NASCAR Texas: Johnson wins, Gordon and Keselowski fight
Jimmie Johnson took victory at Texas Motor Speedway in another NASCAR Sprint Cup race overshadowed by a post-race brawl featuring Brad Keselowski
Keselowski and Jeff Gordon and their respective crews became embroiled in a huge pitlane fight in response to a clash between the Penske Ford and Hendrick Chevrolet during one of the many late restarts, leaving both drivers battered and bruised.
Hendrick duo Johnson and Gordon each had dominant spells, but a plethora of caution periods and tyre gambles mixed up the final part of the race.
Gordon was relegated to 29th when Keselowski collided with him on the first attempt at a green-white-chequered finish.
Keselowski escaped unscathed and ended up third behind Johnson and Kevin Harvick after a close battle on the final restart, but was greeted by a furious Gordon as soon as he reached the pits.
Kyle Busch, Jamie McMurray and Dale Earnhardt Jr completed the top six.
Like Earnhardt at Martinsville last week, Johnson was a non-Chase-eligible winner, meaning that at least three of the four title contenders at the Homestead finale will qualify via points not victories.
Denny Hamlin ended the race in the Chase points lead via a 10th-place finish, just behind fellow title contender Carl Edwards.
Chase drivers Joey Logano, Ryan Newman and poleman Matt Kenseth could only manage 12th, 15th and 25th amid various pit and tyre-related delays.
Results - 341 laps:
Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Chevrolet 3h52m05.000s
2. Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Chevrolet +0.513s
3. Brad Keselowski Penske Ford +0.753s
4. Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Toyota +0.971s
5. Jamie McMurray Ganassi Chevrolet +1.319s
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr Hendrick Chevrolet +1.620s
7. Kyle Larson Ganassi Chevrolet +1.953s
8. Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Chevrolet +2.083s
9. Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Ford +2.273s
10. Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Toyota +2.395s
11. Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Chevrolet +2.773s
12. Joey Logano Penske Ford +3.150s
13. Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Ford +3.439s
14. AJ Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Chevrolet +3.453s
15. Ryan Newman Childress Chevrolet +3.750s
16. Brian Vickers Waltrip Toyota +4.127s
17. Paul Menard Childress Chevrolet +4.147s
18. Casey Mears Germain Chevrolet +4.228s
19. Martin Truex Jr Furniture Row Chevrolet +4.402s
20. Justin Allgaier HScott Chevrolet +4.486s
21. Austin Dillon Childress Chevrolet +4.590s
22. Michael Annett Baldwin Chevrolet +4.684s
23. Ricky Stenhouse Jr Roush Fenway Ford +4.851s
24. Aric Almirola Petty Ford +5.127s
25. Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Toyota +5.783s
26. Cole Whitt BK Toyota +5.912s
27. Marcos Ambrose Petty Ford +6.060s
28. Clint Bowyer Waltrip Toyota +10.596s
29. Jeff Gordon Hendrick Chevrolet -1 lap
30. Michael McDowell Leavine Ford -3 laps
31. JJ Yeley BK Toyota -3 laps
32. David Ragan Front Row Ford -3 laps
33. Reed Sorenson Baldwin Chevrolet -4 laps
34. David Gilliland Front Row Ford -6 laps
35. Timmy Hill Circle Sport Chevrolet -7 laps
36. Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Chevrolet -9 laps
37. Joey Gase Go FAS Ford -11 laps
Retirements:
Kasey Kahne Hendrick Chevrolet 319 laps
Trevor Bayne Wood Brothers Ford 318 laps
Brett Moffitt Robinson Toyota 283 laps
Jose Wise Parsons Chevrolet 256 laps
Alex Bowman BK Toyota 245 laps
Landon Cassill Hillman Chevrolet 134 laps
CHASE STANDINGS:
| Pos | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joey Logano | 4072 |
| 2 | Denny Hamlin | 4072 |
| 3 | Ryan Newman | 4070 |
| 4 | Jeff Gordon | 4060 |
| 5 | Carl Edwards | 4059 |
| 6 | Matt Kenseth | 4059 |
| 7 | Brad Keselowski | 4055 |
| 8 | Kevin Harvick | 4054 |
Four drivers will be eliminated after next round at Phoenix
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