Johnson wins for 10th time at Dover

Jimmie Johnson wins Dover again

Jimmie Johnson only led 23 laps Sunday but it was the 23 most important laps as the master of the Monster Mile did it again winning the FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks in a green-white-checkered finish at Dover International Speedway on Sunday, his 10th career victory at the track.

Johnson's 10 wins at Dover are a career high at any track. He's the fifth driver in the history of the premier series to reach double-digit wins on the same track, joining Dale Earnhardt (Talladega), Richard Petty (Daytona, Richmond, Rockingham, Martinsville and North Wilkesboro), Darrell Waltrip (Bristol, Martinsville, North Wilkesboro) and David Pearson (Darlington).

Johnson, who started 14th and led 23 laps, has a series-high four wins this season.

Johnson beats Harvick and Larson to the line

David Tullis/HHP for GM

Kevin Harvick finished second on Sunday, followed by Kyle Larson, Kasey Kahne and Aric Almirola.

Pole winner Denny Hamlin led 118 of the 405 laps, but spun out on Lap 385 after contact with Clint Bowyer and finished 21st.

Martin Truex Jr. started second and led a race-high 131 laps. Truex Jr. led more than 100 laps for the second straight race, but remains winless on the season after 13 races.

The 14th points-paying race of the season is the Axalta "We Paint Winners" 400 at Pocono Raceway next Sunday, starting at 1 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1, MRN and SiriusXM.

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S PRO SERVICES CHEVROLET SS – RACE WINNER

THE CALL TO STAY OUT WITH OLD TIRES AND THREE DIFFERENT RESTARTS, HOW DID YOU HOLD THOSE GUYS OFF WITH NEW TIRES BEHIND YOU?

“Gosh, just driving hard and working that track bar adjuster as much as I could. I was trying to be smart with my line and I guess guys on two tires weren’t all that fast. Chad (Knaus, crew chief) said something to be about that on the radio and they never really came, you know? The No. 4 (Kevin Harvick) and I did just fine on old tires and held those guys off. It was a long-fought day. I’m so proud of this Lowe’s race team. A big shout out to those Pro Services members at Lowe’s and everyone at Chevrolet; and Valvoline, and the fans and my fans. It was just an awesome day here at the race track. The grandstands are full. Thank you, Sprint. And we’re going to enjoy this."

[adinserter name="GOOGLE AD"]YOU ARE A 10-TIME WINNER HERE NOW AT DOVER. TODAY WAS ABOUT 90 DEGREES. THE HUMIDITY WAS OFF THE CHARTS. HOW KEY IS YOUR CONDITIONING IN PERFORMANCES LIKE THIS AND YOUR SUCCESS AT THIS RACE TRACK?

“It certainly plays a role. I don’t doubt that at all. It helps me learn about my hydration and nutrition and getting ready. I rode 52 yesterday; I’m not sure that was the smartest thing to do, but I know what I’m capable of and felt just fine doing it. And, I’ve got a great rhythm. I’ve got great support at home. I want to thank Chani; I wish she were here. And ‘hi’, to my little girls sitting on the couch, watching. I’ll be there soon and can’t wait to see them."

WHAT AN AWESOME PERFORMANCE:
“Insane. What a long hard fought day to get to the front. It seemed like four or five of us could run the same speed and just couldn’t really pass. We did a great job of hanging in there. My pit stops were awesome. We kind of took a chance on pit sequence to pick off a couple of spots to get us from fifth to third, third to a shot for the win. Then that last set of tires I was running (Kevin) Harvick down and we ended up staying on them and his car didn’t look as strong as it was early in the day and we were able to take advantage of it."

WHAT DID YOU THINK WHEN THE CAUTION WAIVED WITH TWO TO GO?
“Really guys we are this close and you had to tear your stuff up? I know it’s racing and it happens, but on the restart Kasey (Kahne) were busy spinning and the No. 4 car rallied me from behind. I’m thankful he hit that hard because it allowed me to click it in third (gear) and keep on going."

YOU GOT INTO THAT CORNER A WHOLE LOT HARDER THAN MAYBE YOU ANTICIPATED?
“I went across the start/finish much faster than I thought I was going to. It worked great because it got me past the No. 5 (Kasey Kahne) a little hairy, but that is what you have to do at the end. It’s so tough being on the front row trying to abide by the rules and then the guys behind you can leave a little gap and roll up on you. Thankfully the No. 4 car pushed me just right and helped me out."

YOU LOVE IT HERE DON’T YOU?
“I do, but there is some weird pressure that comes with it. Yesterday, even in qualifying we ended up 14^th and we weren’t happy with that. The track acted a lot different with this tire and it took us through the second practice yesterday to understand what we going on and really identify with it through the night. My car was really strong all day long. Just thankful my engineers and Chad (Knaus, crew chief) they mentally stayed in the game and got the job done."

[adinserter name="GOOGLE AD"]KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 DITECH CHEVROLET SS –FINISHED 2^ND

“We just struggled at the end of the race on restarts, really all day on the restarts. Once the track bar broke, we were pretty much in a box and just kind of had to hold on for the first 25 laps and if we weren't in the front then we struggled to just maintain what we had. All in all, everybody did a great job, and I think when you look at Dover it's been a good racetrack for us. We've led laps and just haven't quite finished it yet, but a good, solid day."

KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 3^RD

HOW HOT WAS IT AND HOW TOUGH WAS YOUR RACE TODAY?
“It was a pretty hot day, maybe not the hottest, but any day is kind of hot in a stock car. Really good run for us, first top three of the year, first real kind of solid finish of the year. Proud of my guys for the job they did to rebound from last week to bring a better car to the racetrack. That was just a nice solid day. We ran in the top 10 for most of it. We got off there at the midpoint of the race and got back going decent. Just caught the right lines it seemed like most of those last restarts. Happy with the finish and we will go to Pocono next week, a track I enjoy and hopefully we can do well there too."

KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 FARMERS INSURANCE CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 4^TH

WHAT A RECOVERY YOU GUYS MADE RUNNING FOR THE WIN AT THE END OF THE DAY TELL US ABOUT YOUR AFTERNOON:
“We started back because we didn’t qualify good. But we went forward all day. We had a good day. Started 25^th and drove forward throughout the whole race. We got to 12^th/13^th and kind of stood there for a little while and Keith (Rodden, crew chief) found a way to get us track position there at the end. I was able to get to second on the outside on the restart and basically the guy in fourth got to second on the outside on the final start and I ended up fourth. It was kind of just the way it goes late in the race on old tires, but we did all we could. We had a pretty good run in Farmers Insurance Chevrolet. The guys did a good job throughout the whole race, pit stops, everything about it was good. We just came up fourth."

ON THE ISSUE WITH MARTIN TRUEX, JR

“He was back behind me to get a run on me, obviously; the spotter said I was clear, so I just went to the bottom getting into (Turn) 1. I think he was a little upset. He gave me a bump after the race. But I don’t know. I didn’t really know what else to do other than to go there with guys on my outside, and stuff.

“But we had a pretty good car. We made good adjustments. The guys did a nice job. I wanted more. It’s cool that Hendrick Motorsports won. We had a nice package, but just didn’t pull it off."

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