Checker Auto Parts 500 Tickets

About Checker Auto Parts 500

Jimmie Johnson has fought through mistakes, mechanical failures and the despair of losing friends in a plane crash to charge back into NASCAR's closest championship battle ever. He got some unexpected help Sunday from teammate Jeff Gordon, whose crew made an uncharacteristic mistake on pit lane. Johnson took advantage of the opportunity to win the final Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway and move within easy reach of Nextel Cup points leader Kurt Busch with one race remaining. Johnson dominated most of the 26-race regular season, but lost a big lead when his No. 48 Chevrolet team started to experiment with new parts.

Winning the Checker Auto Parts 500k for the second straight year was Dale Earnhardt Jr. His 15th career Nextel Cup victory and his sixth of the season allowed him to gain two spots in the championship point standings. He is now third, 47 points arrears series leader Kurt Busch. Ryan Newman finished second, while Jeff Gordon took third. Gordon's strong finish helped him in the points too, as he gained one position to secure the runner-up slot, just 41 points behind Busch. Kevin Harvick and Kasey Kahne rounded-out the rest of the top-five. Comprising the remainder of the top-10 were Jimmie Johnson, Rusty Wallace, Stewart, Labonte and Busch.