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Mountain Dew Southern 500 - Darlington Raceway
Johnson Sweeps Darlington, Wins Southern 500 Finale
Once again Jimmie Johnson’s pit crew played an essential part on Sunday afternoon, producing two fast pit stops at the end of the race that helped Johnson win the 55th, and final, Mountain Dew Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Johnson’s crew got him off pit road first on the final two pit stops of the day and Johnson went on to secure the victory after passing two cars who elected not to pit. Johnson brought out his broom yet again and swept both races at Darlington in 2004, the third time this season, and the fifth time in his career, that he has swept both races at a track in a single season. Johnson beat Mark Martin to the checkered flag by .959 seconds to capture his series-leading eighth victory in 2004 and his fourth win in the last five races. It is Johnson’s 14th career trip to victory lane, moving him into a tie with Dick Hutcherson and LeeRoy Yarbrough for 42nd on NASCAR’s all-time win list. Jeff Gordon led the most laps in the event, pacing the field three times for a total of 155 laps, while Johnson led seven times for 124 laps, including the final nine. With the victory, Johnson climbed from fourth to second in the Nextel Cup point standings, trailing Kurt Busch by 18 points heading into the season’s final race. Mark Martin finished the event in scored place, his 23rd top-ten effort in 38 races at Darlington Raceway. Gordon overcame a late pit-road gaffe, when his car landed on the air hose, to come home in the third position, his 12th top-five finish in the last 19 races at Darlington. Jamie McMurray stayed out during the final pit stops and ended up with a fourth place finish, securing his spot on the stage at the season-ending banquet as the 11th-place finisher in the points, along with the $1 million bonus that goes along with it.
Rain Washes Out Darlington Qualifying, Busch to Start from Pole
Qualifying for the final Mountain Dew Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway was canceled due to rain. The starting lineup for the event will be set in accordance to the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series rulebook. As a result, points leader Kurt Busch will lead the field to the green flag for the first time this season. The rain put a damper on Ryan Newman’s shot at winning his fifth consecutive pole position and tying Bobby Allison and Cale Yarborough for the most consecutive poles in the circuit’s modern era. Newman was fastest in the practice session held earlier on Friday afternoon. Jeff Gordon will start from the second position, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson start from row two.
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