Johnson Finishes Eighth at Daytona

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (July 8, 2002) -- Hendrick Motorsports endured a frustrating race on Saturday as the NASCAR Winston Cup Series visited Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway for the Pepsi 400. Jimmie Johnson finished eighth in the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet for his 11th top-10 finish of 2002, his first since finishing third at Pocono Raceway on June 9. The Winston Cup rookie managed to stay focused, avoiding trouble while battling an ill-handling race car all evening. The El Cajon, Calif., native moved into third in the overall driver standings, up one position from last week and just 114 points behind series leader Sterling Marlin. Driving the No. 5 Kellogg’s Monte Carlo, Terry Labonte followed his third-place finish at Infineon Raceway with 14th-place effort at Daytona. It was the two-time Winston Cup champion’s seventh top-15 finish and his 11th top-20 showing of the season. Labonte remains 17th in points, a mere 78 behind 15th-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. and 270 back of 10th-place Kurt Busch. Jeff Gordon played a frustrating game of chess all evening at Daytona after cutting a tire early in the race and battling unsuccessfully to regain his lost lap. The four-time champion flirted with the lead lap on multiple occasions as the leaders refused to let the No. 24 DuPont Monte Carlo earn position with one of the fastest cars on track. The defending Winston Cup champion finished one lap down in 22nd overall after starting third, dropping him two places to fifth in points, 150 out of first. With perhaps the fastest of the four Hendrick Motorsports entries on Saturday, Joe Nemechek, who won the NASCAR Busch Series event on Friday at Daytona, spent the entire race moving through the field in the No. 25 UAW-Delphi Chevrolet after starting at the rear of the pack in 43rd. While in the ninth position on lap 136, Team 25’s day came to an unfortunate end when Dale Jarrett and Jeff Burton got together while battling for position, collecting more than 10 cars, including the No. 25 Chevy. Nemechek was taken to Daytona’s infield care center for evaluation and quickly released after X-rays to his left foot were negative. The team was credited with a disappointing 36th-place finish and remains 38th in the Winston Cup standings. The NASCAR Winston Cup Series next visits Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., for the running of the Tropicana 400 on Sunday. The race will be carried live on NBC and MRN Radio beginning at 2 p.m. EDT.