Race 2 Win: Sprint Cup Series

Sprint Cup Series

Auto Club 500 - WIX Filters Lap Leader Notes

WIX FILTERS LAP LEADER NOTES FOR THE AUTO CLUB 500 NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES RACE AT AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2008.

Jimmie Johnson led nine times for 76 laps to earn WIX Filters Lap Leader of the Race honors in the Auto Club 500. Johnson had led at least one lap in both 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.

Johnson scored a second-place finish in the race, crossing the finish line behind race winner Carl Edwards. The event officially ended under caution.

Johnson first top-five and first top-10 of the 2008 season at Auto Club Speedway. In 11 races at Auto Club Speedway, Johnson has scored seven top-10 finishes. He grabbed his 61st top-five in 148 superspeedway starts.

JOHNSON QUOTES: “It’s always awesome to win the WIX award. It’s been a great weekend for us. I really feel that from the test session even through the first and only practice session we had, that short one we had, we learned a lot about the cars and made a lot of ground. I’m very thankful for the effort that Chad’s put in and also the 24 team and how our teams work together. Jeff went out in practice on Friday and was at the top of the board and very, very happy with his car and we were able to put the same stuff in and go out and run second and third with him and keep pace and run with him all day long. I really feel that we’re getting on to things. The test session here was discouraging. The Vegas test was better so I’m excited to take what we learned today, actually the four or five days that we’ve been here – seems like a month that we’ve been here – take that to Vegas and improve on it. Very pleased. We were a little too loose, actually really loose off as the day wore on and Carl, probably two-thirds of the race on, his stuff was strong. It’d give up a little at the end of a run but he was so quick up until that point where as we’d run I’d start loosing forward traction and just getting sideways off the corners and couldn’t hang with him. It’s a good rebound from Daytona and we’ll roll on.”

UNOFFICIALLY Johnson is eighth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship standings, 68 points behind leader Kyle Busch. He is Busch scored a fourth-place finish, his 19th top-five on a superspeedway and 31st in 115 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. He has scored two top-five finishes in his last two Sprint Cup starts at Daytona.

WIX FILTERS LAP LEADER AWARD STANDINGS
Kyle Busch 1
Jimmie Johnson

WIX FILTERS LAP LEADER AWARD WINNERS BY RACE
EVENT DRIVER
Daytona 500 Busch, 86 laps 
Auto Club 500 Johnson, 76 laps