A Look Back at the …

Winner: Jimmie Johnson
Time of Race: 3 hours, 22 minutes, 11 seconds
Average Speed: 118.704 mph
Margin of Victory: 1.97 seconds
Caution Flags: 9 cautions for 38 laps
Lap Leaders: 6 lead changes among 4 drivers. J. Johnson 1-27; D. Gilliland 28; R. Newman 29-57; Ku. Busch 58-146; J. Johnson 147-165; Ku. Busch 166-175; J. Johnson 176-400.

Post-Race Quotes

“For me, this is one of the closest tracks to off-road racing that we have on the circuit. You're virtually airborne off in each corner, so I think that helps me some and relates back to the vehicles I drove growing up.

“This track really favors a loose racecar, and just by habit I enjoy a loose racecar and that's what I look for every day at each track. So it just really plays into our style.”

— AAA 400 winner Jimmie Johnson, on what it is about Dover that agrees with his driving style.

“He did a fantastic job. It was all Jimmie today. Pit crew did a solid job, we did a decent job making adjustments, but it wound up in Jimmie's hands. He made it [the car] fantastic.”

— Johnson’s crew chief, Chad Knaus.

“I'm pretty sure that are dude's Superman. And you know, I have had the opportunity to see up close. I'm telling you, I see why he is so successful. I see why. He works harder at it than anybody else, I think, on the circuit.”

— Runner-up finisher Mark Martin on Jimmie Johnson.

Dover Notes

Jimmie Johnson won the AAA 400 from Dover International Speedway to earn his fourth victory of the season. Johnson led a race-high 271 laps in the process.

The win was Johnson's fifth at Dover in only 16 career Cup starts. He is now tied with David Pearson for second on the all-time wins list at Dover. Richard Petty and Bobby Allison are tied for first with seven.

Johnson now sits tied with Bill Elliott at 14th on NASCAR's all-time wins list with 44 victories. The only active driver ahead of the two is Jeff Gordon (82).

Johnson trails points leader Mark Martin by 10 points in the Chase for the Sprint Cup and is 55 ahead of third-place Juan Pablo Montoya.

Points leader Mark Martin (second) posted his 11th top 5 and 16th top 10 of 2009. He has five consecutive top-5 finishes.
 
Matt Kenseth (third) scored his fifth top 5 and 10th top 10 of 2009. The run was his best since sweeping the first two races of the ’09 season (Daytona, California).

Juan Pablo Montoya and Kurt Busch rounded out the top 5.

Scott Speed (25th) was the event’s highest finishing rookie.

A Look Ahead to the …
Price Chopper 400 from Kansas Speedway

Track Specs: 1.5-mile tri-oval; Banking/Turns: 15 degrees; Banking/Tri-Oval: 10.4 degrees; Banking/Backstretch: 5 degrees.
2008 Winner: Jimmie Johnson
Cup Practice Times: Friday, October 2: 1:00-2:30 pm EST (televised live on SPEED). Saturday, October 3: 12:30-1:15 pm EST (SPEED); Happy Hour from 1:50-2:50 pm (tape delayed at 6:30 on ESPN2).
Cup Qualifying: Friday, October 2: 4:40 pm EST (ESPN2).
2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Price Chopper 400: Sunday, October 4: 2:15 pm EST (coverage begins at 11:00 am EST on SPEED TV and continues on ABC at 1:00 pm EST).

Kansas Speedway Facts

Kansas Speedway has hosted eight Cup races since the 2001 Protection One 400 when Jeff Gordon won the inaugural event. Rusty Wallace dominated the event, leading 117 laps, but was penalized late in the race for speeding on pit road and could not get through traffic to challenge Gordon at the end. Wallace finished fourth. Ryan Newman, in only his sixth career start, finished second in the No. 02 Penske Ford.

There have been seven drivers that have earned a Cup win at Kansas with two having won from the pole. Jimmie Johnson is the most recent to do so, having won from the first spot last September.

Jeff Gordon lead all drivers with two wins at Kansas. He is the only driver to have recorded more than one win at the facility. Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Joe Nemechek, Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart have one win apiece.

Gordon also leads all drivers with five top-5 and six top-10 finishes.

Clint Bowyer, in three starts, leads all drivers with a 7.7-place average finish at Kansas. Gordon, who has started every race at the track, owns a 9.8-place average finish.

Matt Kenseth holds the Cup track qualifying record of 180.856 mph set in October 2005. Jimmie Johnson is the defending pole winner.

Johnson (three) has earned more pole positions than any driver at Kansas. No other driver has scored more than one pole victory at the 1.5-mile track.

Johnson is also the defending winner of the race. He held off a hard-charging Carl Edwards on the event’s final lap to record the victory.