Johnson bounces back strong

By DAN GELSTON, AP Sports Writer Aug 3, 7:42 pm EDT

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LONG POND, Pa. (AP)—Maybe Jimmie Johnson can ask President Barack Obama if the early mechanical issues in the No. 48 would have made him eligible for the “cash for clunkers” program when they meet next month.

The way Johnson bounced back from three laps down to finish 13th at Pocono Raceway showed why he’s a three-time champion and was invited to the White House in the first place. Johnson was set to meet with Obama on Monday for a celebration of last year’s title, but Sunday’s rainout moved the ceremony to Aug. 19.

Johnson surely wished he was at Pennsylvania Avenue instead of in the Pennsylvania 500 when his car was wracked with problems near the halfway point. Engine problems forced unscheduled pit stops and the hood of the Chevrolet was repeatedly up with every stop.

NASCAR warned Johnson at one point that he’d be black-flagged if he failed to pick up his speed.

Crew chief Chad Knaus identified the problem and ordered new spark plugs and a carburetor that salvaged Johnson’s finish.

“I assume it was a spark plug issue. That’s the last thing we started changing,” Johnson said. “The car started running better so it’s just crazy how sometimes a little part like that can go wrong. I know our guys will look closely at it to make sure that something like that doesn’t happen again.”

Johnson is a lock to make the Chase for the championship field and lost only minimal ground behind points leader Tony Stewart. Stewart leads by 197 points.

“There’s a lot to be proud of,” Johnson said. “What I was hoping to see from the No. 48 team is coming around right now. This is what we need going into the Chase.”

Johnson, who won last week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, had a string of five straight top 10s end. He has three wins this season and has again strongly positioned himself to win the Sprint Cup championship.

“I think we are going in the right direction and it shows to me what my team is capable of, and I know what I’m capable of going into the Chase,” he said.

STEWART’S DAY: Tony Stewart duplicated June’s Pocono effort in every way except taking the checkered flag.

Starting from the rear of the field, Stewart made an unexpected pit stop to check on the tires only 12 laps into the race. He fell a lap down at Pocono Raceway and struggled most of the race before rebounding for a solid 10th-place finish.

This weekend started off just like it did in June. Stewart was automatically awarded the pole because rain washed out qualifying, then he wrecked the next day in practice and was forced to the rear of the field. Stewart picked off 42 drivers in June to win a race for the first time as owner/driver. He never threatened in the Pennsylvania 500.

“We made the best of a bad situation that I put us in Saturday morning,” Stewart said.

Stewart credited crew chief Darian Grubb for keeping him calm and focused on making up lost ground.

“Darian never gets wound up and it keeps me from getting wound up,” Stewart said. “He just helps you through it. It’s easy to get down, but he is just calm and keeps you pumped. You realize you have a long day ahead of you and you will get it better as the day goes.”

HOT HORNISH: No, that wasn’t an old IndyCar race on a classic sports channel. It really was Sam Hornish Jr. racing hard down the stretch and competing for a victory. The former Indianapolis 500 winner was fourth for his best career finish in two full years of Cup racing.

“I finish in the top 10 or I have a bad day,” Hornish said. “We need to get a little bit of that middle ground. We took what we had today and got a little bit more out of it than what the car was worth, so that’s always good.”

It was the first top five for Hornish in 57 career starts. His previous best was sixth earlier this year at Richmond and he is 27th in points.

WALTRIP’S RIDE: Michael Waltrip Racing will have Patrick Carpentier in the No. 55 Toyota this week for the road course race at Watkins Glen. Carpentier was 11th for MWR at Infineon Raceway’s road course earlier this season.

“Patrick is being rewarded for perseverance,” Waltrip said. “If he was able to finish solidly at Infineon Raceway and he deemed the experience of working with my team as fun and wanted to do again, then he and I would ask NAPA to allow him to drive again.”

Carpentier has 32 career Cup starts.

