Johnson was able to accomplish that feat thanks to an earlier rain delay which pushed the Spongebob Squarepants 400 beyond midnight local time. The race winner said said he may have caught his wife, Chandra, by surprise when he called from Victory Lane and caught her on a video call.
“Finishing on Mother’s Day is very sweet. And a shout out to all the moms, my mom and Chandra for Mother’s day,” he said. “I thought my wife might be asleep and then I caught her on face time and she was not so happy to be on face time and other people looking in the phone. She answered and I hit face time and I think the signal went out or she hung up… one of the two.”
The race, which started at its scheduled time (6:30 PM local time), was stopped after Lap 98 due to rain. Drivers were called back to their cars at about 9:30 PM local time and racing got back underway about 30 minutes later, after a two hour and 16 minute delay.
Johnson took control of the race after a late caution period. His elected not to in to the pits and it turned out to be the right call. Johnson led the rest of the way.
“(Crew chief Chad Knaus) asked me what I wanted to do, and it just dawned on me, we’ve won two races, we’re locked in the Chase (for the Sprint Cup), points don’t matter, it’s all about wins,” Johnson said. “I said, man, I feel like gambling, and that was the call, and we stayed out.”
It was the 73rd win of Johnson’s career, placing him eighth on the all-time list for victories in NASCAR’s top-level series. Johnson is the only active driver in the Top 10.
Reigning Sprint Cup champion and current leader in the driver standings, Kevin Harvick, put on a charge to catch Johnson, but he said that’s how racing luck plays out. Harvick said racing is not just about what happens on the track. Strategies impact what happens during the race and “We won championships on pit calls and tires.” Sometimes, drivers just have to hope things work out, Harvick said.
“It’s almost harder to win the races when you’re leading,” he added. “You’ve got guys that are a little off pace, like the first four were that stayed out hoping that they could get a good restart and get the clean air and their car would hold on just long enough to get the win.”
Harvick said he felt like he had the car to outrun the race leader, but Johnson didn’t become a six-time Sprint Cup champion by not knowing how to race on the track.
“He wasn’t that strong. He was just trying to run right in front of our car,” Harvick said. “Those first few laps (after the restart) when you’re pushing like that, it really takes the air off the front of the car and it gets the chatter in the front end and it snaps around. But that was the strategy they took and it worked for them.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished third in the Spongebob Squarepants 400.
One of the drivers disappointed with the outcome was Martin Truex Jr., who led 95 of the race’s total 267 laps. He had arguably the fastest car all night, but his crew felt he wouldn’t have enough fuel to go the distance and brought him into the pits during the final yellow-flag period for a splash of gas. Truex Jr. faded on the restart and wound up in ninth place.
“It’s kind of disappointing, but at the same time proud of the way we ran,” he said. “Felt like we were in a decent position there towards the end. Really hate when it comes down to fuel and mileage. Seems like I’m always on the wrong end of that deal.”
Harvick and Truex hold on to the top two spots in the driver standings. Harvick’s second-place finish in the race helped stretch his lead by another six points and Truex Jr. is now 46 points behind the leader. Johnson’s results in the past two races have pulled him within two points of Truex Jr.
Next weekend, the eyes of NASCAR nation will be on Charlotte Motor Speedway, in Concord, North Carolina, for the Sprint Showdown, on May 15, and NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, on May 16. Sprint Cup Series racing resumes on May 24, 2025, with the Coca-Cola 600, also at the North Carolina racing facility.
