Five-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson is no stranger to winning on big, historic stages and there’s no doubt that Martinsville is one of his favorite tracks.
That’s probably because, as of Sunday, he’s won at Martinsville eight times, which is the third most of any driver at the track in NASCAR history.
This one seemed to be a breeze for Johnson, who led the race for 346 laps, including the final eight after he pulled back in front after a restart.
“Probably the most calm, relaxed thought-out weekend that we’ve ever had as the 48 (team),” Johnson said, according to ESPN.com.
Johnson may have seemed like he was in cruise control for much of the day, but as always, there were adjustments to be made during the race and Johnson responded with the poise of a true champion.
“We stuck to our game plan and knew what we wanted to have in the race and stayed patient, and it was tough to do at times, but it certainly worked out well,” the five-time series champion said. “And in the race, we had to adjust on the fly.”
Although it was Johnson’s day, Clint Bowyer and Jeff Gordon also posted impressive runnings, finishing second and third respectively. Kasey Kahne came in fourth and Kyle Busch added another top five to his resume, rounding out the top five finishers.
Though Gordon was likely happy with his performance, he acknowledged how big of an advantage Johnson seems to have at Martinsville, especially when he earns pole position in qualifying.
“You give him that No. 1 pit stall here at Martinsville, it’s almost impossible,” Gordon said.
With two wins and three top-five finishes already this year, Johnson is the current points leader and could very well be on his way to a sixth title if things keep going his way.
We’ll definitely have our eye on the 48 car as Johnson and the rest of the talented NASCAR field take the Texas Motor Speedway track at the NRA 500 this weekend and you can feast your eyes on the track live as well by picking up one of Fandeavor.com’s exclusive travel packages for the NRA 500!
Check out all of Fandeavor’s NASCAR experiences and get revved up for the Sprint Cup Series as it switches into high gear this summer!