Johnson won his first NASCAR race of the season by taking the lead with 15 laps to go in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500. Kyle Larson finished second while Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. rounded out the top five. The win marks Johnson’s seventh win at Texas Motor Speedway and is Johnson’s 16th straight year with at least one win, the longest active streak.
Johnson entered Sunday’s race with just one top-10 finish in 2017, a ninth-place finish at Phoenix. Many were raising questions about Johnson’s slow start.
“I don’t mind the questions, I mean, they are rightfully asked,” Johnson told reporters last week about his recent slump. “I think the overreaction on either side is very amusing. If we are not winning, how big of a deal some make of it and when we win, how big of a deal some make of it.
“I think our history shows that we can rebound quickly.”
Sunday is proof.
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For Larson, it’s his fourth runner-up finish of the year. He continues to lead the NASCAR point standings (315) and has a 17-point cushion between him and Chase Elliott, who sits second.
Ryan Blaney owned much of the day, leading a race-best 148 laps. He won the first two stages of the race, but fell to the back of the pack after a long pitstop. Things got worse for Blaney when he appeared to collide with Corey LaJoie and damage his car. Blaney went on to finish 12th.
Here are the complete results from the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500.
Sunday’s NASCAR race results
Jimmie Johnson Kyle Larson Joey Logano Kevin Harvick Dale Earnhardt Jr. Brad Keselowski Jamie McMurray Martin Truex Jr. Chase Elliott Kurt Busch Clint Bowyer Ryan Blaney Trevor Bayne Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Kyle Busch Matt Kenseth Ty Dillon Aric Almirola Daniel Suarez AJ Allmendinger Chris Buescher Erik Jones Michael McDowell Danica Patrick Denny Hamlin Ryan Newman JJ Yeley David Ragan Landon Cassill Cole Whitt Matt DiBenedetto Corey LaJoie Austin Dillon Gray Gaulding Reed Sorenson Paul Menard Derrike Cope Kasey Kanhe Timmy Hill Jeffrey Earnhardt
You can watch the race on Fox or stream it on Fox Sports Go , but you should also follow the action with our live updates and video highlights below.
O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 highlights
Ryan Blaney sweeps the first two stages. He has led 146 of the 170 laps.
Ozzy Osbourne is taking in today’s race.
Ryan Blaney won the first stage Sunday after leading 66 of the 85 laps.
Here is the top 10 Stage 1 finishers that will be awarded points.
Blaney Martin Truex Jr. Jamie McMurray Kevin Harvick Brad Keselowski Kyle Larson Clint Bowyer Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Joey Loganoand Kyle Busch
Austin Dillon missed the first 12 laps of the race because of broken track bar on his car.
Get this: Reed Sorenson just did a lap under caution WITHOUT a rear tire.
Jeffrey Earnhardt and Gray Gaulding bring out the first caution of the day.
A Twitter List by sn_nascar
O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 Qualifying
While Harvick won qualifying, nine drivers did not turn a lap on Friday. Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chase Elliott, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Larson, Chris Buescher, Erik Jones, Timmy Hill and Derrike Cope all started at the rear of the field after their cars failed to pass inspection prior to the end of the first round of qualifying.
Here’s how things began for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500:
Kevin Harvick Ryan Blaney Clint Bowyer Joey Logano Brad Keselowski Jamie McMurray Martin Truex Jr. Matt Kenseth Ryan Newman Kurt Busch Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Trevor Bayne Michael McDowell Ty Dillon Landon Cassill AJ Allmendinger Denny Hamlin Aric Almirola Danica Patrick Daniel Suarez David Ragan Paul Menard Corey LaJoie Jimmie Johnson Austin Dillon Matt DiBenedetto JJ Yeley Cole Whitt Gray Gaulding Reed Sorenson Jeffrey Earnhardt Kyle Larson Chase Elliott Kyle Busch Kasey Kahne Erik Jones Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chris Buescher Timmy Hill Derrike Cope
