Jimmie Johnson won the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowes Motor Speedway, scoring his 16th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup victory in his 123rd career start.
Johnson became the first driver to score three straight Coca-Cola 600 victories. It was Johnsons fourth victory and seventh finish better than seventh in eight races at Lowes.
It is Johnsons second victory in 2005. He also won at Las Vegas in March.
Johnson remained first in the NASCAR NEXTEL CUP point standings, 71 ahead of second-place Greg Biffle. Johnson won the $90,000 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Leader Bonus for winning the race and leading the point standings. He also won it at Las Vegas, winning $30,000. The bonus will roll-back to $10,000 at Dover.
Johnson led just three times for 11 laps including a last lap lead change – the second time in 2005 that there has been a lead change on the final lap. Carl Edwards passed Johnson on the final lap at Atlanta in March to score his careerfirst victory.
Johnson scored his third straight victory at Lowes Motor Speedway. Fred Lorenzen is the only other driver to do win three straight here.
Johnson has scored nine top-10 finishes in 12 races this season, more than any other driver.
Johnson scored the 12th victory for car owner Rick Hendrick at Lowes Motor Speedway, the most of any owner.
This was Hendricks 135th victory as a car owner and fifth in 12 races this season.
This marked the sixth victory for Chevrolet in 2005.
Notebook Items
The 21 lap leaders in the 2005 Coca-Cola 600 is a record for this event. The most leaders in a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race is 26 at Talladega set July 1986 and April 2001.
The 22 caution periods in the 2005 Coca-Cola 600 is an all-time record in a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race.
Bobby Labonte (second) posted his 11th top-five finish in 25 races at Lowes Motor Speedway. Labonte scored his first top-five finish since he finished third at Pocono in June 2004. He climbed from 31st to 24th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings.
Carl Edwards (third) posted a top-five finish in his first race at Lowes Motor Speedway. He scored his fifth top-10 finish in 12 races in 2005. Edwards has scored 10 top-10 finishes in 25 career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races. He climbed from 13th to eighth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings.
Jeremy Mayfield (fourth) posted his seventh top-10 finish in 23 race at Lowes Motor Speedway. He scored his second top-10 finish in 2005.
Ryan Newman (fifth) scored his fourth top-10 finish in nine races at Lowes Motor Speedway. Newman has scored six top-10 finishes in 2005. He climbed from seventh to fourth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings.
Mark Martin (28th) ended a 33-race streak of running at the finish that began at Michigan last June.
Six of the top-10 positions in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings changed at Lowes Motor Speedway.
Jeff Gordon (30th) posted his fourth DNF in 2005. No other driver in the top-10 in the point standings has more than two. Gordon dropped from third to fifth in the point standings.
Kurt Busch (43rd) posted his second DNF in 2005. This was the third time in his career that he finished 43rd in a race. He finished 43rd in both races at Michigan in 2001. Busch dropped from fifth to 10th in the NASCAR NEXTEL CUP standings. He holds a 47-race streak of ranking among the top 10 since Rockingham in February 2004.
Martin Truex Jr. led four laps, the first laps led in a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race.
Ricky Rudd led one lap in the 2005 Coca-Cola 600, his first lap led since Kansas in October 2004.
Looking ahead to the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup…. 16 drivers remain within 400 points of current point leader Jimmie Johnson.(NASCAR Statistical Services)(5-29-2005)
