CONCORD, N.C. — NASCAR’s championship race took a huge swing Saturday night when Matt Kenseth staked a claim on the title moments after a wreck sent Jimmie Johnson spiraling in the Chase for the Sprint Cup standings.
Kenseth passed Kyle Busch with 25 laps to go at Charlotte Motor Speedway and was pulling away when Johnson’s wreck brought racing to a halt.
The five-time defending champion was running seventh with 17 laps remaining when contact with Ryan Newman sent him headfirst into the wall.
He finished 34th and dropped to eighth in the standings with five races remaining.
Johnson, winner of last week’s race at Kansas, had started the race ranked third in points and only four points behind leader Carl Edwards.
“That one stung for sure. Pretty big impact,” Johnson said. “Definitely not the night we wanted. This is not going to help us win a sixth championship.”
Johnson was on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week, and had dismissed the idea of the so-called cover jinx.
After notching his lowest Chase-race finish since he was 38th at Texas in 2009, he may now be wondering if the curse is credible.
“What happened to Jimmie Johnson is a sobering lesson for everyone,” winning car owner Jack Roush said.
Smith slips
How Regan Smith, racing for Denver’s Furniture Row team, fared Saturday:
• Smith, who started in 21st, finished 25th in the Sprint Cup’s 334-lap Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
