BROOKLYN, Mich. — Jimmie Johnson looked as if he had already finished the hardest work. After starting at the back of the pack, he had moved up quickly, and when he passed Brad Keselowski for the lead on lap 191 of 200, his No. 48 Chevrolet seemed to be the superior car.
BROOKLYN, Mich. — Jimmie Johnson looked as if he had already finished the hardest work. After starting at the back of the pack, he had moved up quickly, and when he passed Brad Keselowski for the lead on lap 191 of 200, his No. 48 Chevrolet seemed to be the superior car.
Then Johnson’s engine faltered with only six laps remaining. He lost the race — and the NASCAR Sprint Cup points lead — to Greg Biffle on Sunday.
“I got it turned around and was catching him, and then his engine failed,” Biffle said. “It was going to be a great race, no matter what. I felt like I could catch him, but we’ll never know. Passing him might have been a different story.”
Biffle won the race at Michigan International Speedway, taking advantage when Johnson left the track because of engine trouble. Johnson started the race from the back because of an engine change, and he couldn’t hold on at the end. He finished 27th.
After Johnson’s mishap, there was a caution for oil on the track. Biffle held off Keselowski by 0.416 seconds in the green-white-checkered finish.
Biffle took over the points lead, while Johnson dropped from first to fourth. Matt Kenseth moved up a spot to second despite a 17th-place showing.
“I know that a lot of people don’t expect us to win the championship, and don’t expect us to compete for the title,” Biffle said. “I don’t care what they say or who they want to talk about, but we will be a factor when it comes down to Homestead. I promise you that.”
Kasey Kahne finished third in the 400-mile race, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Marcos Ambrose.
It was the 12th victory for Roush Fenway Racing at MIS, breaking a tie with the Wood Brothers for the most wins at the track.