Johnson Wins Eighth Martinsville Race; Danica Races Better Than Ever

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Jimmie Johnson once again at the car to beat at Martinsville Speedway, and he knew what to do with it.

Johnson held off Clint Bowyer on a late restart for his eighth career victory at the half-mile short track.

Johnson closed as the 5-to-2 favorite at Las Vegas sports books  

Danica Patrick, meanwhile, had her best race since the Daytona 500, rallying from a lap down to finish 12th.

Bowyer finished second followed by Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski.

Johnson also regained the points lead after Dale Earnhardt Jr. struggled and finished 24th.

Johnson was leading Bowyer when the race was red-flagged with 13 laps to go when Kurt Busch lost his brakes and his car burst into flames as he crashed into the Turn 1 wall.

Johnson, who started on the pole, dominated the early stages of the race, leading 207 of the first 250 laps. Kenseth passed him for the lead on Lap 222 and then led 96 laps, swapping the lead with teammate Kyle Busch.

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Race Facts
* Jimmie Johnson won the 64th Annual STP Gas Booster 500, his 62nd victory in 405 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
* This is his second victory and fourth top-10 finish in 2013.
* This is his eighth victory and 20th top-10 finish in 23 races at Martinsville Speedway.
* Clint Bowyer (second) posted his ninth top-10 finish in 15 races at Martinsville Speedway. It is his third top-10 finish in 2013.
* Jeff Gordon (third) posted his 33rd top-10 finish in 41 races at Martinsville Speedway.
* Danica Patrick (12th) was the highest finishing rookie in her first trip to Martinsville Speedway.
* Jimmie Johnson leads the point standings by 6 points over Brad Keselowski and 12 over Dale Earnhardt Jr.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race - STP Gas Booster 500
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville, Virginia
Sunday, April 07, 2013

       1. (1) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 500, $0.
       2. (15) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 500, $0.
       3. (6) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 500, $0.
       4. (5) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 500, $0.
       5. (11) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 500, $0.
       6. (7) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 500, $0.
       7. (13) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 500, $0.
       8. (2) Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 500, $0.
       9. (22) Greg Biffle, Ford, 500, $0.
       10. (35) Mark Martin, Toyota, 500, $0.
       11. (3) Brian Vickers(i), Toyota, 500, $0.
       12. (32) Danica Patrick #, Chevrolet, 500, $0.
       13. (21) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 500, $0.
       14. (8) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 500, $0.
       15. (9) Carl Edwards, Ford, 500, $0.
       16. (41) Casey Mears, Ford, 500, $0.
       17. (26) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 500, $0.
       18. (29) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 500, $0.
       19. (16) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 500, $0.
       20. (34) Aric Almirola, Ford, 500, $0.
       21. (31) Bobby Labonte, Toyota, 500, $0.
       22. (18) Regan Smith(i), Chevrolet, 500, $0.
       23. (4) Joey Logano, Ford, 499, $0.
       24. (17) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 498, $0.
       25. (20) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #, Ford, 498, $0.
       26. (14) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 497, $0.
       27. (37) JJ Yeley, Chevrolet, 497, $0.
       28. (30) David Gilliland, Ford, 496, $0.
       29. (39) Dave Blaney, Chevrolet, 495, $0.
       30. (23) David Ragan, Ford, 493, $0.
       31. (10) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 492, $0.
       32. (36) Ken Schrader, Ford, 492, $0.
       33. (33) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 492, $0.
       34. (43) Joe Nemechek(i), Toyota, 491, $0.
       35. (42) Josh Wise(i), Ford, 488, $0.
       36. (24) David Stremme, Toyota, Electrical, 485, $0.
       37. (19) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, Accident, 457, $0.
       38. (40) David Reutimann, Toyota, 457, $0.
       39. (25) Travis Kvapil, Toyota, 436, $0.
       40. (12) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 385, $0.
       41. (28) Scott Speed, Ford, Rear Gear, 64, $0.
       42. (38) Scott Riggs, Ford, Brakes, 47, $0.
       43. (27) Michael McDowell, Ford, Brakes, 26, $0.

Average Speed of Race Winner:  72.066 mph.
Time of Race:  3 Hrs, 38 Mins, 58 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.627 Seconds.
Caution Flags:  12 for 85 laps.
Lead Changes:  12 among 5 drivers.
Lap Leaders:   J. Johnson 0; M. Ambrose 1; J. Johnson 2-72; T. Kvapil 73; J. Johnson 74-90; Kyle Busch 91-102; J. Johnson 103-221; M. Kenseth 222-242; J. Johnson 243; M. Kenseth 244-264; Kyle Busch 265-308; M. Kenseth 309-362; J. Johnson 363-500.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  J. Johnson 5 times for 346 laps; M. Kenseth 3 times for 96 laps; Kyle Busch 2 times for 56 laps; M. Ambrose 1 time for 1 lap; T. Kvapil 1 time for 1 lap.
Top 12 in Points: J. Johnson - 231; Brad Keselowski - 225; D. Earnhardt Jr. - 219; Kyle Busch - 203; K. Kahne - 199; G. Biffle - 199; C. Edwards - 193; C. Bowyer - 179; P. Menard - 179; M. Kenseth - 172; J. Logano - 167; J. Gordon - 164.