Start your engines! — Sign up for Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Auto Racing '09 today. And follow the race action with TrackPass on NASCAR.com.
Updated Aug 3, 7:42 pm EDT
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77 Comments

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  1. Jimmie48
    77. Posted by Jimmie48 Fri Aug 7 2:31pm EDT

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    mgrjoe69- whose monkey boy? I take it you don't know much about Nascar or you'd know that Michael Waltrip is giving it up after this year. Martin Truex Jr will take over his ride.
  2. <i>roxncal@...</i>
    76. Posted by roxncal@... Fri Aug 7 11:51am EDT

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    Jimmy who??
  3. <i>rngrjoe69</i>
    75. Posted by rngrjoe69 Thu Aug 6 9:32pm EDT

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    why is JJ going to go and see monkey boy at the white house????? does NASCAR need stimlus package to get fans back in the stands?? double file restart is a good thing way to go NASCAR. Little "E" it's time to throw the towel in and get a seat in turn one and sit back and watch the race!! Waltrip it's time for you to call it quits seriously 9,000 starts and 1 lucky win come on dude it's over..

    and as for the 48 that is the team to beat!!! quit crying!!!
  4. Bobbi
    74. Posted by Bobbi Thu Aug 6 12:30pm EDT

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    Oh what a joke he knew there wasn't anything wrong he just wanted to be first,put some cheese with that whine and we will have a party.I am so sick of his crap.Nascar thinks him and Gordon are the only 2 racers on the track.He needs to have his equipment/car checked at every race.No one should be able to cheat like those 2 want to do.
  5. Lulu
    73. Posted by Lulu Thu Aug 6 12:24pm EDT

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    The ONLY reason Jimmie Johnson got the lucky dog 3 times at Pocono is because NASCAR wants to MAKE SURE he wins the championship again and beats Cale Yarborough's (sp?) record. Anyone else with me on this???
  6. KahneFan
    72. Posted by KahneFan Thu Aug 6 10:29am EDT

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    I am starting to see a pattern. Watch the race every weekend not to watch just to find a "Conspiracy" to talk about on the boards. Every weekend its a different "Conspiracy". Wow if not for all the "Conspiracy" the board would be silent. Johnson was the only car not on the lead lap other then the start and parks. He got the lucky dog. a few years ago when this rule was made I dont think it was to help him at Pocono in 2009. Please dont mistake me for a johnson fan because I am not. Started pulling for Kasey when Bill retired.

    "Conspiracy" guys there is a show called conspiracy theory. I think yall would enjoy it alot more then Nascar check you local listings.
  7. Me
    71. Posted by Me Thu Aug 6 9:43am EDT

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    Hey CKUSEK2000 or is that USUCK johnson 2000 times ? Yea,I said it and as you can read ,If YOU CAN,that I'm not the only one that feels this team is getting advantages week in and week out by nascar..Hell yes we all believe this team has some advantages under the hood that nascar is closing there eye to..Bet they would Never let another team inspect that car ! Sounds as if you're one of those above the Mason Dixon Line that needs to bring your Punk ass on down to the Carolina and let this one sissy boy teach you a thing or two about racing ..It's easy to sit behind a key board and be all bad and call people idiots..Bet you were one of those in school that ran to the teacher taddle telling all the time..You need to pull yourself out of johnson's ass and get a life,PUNK...
  8. Bill S
    70. Posted by Bill S Thu Aug 6 4:11am EDT

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    the way it sounds any more. maybe they should give jr. a thrity lap pee test, make sure theres no interference. you dont lose22 spots accedently, that late in the race.
  9. Bill S
    69. Posted by Bill S Thu Aug 6 3:45am EDT

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    i agree how do you get a lap back if you are three laps down to start with, other than being sucky boy jj. do the math. you only qualify if your one lap down for the lucky dog, not subtract a lap every caution. nascar pulled a good one on the rest of the field. they took real good care of there suck boys. come on nascar lets start tearing the 48 apart after the race, before cheater chad gets a chance to take off his special effects. its obvious HMO races under different rules than every body else. be interesting how much france charges for the wins each week. thats where the miracle lies.
  10. D
    68. Posted by D Thu Aug 6 3:37am EDT

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    This whole "lucky dog" thing basically is Jeff Gordon's fault. Back in the day, when they used to race to the line, there was a gentleman's agreement that the leaders would slow down and let those just barely lapped pass them by before the start/finish line. Gordon, not being a gentleman, or even a man for that matter, ignored that rule and used to use the opportunity to race hard and put even a couple more a lap down. Due to the danger that caused, it was necessary to freeze the field when the yellow flies and institute the lucky dog. So now, even if the apped car is just about to get lapped again, up they go. Thanks, Jeff, for once again harming the sport.
  11. Ryan
    67. Posted by Ryan Thu Aug 6 12:10am EDT

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    Hey Jimmie48, try reading again. I said Boyer and his team were great in that race.

