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Jimmie Johnson Gives Team Chevy the Victory at Charlotte

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NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson broke a career long winless streak this past Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Johnson told reporters after the race that he knew he’d eventually find his way back to victory lane
Photo: © Amy Marbach

When six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson crossed the finish line in first-place on Sunday, that win meant the Chevy racecar driver finally broke a 24-race winless streak, which was the longest of his illustrious career.


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To pick up the win, Johnson was able to pass Toyota driver Matt Kenseth with 18 laps remaining. Johnson passed Kenseth just one lap after a restart and then held off the rest of the field to pick up the 78th win of his 16-year career in the Sprint Cup Series. In fact, there are only six other drivers in NASCAR history that have won more races than Johnson. One of which being his long-time Chevy teammate Jeff Gordon.

Sunday’s race was actually supposed to be held on Saturday night, but was postponed until Sunday because of Hurricane Matthew. The win was Johnson’s eighth career victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The 39-year-old Johnson also won races earlier this year at Atlanta and California, but has only earned ten top-10 finishes in the 24 races since his last victory on March 20th. However, he’s seemingly turned things around in the last three races as he’s led a total 363 laps, with 155 of those coming in Sunday’s win at Charlotte.

“It’s easy to get down and out,” Johnson said. “You’re only as good as your last race, and this summer was really hard on us.”

The win means Johnson has secured a spot in the second round of the NASCAR playoffs, which is the furthest he’s advanced since NASCAR adjusted its playoff format back in 2014.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will be in action again on October 16th when the teams will be competing at Kansas Speedway. The event will be televised by NBC and is scheduled to begin at 2:15pm.


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Video: Johnson Takes the Checkered Flag at Charlotte

News Sources: ESPN, Fox Sports