Johnson's day at Darlington.

By Andrew Charman

A strong performance in which he ran near or at the front all day ended with Jimmy Johnson taking the seventh win of his Nextel Cup career in the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 at Darlington Raceway, to the delight of his car owner Jeff Gordon, watching from the pits after escaping a hard smash early in the race. It was a day in which with the exception of Dale Earnhardt Jnr, the season's established front runners all struck trouble.

Pole-sitter Kasey Kahne, looking for a fourth successive podium in the #9 UAW/Dodge Dealers Dodge, led the field from the start, his closest challenger Greg Biffle's #16 Subway Ford. But the cautions started early as the #15 NAPA Chevrolet bounced heavily off the wall in turn 3, continuing what is rapidly becoming a nightmare season for Michael Waltrip. Despite having only nine laps on their tyres 39 of the 43 starters pitted for fresh ones, and Dale Earnhardt Jnr's #8 Budweiser Chevrolet led the race off pit-road.

One of those that stayed out was Biffle, and he assumed the lead when the green flew again on lap 15, only for Earnhardt to almost immediately go past. Dale Jnr was on a mission, not only seeking to close the 90 point deficit to series leader Matt Kenseth but match his Ford rival with back-to-back victories, the Budweiser Chevrolet having been in victory lane at Rockingham seven days earlier.

Earnhardt, however, could do little about Nextel Cup's man of the moment, Kahne, who retook the lead with 23 laps down. At the same moment journeyman Joe Ruttman pulled his usual trick of heading for the garage, having added a fistful of dollars to the $54,071 he earned seven days earlier for starting the Atlanta race - even if he was more than 10mph slower than the lead pack.

On lap 31 the caution flew again marking a hard hit for Jeff Gordon's #24 Dupont Chevrolet. It began when the #280 Commercial Truck & Trailer Ford of 43rd and last starter Andy Hillenberg was tapped into a spin by Tony Stewart's #20 Home Depot Chevrolet. Hillenberg came to rest across the racing line and Gordon ran into him at full tilt, wrecking his car. "I'm going to be sore tomorrow," Gordon said later. "I don't know what happened with Andy getting spun, but I'll tell you what, there's a bunch of cars out there than don't belong. They're way off the pace and in the way."

As yet another backmarker, Todd Bodine, headed for the garage having stayed out when everybody else pitted so as to lead a lap and earn some points, the green flag flew again and this time Kahne was caught out, coming off the throttle and dropping three spots. Now it was Ryan Newman's turn to head the pack in his #12 ALLTEL Dodge, but he enjoyed just a few laps holding off Kurt Busch in the #97 Sharpie Ford before on lap 54 the yellow flag was out again. This time it was for debris, and the field headed pitwards for tyres. Busch won the race out this time, Newman on his rear bumper as the green flew again on lap 60.

Earnhardt Jnr was still very much in the mix and briefly led again on lap 67, before both Busch and Newman passed him, Busch then opening a one-second gap to Newman with Kahne involved too. By lap 109 both Dodges had gone past the Ford, as a sequence of green flag pit-stops began. By the time they had cycled through, Jamie McMurray led in the #42 Havoline Dodge from Biffle, while Newman's race hopes had disappeared with a black flag after he hit the cone at the end of pit lane.

McMurray stretched his lead over Biffle to more than 10 seconds but this advantage disappeared on lap 144 when the caution came out again as luck finally deserted Kasey Kahne, the Dodge suffering a flat tyre. McMurray retained his lead out of the pits, by now just 16 of the 43 starters remaining on the lead lap.

A mere 10 laps of green-flag racing followed before a multi-car crash brought out the fifth caution, and what could be a championship turning point as suffering along with Casey Mears, Scott Riggs and Ricky Craven was points-leader Kenseth, the #17 DeWalt Ford doing itself serious left-side damage. The reigning champion's day went from bad to worse as having been into the pits he earned a black flag for passing under the yellow.

Slick pitwork ensured that at the green on lap 170 Jimmy Johnson's #48 Lowe's Chevrolet enjoyed its first spell at the head of the field, Busch leading the chasers. But just 15 laps into the run out came the yellow again, this time for debris. Johnson stayed in front through the pit stops and retained the lead as the green flew again on lap 191. But he soon had to give best to Busch, who led through the next round of pit stops on lap 231, courtesy of another caution as Ricky Rudd's #21 Motorcraft Ford suffered a flat tyre.

Now the Sharpie Ford had a new challenger, Bobby Labonte coming into the picture in the #18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet. On lap 260 the green Chevy moved ahead and within 10 laps had opened a gap of more than two seconds over Busch and Johnson. That gap disappeared on lap 275 as Kyle Petty ended a difficult day with a blown engine, producing caution number eight and this time the race off pitlane was won by Johnson.

This time the green lasted a mere two laps before Kahne spun and ended his excellent finishing record. The leaders stayed out and as the green flew again Johnson stayed ahead, holding on for another five laps to take his seventh Nextel Cup race win and bring some cheer to his car owner Jeff Gordon.

Labonte held on for second, followed by Newman and Robbie Gordon, who had run well all day in the #31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet. And with Kenseth back in 31st four laps down, his lead in the title chase was cut to just 21 over Earnhardt Jnr, who took 10th spot.