    And it's crazy, I had no idea all these guys with mechanical problems in every race apparently lose their cool and their crew gives up and gets pissed off. JJ and his team must be amazing to keep their cool like that. It's completely unheard of.

    Oh wait, maybe other people work hard and keep their cool too, but don't fall into one of the luckiest situations I've ever seen in racing. Nothing to do with JJ or his team. He could have ran out of gas and gone a lap or two down and the result would have been the same.

    The only reason he got up to where he finished is because of the new tires. Remember the beginning of the race where after a few laps they said JJ was 3 seconds slower than his first laps, while he was leading. That's why he got to like 7th and then fell back to 13th.

    Bottom line, they got a great finish and it was amazing on paper, but don't tell me it's cause they did such a great job.
  12. <i>ckusek2000</i>
    66. Posted by ckusek2000 Wed Aug 5 11:03pm EDT

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    To the idiot who called Jimmie a sissy boy. The only sissy boy is you. You have no idea what you are talking about and all your stupid comments on Nascar being fixed and favoring the stars. I guess if you are one of the drivers racing than yu are a star and that would include all of them, not just one. Get a life.
  13. KrazyKen
    65. Posted by KrazyKen Wed Aug 5 9:02pm EDT

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    Gee, no mention of the same thing happening to Bobby Labonte. He was DRIVEN into the wall by R. Smith in the # 6. He didn't get penalized either. Could it be that he's a Roush driver ? Or that Bobby doesn't drive for a top Nascar suck-up team ?

    Yes, Jimmy & Chad are magic men. They've never cheated. They aren't the "yes men" for R. Hendrick & B. France & would never do any wrong. MY ASS !!! Nascar might not have given them a win, but, they sure as hell gave them a great enough finish to keep them in sight of Tony Stewart.
  14. Amanda
    64. Posted by Amanda Wed Aug 5 8:20pm EDT

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    No, if Jimmie didn't get those laps back he wouldn't have gotten the finish that he did. That being said, that's not how it happened. Us, JJ fans aren't saying that he's the best because the team found and fixed the problem, we're just saying he's the best because even though with all that was going on, he never NOT once lost his cool, neither did Chad, and the crew guys worked quick and effiencitely and didn't lose too many laps. Now, once Jimmie got back on the lead lap that car took off like a rocket and he didn't wreck anybody to get back up in the top 13. He drove the wheels off that car, that's why we say he's the best. Yes he had luck on his side, but it wasn't ALL luck.

    Now I like Clint and everything, I would have rather seen him win then Hamlin, but that didn't happen. It was nice to see Clint being a front runner after the way he and his team's year has gone.
  15. Jimmie48
    63. Posted by Jimmie48 Wed Aug 5 6:42pm EDT

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    So Ryan - where is Boyer in the Chase? Oh thats right he's not and doesn't stand a chance in hell of getting there. If he's such a good driver and has such a great crew .........well that should say someting right there.
  16. Ryan
    62. Posted by Ryan Wed Aug 5 5:21pm EDT

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    JJ fans, what did his team do Monday that was above and beyond what any other team would have done? They had nothing to do with anything, other than fixing a freakin spark plug. You think no one else is smart enough to replace a spark plug after several trips to the pits?

    And again, it wasn't the fact that the cautions came out that put JJ back on the lead lap. It was the fact that they stopped 2 wrecked cars for 5 laps. If they let them back out, they'd be a lap down and there would be no lucky dog cause they caused the wreck. I'm not saying it's favoritism to JJ, I'm saying it's lame to say it's because he's a great driver with a great team.

