Credit: 307908Sean Gardner/NASCAR via Getty Images. Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s Pro Services Chevrolet, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 11, 2015 in Fort Worth, Texas.
Starting from 5th place Car 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Pro Services Chevrolet won the 19th Annual Duck Commander 500, his 72nd win in 478 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. This is his 2nd win & 4th Top 10 finish in 2015. His 1st win of 2015 came at Atlanta Motor Speedway. This is his 5th win & 18th Top 10 finish in 24 races at Texas Motor Speedway, it is his first win in the spring race. 2nd Place Car 4 Kevin Harvick Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet started from 2nd place posted his 13th Top 10 finish in 25 races at Texas Motor Speedway. It is his 7th Top 10 finish in 2015. 3rd Place Car 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Nationwide Chevrolet started from 25th place posted his 15th Top 10 finish in 26 races at Texas Motor Speedway.
Credit: 307912Sarah Glenn/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway. Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s Pro Services Chevrolet, celebrates with pistols in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 11, 2015 in Fort Worth, Texas.
4th Place Car 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford started from 6th place followed by 5th place Car 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Ford started from 3rd place. 6th Place Car 1 Jamie McMurray Cessna/McDonald’s Chevrolet started from 10th place followed by 7th place Car 24 Jeff Gordon Panasonic Chevrolet started from 12th place. 8th Place Car 5 Kasey Kahne Great Clips Chevrolet started from 4th place followed by 9th place Car 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet starting from 15th place. Lastly in the Top 10 was Car 19 Carl Edwards Stanley Racing For A Miracle Toyota 10th place, started from 16th place.
Kevin Harvick leads the point standings by 26 points over Joey Logano.
Credit: 307903Robert Laberge/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway. Smoke pours from the #51 Flipping Ships Chevrolet, driven by Justin Allgaier, after hitting the wall during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 11, 2015 in Fort Worth, Texas.
The race had 8 Cautions for 40 Laps: 1st Caution on lap 33 for Car 33 Alex Kennedy # Dream Factory Chevrolet spin in turn 4. 2nd Caution on lap 110 for Debris in turn 2.
3rd Caution on lap 173 for Debris in turn 3. 4th Caution on lap 229 for Car 14 Tony Stewart Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Chevrolet spin in turn 4. 5th Caution on lap 251 for Car 46 Michael Annett Northland Motor Oil Chevrolet crash in turn 2. 6th Caution on lap 261 for Car 51 Justin Allgaier Flipping Ships Chevrolet crash in turn 3. 7th Caution on lap 296 for Debris in turn 3. 8th Caution on lap 310 for Car 47 AJ Allmendinger Bush’s Beans Chevrolet crash in turn 3-4.
Credit: 307904Robert Laberge/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway. Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s Pro Services Chevrolet, leads a pack of cars during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 11, 2015 in Fort Worth, Texas.
The race had lots of action with 29 Lead Changes among 9 drivers: K. Busch 0; K. Harvick 1-33; K. Busch 34-36; K. Harvick 37; K. Busch 38-79; J. Gordon 80-81; B. Keselowski 82-108; J. Johnson 109; K. Harvick 110; J. Johnson 111-124; K. Harvick 125-155; J. Johnson 156; K. Harvick 157; K. Kahne 158-159; J. Johnson 160-172; K. Harvick 173; J. Johnson 174-220; P. Menard 221; K. Kahne 222-225; J. Johnson 226-228; K. Harvick 229; J. Johnson 230-250; K. Harvick 251; J. Johnson 252-265; J. Logano 266-284; K. Harvick 285-310; J. McMurray 311-312; J. Gordon 313; J. McMurray 314-320; J. Johnson 321-334.
Credit: 307896Sean Gardner/NASCAR via Getty Images. Kurt Busch, driver of the #41 Haas Automation Chevrolet, and Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet, lead the field to the green flag for the running of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 11, 2015 in Fort Worth, Texas.
On the last caution Crew Chief Chad Knaus called for 4 fresh tires when other teams were taking 2 tires. Car 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Pro Services Chevrolet won the 19th Annual Duck Commander 500 with a Margin of Victory: 1.107 Seconds.
“The end of the race was nutty,” said Johnson, who said he woke up sick Saturday morning and addressed the media post-race through a scratchy voice. “Those last three pit stops with the varied tire strategies, our car wasn’t handling like it did when we were leading. The third one (on Lap 310), our car was really, really good and I was able to work our way forward. Car 4 (Harvick) was having trouble with Car 1 (of McMurray) and slid up…and I thought I had it under control. Just a lot of great racing; the (worn-out) surface of this racetrack allows that to happen.”
“This is a racetrack that falls into Jimmie’s liking,” said Knaus, still sporting his Victory Circle Stetson. “Do we always race at night (here) in the spring? We’ve run very, very well here in the spring race so I think it was just circumstances that we hadn’t been able to pull it off previously. Nothing specific.”
Chase Grid Outlook: 1.K. Harvick 306 (2 wins);2.J. Johnson 216 (2);3.J. Logano 280 (1);4.B. Keselowski 246 (1);5.D. Hamlin 205 (1);6.M. Truex Jr. 266 (0);7.K. Kahne 230 (0);8.D. Earnhardt Jr. 213 (0);9.A. Almirola 195 (0);10.D. Ragan 194 (0);11.J. Mcmurray 193 (0);12.M. Kenseth 189 (0);13.J. Gordon 186 (0);14.C. Edwards 182 (0);15.C. Mears 178 (0);16.P. Menard 177 (0).
