In the post-race interview session after winning the Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway, #48-Jimmie Johnson was asked to run through his ascent to the lead ‘Â an ascent that wound up winning him the race. “So we were in our pit box, doing the pit stop,” Johnson explained. “The caution came out. We completed our pit stop, then left pit road. Where we were positioned on pit road, we had to beat the leader (Burton) to the scoring line at the end of the pit lane. We got there just about the same time and beat him by a car length or half a car length or something. I think the 18 (Kyle Busch) was in the pits, and the leader of the race passed him a few seconds before the 18 was able to get that line. That’s why we were able to be on the lead lap still. Then everybody pitted and we were the leader.” Replays showed that Johnson, who called the lead a “gift”, beat #31-Jeff Burton to the scoring line [who was leading the race on the track when the yellow came out] by just a couple of feet. Burton was asked if there was anything he could have done to get to the line first. Perhaps, he said. “I knew people were on pit road,” Burton said. “There’s a fine line between slowing down and not slowing down. I don’t know where that line is. I came around as quick as I thought I could without NASCAR getting upset at me. You know, I don’t know. If I’d have come around probably 2/10ths of a second quicker, we would have had him a lap down. Nonetheless, I did what I thought was right. You know, I didn’t just stop. I carried speed around. They ask you to slow down. You can’t run down there wide open or they’ll get you for that. You know, I don’t know. I don’t know what the right thing to do there is. I’ll go back and spend some time with them and ask them their opinion. If I could carry more speed the next time, I certainly will.”(Racin’ Today)(2-22-2010)