    Clint Boyer, that's a great team with a great driver in that race. Where'd he finish? Like 4th with a car that was all tore up on the right side. That's a great job, not luck.
  17. mark
    61. Posted by mark Wed Aug 5 4:21pm EDT

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    Would someone hit Rusty Wallace in the mouth. This guy is a retard. 88 is a joke, cant drive, cant drive,cant tell crew chief whats wrong with car. 48 is NASCAR scam BOY! Accept it and move on. Best cheaters in the business. Screw nascar its a joke. Im watching WWE
  18. Jimmie48
    60. Posted by Jimmie48 Wed Aug 5 3:45pm EDT

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    Totally agree B T . Great post. Haters just can't admitt that every so often a good, well put together team comes along and knows how to get it done.
  19. dan
    59. Posted by dan Wed Aug 5 3:38pm EDT

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    48 and his crew are simply the best
  20. B T
    58. Posted by B T Wed Aug 5 3:38pm EDT

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    Wow, the 48 haters are in rare form today. NASCAR haters, there is a new blog spot for you.. .. .. IRL.com enjoy the "racing" !! !! !! Yes, it was LUCK that provided the chance that no other drivers were a lap down OR was it that they were at Pocono the slowest long track around. Was it lucky that several other drivers were banging against each other and made so many yellow flags? That would mean that NASCAR AND several teams or drivers want the 48 team to win. Was it luck that made the 48 team have problems in the first place? Who can we blame that one on? Was it luck that the 14 wrecked himself again at Pocono in a practice when he already had the pole position? He might have walked away with the win if he could have started up front. Was it luck that they did not identify the problem the first time in the pits? Gee that all sounds pretty ridiculous to line up for you 48 haters to think the 48 team is only at the top because of luck. If you want to hate somebody, there are plenty of options who deserve it because they are jerks or do not drive well. The bush league brothers are a good place to start. How can you say JJ is a robot if he trades paint with the 2 car? IF the 48 was intentionally tapping the 2 without provocation, it would show up on the video.. .. .. Sorry no evidence there either.
  21. <i>nheppner.acdclog@...</i>
    57. Posted by nheppner.acdclog@... Wed Aug 5 2:24pm EDT

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    how can a driver be in the top 10 with 25 laps to go and finish in the top 20? 88 sure did. he keeps getting worse. his daddy must be turning over and can't watch any more.
  22. Ryan
    56. Posted by Ryan Wed Aug 5 1:00pm EDT

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    I don't think Nascar needs to change anything as far as the Lucky Dog goes, but they need to change their rules or at least keep them consistent.

    Johnson and his team did nothing great that day. They got lucky, plain and simple. Just fell into luck.

    If Robby Gordon and David Stremme didn't have their little tiff they probably would've been a couple laps down and not penalized 5 laps each, then Johnson wouldn't have been the first one a lap down.

    That leads to the bigger issue. Why the penalties to those guys, but nothing for Hamlin who EVERYONE knows took out Reutiman intentionally. That was about as blatant as you can get.

    Then you have issues like Johnson and Kurt Busch. Whether intentional or not, Jimmie Johnson took Busch out in 3 of 4 races at one point and NOTHING was done to Johnson.

    It all seems very suspicious, but I'm not buying into conspiracy theories. I'm just making points. Nascar needs to penalize after the race and reviewing incidents, that way they are all treated the same.

    I will say it was VERY weird watching a race where the first car any number of laps down is 3 laps down. I can't think of a race in recent history with no cars 1 lap down.
  23. Jimmie48
    55. Posted by Jimmie48 Wed Aug 5 12:02pm EDT

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    This is freaking funny. If a driver gets himself in a position to get the lucky dog shouldn't matter how many they get. If they come back thru the field to be there so be it. Why is it that just because someone doesn't like something all of a sudden they want the rules changed? If that was the case they'd be changing the rules every week. So either get over it or don't watch.
  24. Sammer
    54. Posted by Sammer Wed Aug 5 9:45am EDT

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    Jimmie Johnson didn't rebound. He was handed three laps by Nascar. I could rebound from being poor if someone would just hand me enough money. How cool would that be, especially if afterwards I got the credit for doing it.

    I like the "Lucky Dog" rule. But modify if so a driver gets one a race or can't get consecutive awards or something. But at the very least call it what it is - Jimmie Johnson got lucky.
  25. Bush SUCKS
    53. Posted by Bush SUCKS Wed Aug 5 8:35am EDT

    Report Abuse

    Nascar is a freaking joke!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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