Powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports Captures Fifth Consecutive Win at Michigan.
Jimmie Johnson finally earns his first win at Michigan International Speedway and it’s his third visit to victory lane this season.
The six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup series champion took command of the lead on lap 191 and from there he cruised to the checkered flag at Sunday’s Quicken Loans 400 to end a 24-race drought.
“We’ve figured out every way to lose this race and today we were able to get it done,” he said after getting out of his No. 48 Chevy.
Michigan has not been kind to Johnson as he knows the heartbreak of leading late and still losing. He admitted he was nervous as he raced through the last few laps.
“About 200 yards before the finish line I knew if the car exploded I’d still make it across the line,” he said with a chuckle, “so that’s when I finally relaxed.”
Pitting on lap 165 Johnson took on four tires and enough fuel to finish the race, which was green the rest of the race. Those close to him pitted later and left Johnson comfortably ahead as Hendrick Motorsports captured its fifth straight Sprint Cup series victory.
“We were really in a win-win situation,” said Johnson, who led 39 laps and jumped to second in the Sprint Cup points standings behind Gordon. “Those guys had to come to pit road to make it to the end.
“Once the strategy unfolded, we knew we were in the catbird’s seat.”
Crew chief Chad Knaus said the team had the good fortune of a fast car and winning strategy.
“We knew there was going to be some opportunities to play some strategy today,” he said. “We were fortunate to have a fast racecar and hit the strategy correct.”
This was the same car the team used to win Johnson’s first race of the season at Charlotte.
Pole sitter Kevin Harvick led a race-best 63 laps and was second, followed by Brad Keselowski, Paul Menard and Kasey Kahne rounding out the top-five.
Johnson’s win topped a big day for HMS, seeing all four Chevys in the top-seven with Kahne, then Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr., in sixth and seventh.
Johnson became the series’ first three-time winner as he picks up his 69th career Sprint Cup victory. He’s finished first in three of the series’ last four races and jumps from fourth-place to second in the series points standings, 15 points behind Gordon. Three wins also puts Johnson at the top of the Chase grid with 11 races remaining before the Chase begins at Chicagoland.
On restarts, it was Harvick who was especially fast during the first 150 laps of the race but he fell behind in a series of green-flag stops. He did little to hide his frustration.
“The car was fast, just wound up on the wrong side of the strategy,” he said.
Harvick’s car was fastest on the track for most of practice and set a new track record earning him the pole.
Varying pit strategy forced several contenders farther back in the field, including Joey Logano, who led the field for 15 laps before being passed by Harvick on lap 141.
The race was not quite a lap old when Brian Vickers brushed the turn four wall and spun collecting Travis Kvapil near the entrance to pit lane. Rookie Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr. brought out another quick caution on lap six when they made contact near turn two.
Casey Mears and Brett Moffitt tangled in turn four on lap 115. Then Aric Almirola and Denny Hamlin spun in the same place on lap 122 bringing out another caution. The race was yellow-flagged eight times in 36 laps.
Next up for the Sprint Cup Series is the road course at Sonoma Raceway on June 22nd. Television coverage on TNT begins at 2 pm ET with a green flag at 3 pm ET. Radio coverage is on PRN, Sirius XM channel 90.