RIDGEWAY, Va. -- Just three weeks after winning at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Jimmie Johnson secured his fourth win of the season Sunday at Martinsville Speedway.
However, the victory did not come easy for the driver.
After taking the green flag in the top three, Johnson was shuffled to the outside line, causing him to fall back in the field.
The driver was served a pit road speeding penalty, lost position after making contact with a competitor that required pit road repairs and even ran out of fuel under caution.
Despite the adversity, Johnson and his No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet SS team held strong and charged through for the win.
“It was so tough for 20-30 laps," Johnson said of coming back from the speeding penalty. "Everybody was running the same speed. I would try to maintain my position and not burn off my tires and wait for guys to start slipping and sliding and then I could finally get going. Those long green flag runs towards the end were really what put us in position to win.”
And much of the team's rebounding throughout the day, Johnson credits to the way his car handled during those long green flag runs.
“We really had great long run speed," Johnson said. "We lost track position through a couple of different means there at the first half of the race. Honestly, that caution with the No. 19 car put us in the catbird seat. I wasn’t sure I could get by the No. 18 or the No. 11, but we got going and I got by both of those guys. I thought ‘man I hope this stays green’ because that really suits what our race car was doing all day long.”
Ultimately, it was Johnson who crossed under the checkered flag first, checking off his fourth win of the season and solidifying his position in the Championship 4.
“Yeah, there were a lot of moments but anything in life you have to work for it," Johnson said of Sunday's obstacles. "It’s not going to come easy and we knew that coming into this race. There are so many challenges with this track. I’m so thankful for this race team."