CONCORD, N.C. — With the closest contenders out of his way, Jimmie Johnson cruised into control of the points standings with Saturday night’s win at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
He did have his hands full late with Chase for the Cup drivers Kasey Kahne and Jeff Gordon, but neither could beat him on a series of late restarts, and Johnson ultimately made it look easy.
Only it wasn’t, he insisted, and the cushy 90-point lead he’ll take into Martinsville this week isn’t nearly enough breathing room for a team determined to win a NASCAR-record fourth consecutive championship.
“Not to sound like a broken record, but you just don’t know what’s going to happen,” Johnson said after celebrating his sixth Cup victory at the suburban Charlotte track. “If somebody spins out, you get caught up in it. Contact with another car and there’s a tire rub. Fender is on the tire, you come down pit road. Puncture a tire. Whatever it is, those elements are still out there.”
Button clinches F1 title
SAO PAULO — Jenson Button clinched his first Formula One title by capitalizing on his rivals’ miscues to finish fifth in a Brazilian Grand Prix won by Mark Webber.
The fifth-place finish gave Button an insurmountable 15-point lead in the drivers’ standings ahead of the season-ending race in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 1.
