Johnson did all he could to win at Talladega
Cup champion discusses his bid to win the Chase for the championship
 Glenn Smith / AP file Jimmie Johnson finished second at Talladega Superspeedway behind Jeff Gordon. |
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. - As he held down the lead on the final lap at Talladega Superspeedway, Jimmie Johnson thought he had the victory locked up.
Until teammate Jeff Gordon passed him, grabbing the win and forcing Johnson to settle for second-place.
Johnson racked his brain for how he could have done things differently, and couldn’t think of a thing. So he watched a replay of the finish, and came to the same conclusion.
“It wouldn’t have mattered if it was my teammate or (Tony) Stewart or any of those other guys, I hate losing and I couldn’t figure out what I did wrong to leave that opportunity,” Johnson said. “I thought I did a good job of controlling the head of the pack and doing all I could to hold my position. So I watched the video, and I did do a good job of containing him.
“But the combination of the package we were using for that race, the bump he got from (Dave Blaney) and then the push from Stewart, it just made it a perfect situation for him. I don’t think I could have defended it any other way.”
Gordon had been behind Johnson when he made his move, using a bump from Blaney to pull out of traffic and into his own lane. Then Stewart came charging behind Gordon, giving him the push he needed to make it to the front.
“I don’t know where the 20 car came from. He was in a third lane by himself with a huge run,” Johnson said. “I went to block Jeff and it took him to the third lane, and the 20 was there with a head of steam and started pushing him.
“Once he hooked up with Jeff, and Jeff cleared me, I was SOL.”
Gordon’s win was his fifth of the season and made him the all-time victory leader in restrictor-plate races with 12. It also pushed him into the Chase for the championship lead, where he leads Johnson by nine points.
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