Bruised, battered Johnson rallies at 'Dega

TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Rarely does a guy go home feeling unfulfilled following a career-best finish at a particular venue, but no one would question Jimmie Johnson for feeling slightly dejected following the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway.

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Johnson finished fourth in the event -- a career best Talladega run -- but did so in what some feel was the best car at the end of the race. The result was a bittersweet conclusion to a roller-coaster weekend.

Legitimate opportunities to win at the Nextel Cup level are few and far between, and Johnson saw one slip away. But for him to have even been in that position is remarkable, considering how sluggish his Chevrolet was at the outset of the event.

"To get what we got after the way we started? I'll take it," said crew chief Chad Knaus. "We were mediocre at best when the race started."

AARON'S 499 Gordon celebrates his first win of the 2004 season Play video Johnson and Stewart discuss their performances Play video Gordon edges Junior as the race ends under caution Play video The Big One collects 11 cars on Lap 83 Play video Drivers react and place blame after The Big One Play video Kenseth spins in the tri-oval but avoids disaster Play video Johnson cuts a tire and Kenseth's engine blows Play video  •  Results  •  Standings

Not until a pit stop on Lap 33 did his fortunes change. Having suffered a flat tire, Johnson pitted for new rubber under caution. From that point on, he was a major player.

The race restarted on Lap 40, and 16 laps later Johnson was the race leader.

He remained a staple of the top-five throughout the day, and snatched the lead from Robby Gordon with 31 laps to go. Johnson was strong out front, but only able to fend off a charge from Dale Earnhardt Jr., for five laps.

On Lap 162, Johnson finally succumbed to Junior's push - literally.

For several laps, Earnhardt had used his front bumper like a snow shovel, pushing Johnson all the way around the track.

Even in the corners, a serious no-no in most instances.

"Jimmie is pretty evasive out on the race track. He's real aggressive when trying to hang on to the lead," said Earnhardt, Sunday's runner-up. "There were times when I felt like if he wanted it bad enough, I'd see how bad he wanted it in the corner (laughs)."

Fortunately, Johnson's crew had amply prepared his car for such an occurrence.

"We learned our lessons in the past few speedway races to make sure we had a good strong bumper so the car would be stable when somebody was pushing us," Johnson said.

"I was just trying to hang on with everything I had, but when you're the leader, the cars behind you are generating a lot of energy. They're bump-drafting and hitting each other."

Earnhardt admitted he wouldn't have used those tactics against most competitors.

	Johnson chases Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the high side in the closing laps. Credit: AP

"He had a real strong bumper on the back of his car," Earnhardt said. "I could push him through the corner. There are only one or two cars on the track that you can do that.

"A lot of guys you scoop up under them and you can pick them up. So pushing them through the corner of the tri-oval was not an option. But Jimmie's bumper was strong enough where I could hit him in the corner and it didn't really upset his car too much."

It was quite a sight for all, Johnson especially.

"I could tell, when I looked in the mirror, all I would see is the windshield - usually you see a little bit of a hood -- and Dale's eyes staring through at me," Johnson said. "He was on my bumper pushing me around. Fortunately we had a good balanced car and a good bumper."

Johnson's rear bumper wasn't the only brace getting action Sunday. While battling Tony Stewart for position on Lap 176, the two got together, sending Stewart for a spin.

"Jimmie and I are good friends -- I know Jimmie didn't turn me on purpose," Stewart said. "That's just a product of what we have to do (at Talladega) for 188 laps.

"We've got to do it twice a year here and twice at Daytona. I don't feel any ill feelings toward anybody. He was just racing - trying to get every spot he could get."

Fourth would ultimately be his rightful position. The finish lifted him from fourth to second in the championship point standings. Since the season's second event at Rockingham, Johnson has surged from 25th in the standings to within 89 points of the lead.

"Leading is probably one of the hardest things to do (during plate races)," Johnson said. "Running second or third is probably one of the easiest things. We just held on for as long as we could. We got shuffled out, but still came back for a good finish."

And it could have been better. Johnson was running third when teammate Brian Vickers spun in Turn 4 to bring out the caution on Lap 183, effectively ending the race.

What if? Who knows? But one certainly did emerge Sunday. The dominance Earnhardt Jr. and his mates have enjoyed for the past several years is in danger.

"I think we've closed the gap," Johnson said. "We've formed a crew of people at Hendrick Motorsports that are focused exclusively on building speedway cars -- something like DEI has had for a while.

"They're making us all go to work a lot harder for four races. We're all tired of getting beat up."