News and Media Releases

Johnson Scores 1st Win Of 2009

30/03/2009

All Four Hendrick Cars Score Top-10 Finishes in Goody’s Fast Relief 500.

Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson made a daring pass in the closing stages of Sunday's running of the Goody's Fast Relief 500 to take the win at Martinsville Speedway.

The three-time and defending champion had a strong car most of the day on his way to his fifth victory in the last six races at the infamous short track. Fellow Quaker State teammates Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. all scored top-10 finishes in Sunday's race as well.

Johnson struggled in the early stages of the race pitting early to allow the No. 48 team to work on his Chevrolet. Crew Chief Chad Knaus made the correct adjustments with Johnson breaking into the top-five by lap 258 and never dropping out.

The Lowe's/Quaker State team earned Johnson the lead for the first time on a pit stop and it was a during that late race pass that the reigning champion took the lead again for the final time. The California native led two different times for a total of 42 laps and moved up five spots in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points standings to the fourth position.

Four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon started from the pole after Friday's qualifying session was rained out and the field was set according to owner points. Taking the lead four different times for a total of 147 laps, Gordon appeared to be on his way to breaking his winless streak. However, the No. 24 Chevrolet fell back a little in the closing stages of the race and Gordon had to settle for a fourth-place finish.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Mark Martin both fought back from running deep in the field to finish in the top-10 as well. Martin's seventh-place finish moved him up four spots in the point standings to 27th with Earnhardt gaining three spots to move to 16th after finishing eighth.

Sunday's race at Martinsville marked the 25th anniversary of Hendrick Motorsport's first win. Having Johnson win 25 years later and all four of his teams finish in the top-10 was a perfect cap to the celebration of this milestone.

Denny Hamlin finished second behind Johnson followed by Tony Stewart in third. Gordon's fourth-place finish along with Clint Bowyer's fifth-place run rounded out the top-five.

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the running of the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in Ft. Worth, Texas.  Live television coverage begins on Sunday, April 5, 2009 at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on FOX.

The event will also be broadcast live on PRN (Performance Racing Network) and Sirius Satellite Radio with coverage beginning at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).