NASCAR’s Pemberton: Restart penalty for Johnson was “cut and dry�

Despite Jimmie Johnson‘s insistence that race leader Juan Pablo Montoya wasn’t going fast enough on the final restart of Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Dover International Speedway, NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton said the decision to penalize Johnson for jumping Montoya was a clear one.

“He left early and he didn’t give [the lead] back like we tell them all the time when that type of thing comes up," Pemberton told the Associated Press following the FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks. “It’s pretty cut and dry. You can look at the films and the restart zone and where the start was."

As the race leader, Montoya, who was situated on the outside as he and Johnson led the field, has the duty of staying in the lead once the cars hit the restart zone. In addition, NASCAR rules state that the race leader must be the first across the start/finish line on a restart.

However, Johnson got a sizable jump off Montoya and momentarily would not give up the point as he asked NASCAR over his team radio to review the start.

“Please look – I checked up to give him the spot back but he blew it so bad," Johnson pleaded.

But NASCAR stood firm on their decision and after issuing the black flag for Johnson, he went to the pits to serve a drive-through penalty for the violation.

Instead of a potential win, he wound up 17th after leading 143 of 400 laps. Montoya was unable to hold off Tony Stewart in the final moments and settled for second.

Afterwards, Johnson called the decision a “judgment call" that simply went against him and his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team.

“I ran half throttle for the first half a lap waiting for him, then at some point you have to go and you have to race," Johnson explained. “That is when I got back in the gas and took off. Went so long and I tried to give it back and I was hopeful they would look at the telemetry and see. They have all that ability. I was hopeful they would see I was trying to give them the spot back.

“I didn’t know if [Montoya] broke, I didn’t know if he had contact, spun the tires and hit the outside wall. I have no clue. At some point, I had to go and unfortunately, they called me on it."