Johnson Scores Overtime Win at Auto Club 400

Jimmie Johnson won his 77th NASCAR Sprint Cup race on Sunday beating out Kevin Harvick at Auto Club Speed Way in Fontana, California. Johnson has surpassed Dale Earnhardt on the all-time win list to sit alone at No. 7. Johnson tied Earnhardt with his win earlier this year at Atlanta. In the Auto Club 400, Johnson sported a Superman themed car to promote the new Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice movie, and he proved he was the Superman of NASCAR.

Epic. #AutoClub400 pic.twitter.com/eJq1y1dGGQ

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 21, 2016

Johnson says he has been very fortunate to win 77 races and he would love to surpass Jeff Gordon’s 93 wins and keep on winning. 

Johnson got the chance he needed when Kyle Busch blew a tire on lap 198 to cause the sixth caution of the race. Coming into overtime Denny Hamlin lead Kevin Harvick and Johnson and chose the outside lane leaving the others in the inside. In turn one, Johnson pushed Harvick ahead of Hamlin and pulled ahead off turn two to eventually win by .772 seconds. Johnson says he got a great launch off turn 2 and was praying he would hear clear in turn three, and at that point he felt good about bringing it home. 

https://twitter.com/JimmieJohnson/status/711751235284672512

Harvick, who dominated the race, came in second for the 20th time in 77 events, Hamlin came in third and Joey Logano was fourth. Up next in NASCAR is the STP 500, Sunday, April 3 in Martinsville, VA.