Johnson Wins His First Bristol Race

In what is a premiere for Jimmie Johnson at the Bristol Motor Speedway, the first NASCAR driver to win the Sprint Cup Series for a record 4 times in a row managed to make his mark at the Food City 500 on Sunday and won the race despite the opposition of Kurt Busch, who monopolized the first spot for 278 of the 500 laps.

With 17 laps to go, a debris caution sent Busch away from the first position. After the leaders headed to pit road, Busch and Johnson both took four tires on the final stop, being beaten by Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart, who only took two.

This meant Busch and Johnson had to restart fifth and sixth, respectively, with only ten laps to go. Johnson managed to make his way through the front pack all the way to number won, while Busch had to settle for the third position.

"Every win is extremely special," said Johnson, the driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet. "But when a track kicks your butt for so long and you finally can win at that track, there's just something really unique about that. That's what I experienced today."

"I'd rather lose to any of the other 41 cars out there than the 48 car," a disappointed Busch said. "I thought we had him beat. I gave it my heart today, but we came up short."

Johnson and Busch were accompanied on the podium by Tony Stewart, who sneaked in between the two. The top five was completed by Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth.