Pit crew lifts Johnson to solid finish after crash
- After leading 44 laps, Jimmie Johnson backed into the wall in Turn 4 on lap 136
- Johnson made about half a dozen stops for repairs during a couple of caution periods
- Johnson stands seven points behind leader Brad Keselowski in the Chase for the Sprint Cup
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Five-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson parked his car on pit road after Sunday's race, climbed out and walked behind it, examining the damage he had inflicted.
He marveled at how his crew patched the car well enough for him to finish ninth at Kansas Speedway and remain in title contention.
"It's pretty severe," Johnson said of the damage. It seemed the same could have been said for his chances at a sixth title when he hit the wall after leading 44 laps.
But Johnson, crew chief Chad Knaus and the No. 48 Chevrolet team have made a habit through the years of recovering and rallying when things seem bleak. The Hendrick Motorsports team has qualified for the Chase since its inception in 2004, but its lowest finish — sixth last year — led to a weakened esprit de corps as Johnson's string of five consecutive championships ended. Sunday, their championship form was back.
"It's big, and that's what we didn't like about our attitude and execution last year," Johnson said. "When things got a little trying for us, we didn't communicate and work as we needed to. Today we executed like there really wasn't anything that happened. ... A more mature race team."
Johnson won at least one race during the 10-race Chase in each of his title years (2006 to 2010). In 2007, he and Knaus reeled off four in a row; in 2008, they won three; in 2009, four. Surely on Sunday, their performance had rivals rubbing their brows.
Points leader Brad Keselowski was surprised at how well Johnson ran.
"I thought you said the 48 car was wrecked," Keselowski radioed spotter Joey Meier. "He looks fine. They did a hell of a job fixing it."
Johnson was running behind Martin Truex Jr. in Turn 4 when Truex got loose. Johnson made a move to the inside to get by when he lost control.
"I jumped on the gas and mine took off," Johnson said. "The decklid and all that is so sensitive. I really thought I was in trouble when I hit the wall. It's tough to get the support to hold that decklid where it needs to be. If there isn't support back there, NASCAR will park you (to make repairs).
"When I backed it in, I was pretty bummed out and assumed that we were going to be many laps down."
He didn't lose any as he made about half a dozen stops for repairs during a couple of caution periods.
Knaus credited the team for the quick repairs but also applauded Johnson's performance.
"It's really easy for a driver to lose his confidence and not go back out there and drive as hard as he needs to," he said. "That just shows that Jimmie is the best out there. To be able to drive this race car and come back from that is pretty impressive."
Johnson put it a little differently post-race with this tweet: #6pack.