THE LINE

October 31, 2012

(Nigel Kinrade, Autostock, 2012)
Aric Almirola (No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Gwaltney Ford) leads Greg Biffle (No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing 3M Ford) during the Tums Fast Relief 500 at the .526-mile Martinsville Speedway. Almirola finished fourth and Biffle finished tenth. Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Lowe's Chevrolet) won the race and took over the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship points lead, Kyle Busch (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing M&Ms Halloween Toyota) was second and Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Hendrick Cars Chevrolet) finished third. Johnson's win delivered the tenth straight manufacturers Cup championship for Chevrolet and 36th overall. Johnson holds a two-point lead over Penske Racing's Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge) with three races left. It was Johnson's 59th career win. "I'm ecstatic about the win today and ecstatic about the point lead, but this is no cakewalk," Johnson said. "I feel as focused and as prepared as I've ever been. We have some very smart guys with experience on this team, and everybody is managing their emotions well and working very hard on their individual positions." Johnson and his Chad Knaus-led team are firing on all cylinders at exactly the right moment. But make no mistake, Brad Keselowski and Penske Racing are going to give the No. 48 team all they can handle.

Editor-in-Chief's Note: Check out Michelin's racing website - "Michelin Alley" - and get in on all of the behind-the-scenes buzz. Go here. - PMD 

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