Credit: 307901Sarah Glenn/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway. Jeff Gordon, driver of the #24 Panasonic Chevrolet, races Casey Mears, driver of the #13 GEICO Chevrolet, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 11, 2015 in Fort Worth, Texas.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race Number 7
Unofficial Race Results for the 19Th Annual Duck Commander 500 – Saturday, April 11, 2015 Texas Motor Speedway – Fort Worth, TX – 1.5 Mile Paved
Total Race Length – 334 Laps – 501 Miles – Purse: $7,260,922
Finishing Position Starting Position Car # Driver Team Laps Status
1. 5. Car 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Pro Services Chevrolet 334 Running
2. 2. Car 4 Kevin Harvick Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet 334 Running
3. 25. Car 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Nationwide Chevrolet 334 Running
4. 6. Car 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 334 Running
5. 3. Car 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Ford 334 Running
6. 10. Car 1 Jamie McMurray Cessna/McDonald’s Chevrolet 334 Running
7. 12. Car 24 Jeff Gordon Panasonic Chevrolet 334 Running
8. 4. Car 5 Kasey Kahne Great Clips Chevrolet 334 Running
9. 15. Car 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet 334 Running
10. 16. Car 19 Carl Edwards Stanley Racing For A Miracle Toyota 334 Running
11. 18. Car 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Office Toyota 334 Running
12. 7. Car 31 Ryan Newman Caterpillar Chevrolet 334 Running
13. 30. Car 18 David Ragan Interstate Batteries Toyota 334 Running
14. 1. Car 41 Kurt Busch Haas Automation Chevrolet 334 Running
15. 22. Car 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Zest Ford 334 Running
16. 21. Car 10 Danica Patrick TaxAct/GoDaddy Chevrolet 334 Running
17. 19. Car 16 Greg Biffle Safety-Kleen Ford 334 Running
18. 23. Car 6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Ford 334 Running
19. 32. Car 43 Aric Almirola Eckrich Ford 334 Running
20. 14. Car 3 Austin Dillon Dow Chevrolet 334 Running
21. 26. Car 47 AJ Allmendinger Bush’s Beans Chevrolet 334 Running
22. 27. Car 15 Clint Bowyer 5-Hour Energy Toyota 334 Running
23. 17. Car 20 Matt Kenseth Dollar General Toyota 334 Running
24. 11. Car 14 Tony Stewart Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Chevrolet 334 Running
25. 9. Car 42 Kyle Larson AXE Chevrolet 334 Running
26. 29. Car 9 Sam Hornish Jr. Medallion Bank/Lyon Financial Ford 334 Running
27. 20. Car 13 Casey Mears GEICO Chevrolet 333 Running
28. 38. Car 38 David Gilliland Love’s Travel Stops Ford 333 Running
29. 36. Car 55 Brett Moffitt # Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 333 Running
30. 40. Car 34 Chris Buescher(i) Dockside Logistics Ford 332 Running
31. 39. Car 95 Michael McDowell Thrivent Financial Ford 332 Running
32. 33. Car 40 Landon Cassill(i) CRC Knock’er Loose Chevrolet 332 Running
33. 34. Car 7 Alex Bowman Accell Construction Chevrolet 330 Running
34. 42. Car 83 Matt DiBenedetto Burger King Toyota 330 Running
35. 31. Car 35 Cole Whitt Front Row Motorsports Ford 330 Running
36. 37. Car 32 Mike Bliss(i) Texas Tech Ford 328 Running
37. 43. Car 33 Alex Kennedy # Dream Factory Chevrolet 325 Running
38. 35. Car 98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Ford 284 Running
39. 24. Car 51 Justin Allgaier Flipping Ships Chevrolet 257 Accident
40. 28. Car 46 Michael Annett Northland Motor Oil Chevrolet 246 Accident
41. 8. Car 27 Paul Menard Quaker State/Menards Chevrolet 222 Engine
42. 13. Car 21 Ryan Blaney(i) Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford 71 Engine
43. 41. Car 23 JJ Yeley(i) Dr. Pepper I’m A Pepper Toyota 13 Engine
Race Comments: Prior to the start of the race, the following car dropped to the rear of the field for the reason indicated: #31 (engine change). Failed to Qualify: N/A. Time of Race: 03 Hrs, 33 Mins, 57 Secs. Average Speed: 140.500 MPH. Margin of Victory: 1.107 Seconds. 3M Lap Leader: Jimmie Johnson, #48 128 Laps Coors Light Pole Award: Kurt Busch, #41 193.847 mph Duralast Brakes “Brake in the Race”: Kevin Harvick, #4 Ingersoll Rand Power Move: Danica Patrick, #10 8 positions Mahle Clevite Engine Builder of the Race: Hendrick Engines, #48 . Mobil 1 Driver of the Race: Kevin Harvick, #4. Moog Chassis Parts Problem Solver of the Race: Dale Earnhardt Jr, #88 G Ives, .431 sec. Sherwin-Williams Fastest Lap: Jamie McMurray, #1. Sunoco Rookie of the Race: Brett Moffitt, #55
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series
Next Race: Apr. 19, 2015 – Bristol Motor Speedway
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series.html
Graphics & Photos Courtesy of NASCAR