Johnson Third in Championship Points

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Sept. 9, 2002) -- Jimmie Johnson jumped two positions to third overall in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver standings after finishing 13th in the Chevy Monte Carlo 400 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway on Saturday. Driving the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, Johnson started first, his fourth pole position of the season, but fell victim to fuel mileage issues that resulted in poor track position. The rookie is currently 72 points behind points leader Sterling Marlin and just 63 back of second-place Mark Martin. Starting 28th in the field of 43, Joe Nemechek finished 25th in the No. 25 UAW-Delphi Chevy after fighting an ill-handling car throughout the evening at RIR. The veteran driver is currently 37th in Winston Cup points after participating in 23 of 26 events in 2002. Jeff Gordon had a disappointing run at Richmond thanks to a failure in the valve train that ended his day in the No. 24 DuPont Monte Carlo. The defending Winston Cup champion was credited with a 40th-place finish after qualifying 10th. Still very much in the championship picture, Gordon slipped two places to fourth in the standings, just 82 points behind Marlin and 10 behind teammate Johnson. Two-time champion Terry Labonte qualified fifth, but spun into the Turn 3 wall after making contact with Todd Bodine on Lap 16. The wreck did major damage to No. 5 Kellogg’s Chevy, ending the veteran’s day and saddling him with a 41st-place finish. Labonte slid four spots to 24th in the overall driver standings, 29 points behind 20th-place Kevin Harvick. The NASCAR Winston Cup Series will visit New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, N.H., on Sunday for the New Hampshire 300. Live coverage of the event will begin at 12:30 p.m. (ET) on NBC and MRN Radio.