Johnson Wins at Martinsville

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (Oct. 22, 2006) - Jimmie Johnson won Sunday's event at Martinsville Speedway, scoring his 23rd career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series victory in his 179th career start. Johnson climbed from seventh to third in the championship standings, now sitting 41 points behind the leader, and moved into a tie for 25th on NASCAR’s all-time win list, tying Ricky Rudd. It was the fifth win of 2006 for the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet crew and the second for Johnson in 10 career races at the Martinsville short track. The team has 20 top-10 finishes this season, leading all NEXTEL Cup competitors. Starting ninth, Johnson led seven times for 245 of 500 laps, including the final 56. The win was the 14th at Martinsville for Rick Hendrick and the 149th of the car owner's career.