CONCORD, N.C. -- Jimmie Johnson looked to have a top-five finish within his reach Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
But his Bank of America 500 run was cut short on Lap 260, when a problem with the No. 48 Lowe's Red Vest Chevrolet SS forced him to the garage and ultimately ended his day.
"We noticed a little bit of smoke from time to time and wasn’t sure if it was just rubber on the headers or what it might be," Johnson explained. "Then coming down the front stretch, the engine basically went into ‘protection-mode’ and wouldn’t let the engine have any rpm."
Johnson said the issue was that the car lost oil pressure, and the crew discovered that it was a problem with the oil pump.
"I made it to pit road and the guys could see the oil running out of it then,” he said.
While he was disappointed about his 39th-place result, Johnson said he and the No. 48 team will regroup and attack Kansas Speedway, where he won earlier this season.
"It’s unfortunate -- we had a race car," he said. "I really wanted to get to Victory Lane with this Red Vest Chevrolet. A big shout-out to the 265,000 people that work in the (Lowe's) stores every day. And we’ll come back and go again next week.”