chevy, but got enough out of it for an eighth-place finish.

6. Carl Edwards (16 behind): Had problems with tires and engine, but managed a 12th-place finish.

7. Martin Truex Jr. (17 points): Wasn’t nearly as strong as he was in Charlotte in May, or in the first round of the Chase, finishing 13th. Bumped Austin Dillon from behind, causing big wreck.

8. Denny Hamlin (33 behind): Was running in second place when his engine blew on Lap 308. Ended up 30th.

9. Austin Dillon (3 out of eighth place): Was in second place on a restart on Lap 259, but was bumped by Truex and hit the inside wall hard. Finished 32nd.

10. Chase Elliott (3 out of eighth place): Led 103 laps (only Johnson led more), but day ended when Kyle Busch clipped him on restart that also took out Dillon.

11. Joey Logano (6 out of eighth place): Tire problems cost him dearly, eventually causing him to wreck on Lap 156. Got back in the race and finished 36th, 80 laps down.

12. Kevin Harvick (8 out of eighth place): An engine problem – possibly computer-related or electrical – ended his day after 155 laps.

*1 victory in second round

Worth noting

▪ Alex Bowman’s day ended early after he cut a tire and wrecked with Casey Mears on Lap 62. Bowman, driving Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 88 Chevy in place of Dale Earnhardt Jr., started the race on the front row with pole-winner Kevin Harvick and was running third when the accident happened.

“They knew we were here, that is all that matters,” said Bowman. “There is nothing more I can do, nothing more anybody on the race team can do.”

▪ As several Chase drivers struggled, drivers not in the postseason took advantage. Kasey Kahne, continuing a strong recent stretch, finished third, his fifth top-10 in six races. Ryan Newman was fourth and Kyle Larson, eliminated from the Chase last week, was fifth. Tony Stewart and Jamie McMurray, who were also bounced from the Chase after the first round, were ninth and 10th. Danica Patrick’s 11th-place finish was her best of the season.

▪ It was a long, potential 800-mile day for five drivers who were scheduled to compete in both races (Xfinity and Cup) – Larson, Logano, Austin Dillon, Keselowski and Harvick.

▪ Former NASCAR crew chief and team owner Travis Carter was named recipient of Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Smokey Yunick Award before Sunday’s race. The award, named for the late mechanic and racing innovator, is presented annually to an individual whose efforts have had an impact on motorsports. Carter, 66, won 11 Winston Cup (now Sprint Cup) races as a crew chief, as well as the 1973 series championship and 1975 Daytona 500 with the late Benny Parsons.

Bill Kiser

▪ Officials are investigating the cause of a fire at office space owned by the Automobile Racing Club of America in Temperance, Mich., early Sunday. According to a report by television station WTVG in Toledo, Ohio, firefighters were called to the ARCA offices around 8 a.m. No one was injured in the blaze.

B.K.

They said it

“I knew we’d get back. Yes, it was slower than we hoped it would be.” -- Johnson, who hadn’t won since the fifth race of the season.

N@SCAR

Tweets from Sunday’s race:

This story was originally published October 9, 2016 at 5:53 PM with the headline "NASCAR: Jimmie Johnson finds Victory Lane at Charlotte Motor Speedway."