Talladega 2011 NASCAR Winner – Jimmy Johnson by .002 sec

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Jimmie Johnson crosses the finish line fraction of a second ahead of Clint Bowyer at Talladega. credit:Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Football is often called a game of inches, but today at the Talladega Speedway, Jimmy Johnson proved that NASCAR can be a sometimes be the same. It was Johnson today who won Sunday’s big NASCAR race by less than a foot over Clint Bowyer.

The finish was in fact a tie, with the previous record of .002 seconds, as the closest finish in NASCAR history. Ricky Craven won the race at Darlington Speedway in 2003 by the same margin.

As has come to be a common practice in NASCAR races, teamwork played a key role in today’s victory. Johnson, one of 4 Hendrick Motorsports team drivers on the course today, got some help at the end from Dale Earnhardt Jr. who opted to push Johnson whos car was running faster as a leader today.

This was the first win on the season for Johnson in a race that was a multi-car sprint for the finish. “We were just the lucky guy at the end with a good run,” Johnson said.
Bowyer, who led the race for 38 laps said that he saw Johnson coming as they raced for the checkered flag.

About Jack Law

Jack Law - an avid soccer player and talented writer, Jack does an excellent job bringing our Sports section to life. jack_law@newstaar.com