JIMMIE JOHNSON WINS NASCAR BRICKYARD 400 RACE

Jimmie Johnson was the beneficiary of a pit road speeding penalty to race leader Juan Pablo Montoya as he won Sunday’s Allstate 400 at the Brickyard NASCAR race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  Montoya, who won the Indy 500 in 2000, was dominating the race with 35 laps remaining when he was called for the speeding infraction—an assessment that the driver vehemently denied.  It was Johnson’s 3rd career victory at the legendary track.

Montoya’s experience on the track from his days as an open wheel driver, along with a perfect car set up, allowed him to all but run away with the race.  At the time of his penalty, Montoya had led 116 laps and enjoyed a gargantuan 5 second lead over the rest of the field.  When he was flagged for speeding, he became enraged, and professed his innocence over the car radio:

"I swear on my children and my wife that I was not speeding! There is no way! Thank you NASCAR for screwing my day."

Crew chief Brian Pattie tried to calm his driver down, encouraging him to relax and focus on working toward a solid finish.  Montoya would have none of it, responding:

“Don't tell me to relax, dude! We had this in the bag."

Montoya would eventually settle for 11th place, and ended the day in 10th place in the overall points standings.  Had he been able to earn the victory, he would have risen to as high as sixth in the championship points race.

NASCAR’s vice president of competition predictably refuted Montoya’s claims of innocence, citing the accuracy of their electronic speed monitors:

"There's nothing to prove wrong. It's about as simple math as you can use."

Jimmy Johnson, meanwhile, wasn’t about to look the proverbial gift horse the mouth.  Nor was he willing to admit that he owed the win to Montoya’s misfortunes:

"I do know I have the trophy. I hate it for him. I know it is a story, Juan led so many laps, but when we come back and look at it two months from now the stat sheet is going to have a 'W' next to my name. That's all that matters."

Points leader Tony Stewart finished a solid third, and commiserated with Montoya:
"He never really was challenged all day. He did a great job. I know what he's feeling like -- he's got to be sick inside. He had the car, he had the talent to do it, he just made a mistake and it cost him."

Sports bettors who backed Montoya financially are also suffering with a ‘bad beat’, as his +1500 price to win the race would have meant a very nice payday.  Johnson had gone off as the pre-race favorite, a +500 choice to take the checkered flag.  It was a good day for the linesmakers, as the three pre-race favorites finished in the top three with 2nd place Mark Martin and 3rd place Stewart each priced at +550.

Following race winner Johnson, and runners up Martin and Stewart was 4th place Greg Biffle and 5th place Brian Vickers.  The series will race at Pennsylvania’s coat hanger shaped Pocono Raceway next weekend, followed by a trip to upstate New York for the road race at Watkins Glen.  The Watkins Glen race could provide Tony Stewart with an opportunity to extend his series lead, as he’s not only one of the best road course drivers currently competing but ranks among the best in NASCAR history.