Jimmie Johnson came out on top at Dover for a record eighth time. Johnson held off fellow Hendrick Motorsports driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win at the Monster Mile on Sunday.
Earnhardt may have won the pole , but in the end the No. 48 dominated. Before Sunday, Johnson shared the record of seven wins with Bobby Allison and Richard Petty.
After the race, Fox Sports reports that Johnson was thrilled with the outcome, saying, “To do anything that Richard or Bobby has done is quite an accomplishment.”
Joey Logano, Jeff Gordon, and Kyle Busch rounded out the top five. Earnhardt spoke to reporters after the race, commenting, “We left everybody in the mirror. We were clicking off some laps. But just not fast enough to get to Jimmie.”
With his win, The Chicago Tribune notes that Jimmie Johnson went from 18 points behind Matt Kenseth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup to eight. Kenseth’s substantial lead came from winning the first two races in the 10-race Chase.
While he started at the front Dale Earnhardt Jr. suffered from a pit road blunder early in the race. However, the Hendrick driver, who is also in the Chase, was able to recover from the mistake and fight for the lead with the No. 48.
Johnson made history at Dover on Sunday, though he has his sights set on a higher record. The No. 48 driver already has five NASCAR Sprint Cup championship trophies and is looking for a sixth. With his domination this season (five wins so far), he may earn a sixth championship.
The win would put him one behind Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. for the most in NASCAR history. It came as no surprise Johnson dominated Dover, given his streak of wins in the past. Who do you think will win the Sprint Cup this year?
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