Johnson's pass a crucial move; only 53 points out of Chase lead

Jimmie Johnson won his third straight race at the tricky Martinsville Speedway, a race with a record 21 caution flags.

MARTINSVILLE, Va. - Jeff Gordon has passed the torch to Jimmie Johnson at Martinsville Speedway, the track where Gordon has had more success than most anyone.

"He's Mr. Martinsville," Gordon said yesterday after his teammate won his third straight race on the 0.526-mile oval, the shortest and trickiest in Nextel Cup racing.

"That guy is unbelievable here."

Johnson, who has four victories at Martinsville to Gordon's seven, said he's not ready to accept the title.

"I saw something where Richard Petty won how many?" he said of NASCAR's career victories leader at the track with 15. "That's Mr. Martinsville. That's the king."

It certainly looks like Johnson is a candidate to be next best.

Johnson made the pass he didn't allow Gordon to make in the spring, sneaking inside his Hendrick Motorsports teammate with 44 laps to go in regulation and holding on for his series-high seventh victory of the year and the 30th of his career.

"I was nervous with [Gordon] behind us and I was able to hold him off," Johnson said in Victory Lane. "And then [Ryan Newman] got in there and I knew he was going to be real tough on a short run, too.

"I know he's hungry. He's been working real hard to get back to Victory Lane, so I knew he wasn't going to cut me any slack."

Turns out the slack came from the caution flags. A record 21 of them flew, slowing the proceedings for 127 laps, and forcing the race to be extended by six laps. Even the hoped for two-lap dash to the finish was cut short by yet another accident.

"Those last restarts were tough on me," Johnson said.

The Hendrick Motorsports teammates who have dominated the Nextel Cup Series all season did it again, and Johnson got some unexpected late help from a feisty Newman.

Newman challenged Gordon for second on lap 492, getting increasingly more physical, and finally passed him on the inside on the 494th circuit as Johnson opened a lead of nearly two seconds. He then had to withstand a two-lap overtime sprint to the finish, with Gordon lurking third and ready to take advantage if the leaders faltered.

They didn't, and Johnson held on through one overtime green-flag lap before David Ragan's turn 1 spin ended it. Johnson gained in the championship chase with four races remaining, cutting Gordon's lead to 53 points heading to Atlanta next weekend.

"This thing's not over yet," Johnson said.

Newman held on for second, Gordon was third and Kyle Busch fourth.

"Jimmie was strong, we were strong, and he got the best of us," Gordon said, adding that he was angry at first that Newman got so rough, but bore no ill will afterward.

"We had some trouble on pit road and to be able to rebound from that and come back and get a top-five finish, we're got to be real happy about that."

Newman thought he had a chance to overtake Johnson, but the cautions that limited green-flag chances to six laps or less after lap 463 made it difficult.

"It was pedal to the metal and hopefully you have a good enough car to make a move," Newman said.

Shuffled back into the pack during the middle of the race by staggered pit stops, Johnson and Gordon moved to the front when all the leaders pitted with 158 laps to go, raising expectations that they would again stage a stirring duel to the finish.

In the spring, the first time the Car of Tomorrow was used at Martinsville, Johnson held off Gordon for the last 53 laps, his car withstanding some aggressive banging from behind by Gordon, to win his second straight race on the oval.

After yesterday's win, the pair have won eight of the last 10 races at Martinsville.

It also gave the defending series champ a sweep of the four short-track races in Virginia this year. He also won both races at Richmond International Raceway and became the first driver to sweep those four races since Richard Petty in 1972.

Pit stops were staggered throughout the race, but when the 12th caution came out with 158 laps to go, all the leaders but one headed for pit road. Busch stayed out to retake the lead, and teammates Johnson and Gordon were the next two off pit road.

They both made quick work of Busch, then opened a large lead over third-place Kevin Harvick, even when they caught lapped traffic and had to navigate around slower cars.

Gordon was riding right on Johnson's bumper, but had made no effort to pass him, when David Stremme spun exiting turn 2 and they all headed for their final pit stops.

Gordon's crew got him out first, and Newman also beat Johnson out, taking a gamble by taking only two tires and perhaps banking on some help from yellow flags.

Gordon had built a sizable lead over nine laps when Stremme spun again and hit the wall in turns 1 and 2. Gordon quickly rebuilt it when it went back to green, and held it through a few restarts, too, before Johnson passed him one last time.

SAO PAULO, Brazil - Kimi Raikkonen won the Brazilian Grand Prix to capture the Formula One title in the tightest race for the championship in 21 years.

The Ferrari driver rallied from third place in the points standings for his first F1 crown, taking advantage of Lewis Hamilton's mistake on the first lap and Fernando Alonso's disappointing run.

SURFERS PARADISE, Australia - As usual, Sebastien Bourdais outdid himself.

Needing only to finish 12th or better, the Formula One-bound Frenchman won Lexmark Indy 300 to clinch his fourth straight Champ Car drivers' title.

Bourdais took the lead for good with 20 minutes left in the 1 hour, 45-minute timed race and went on to become the first driver to win the race twice in its 17-year history. Bourdais has clinched the drivers' championship in Australia the last three years.