Wilson best in Dutch Prix
FONTANA, Calif. -- Jimmie Johnson grabbed a victory Sunday night at California Speedway, clinching a spot in NASCAR's Chase for the Nextel Cup championship and guaranteeing he will be no worse than a tie for the top seed in the 10-race playoff.
Johnson dominated the second half of the Sharp Aquos 500, a race that began in bright sunshine with temperatures over 100 degrees and finished under the lights. It was his fifth victory of the season, but his first since May 6 at Richmond.
This one was just as important, though, with NASCAR awarding a 10-point bonus for each win this season in seeding the 12 drivers who will compete in the Chase.
There was some shuffling at the bottom of that group, with Martin Truex Jr. and Kurt Busch each moving up one spot to 10th and 11th, respectively, while Daytona 500 winner Kevin Harvick slipped from 10th to 12th.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., began and ended the race in 13th, despite a solid fifth-place finish. But he did cut his margin from 158 behind Busch coming in to 128 behind Kevin Harvick heading into next Saturday night's race at Richmond, the final event before the start of the Chase.
Johnson, who took the lead for good after a series of green flag pit stops 32 laps from the end of the 250-lap event, easily held off runner-up Carl Edwards in the waning laps. Kyle Busch finished third, followed by Jeff Burton, Earnhardt, Matt Kenseth, Truex, Brian Vickers and Kurt Busch.
Kevin Harvick finished 13th.
Champ Car
Justin Wilson won the Champ Car's Dutch Grand Prix, holding off Jan Heylen in Assen, Netherlands to clinch his first race of the season.
Bruno Junqueira was third.
"We just did what we had to do," Wilson said. "With the car working well, it was exciting to be out there."
Sebastien Bourdais' hopes of clinching a fourth straight title were hampered after a poor start forced him to drop from pole position. It was his first loss in four races in Europe.
Bourdais, who finished seventh, still has a 58-point lead over Wilson heading into the next race on Oct. 21 in Surfers Paradise, Australia.
NASCAR Busch
Jeff Burton turned a late pit stop and fresh tires into a NASCAR Busch Series victory late Saturday night at California Speedway in Fontana.
He passed Kyle Busch for the lead eight laps from the end of the Camping World 300 and pulled away to win by 2.859 seconds -- about 12 car lengths -- as Busch barely held off pole winner Denny Hamlin for second.
Transaction time
After shopping around, Jeff Moorad and Tom Garfinkel settled on a racing team owned by a couple of proven winners -- Hall of Fame quarterbacks Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach .
Moorad, CEO of the Diamondbacks, and Garfinkel, the team's chief operating officer, have bought controlling interest in Hall of Fame Racing.
"We spoke with several teams and decided that Hall of Fame has assembled a special group of people and created a foundation for success that we hope to build on," Moorad said at California Speedway.
"You win with people, and we want to add resources and opportunity for the people who are here."
Moorad and Aikman have longtime ties, going back to when Moorad's sports management agency represented the former Cowboys' star in his first contract negotiation.
Garfinkel previously was executive vice president of Chip Ganassi Racing and was involved in Ganassi's NASCAR and open-wheel organizations.
"Jeff has been a positive influence for me throughout my career and has been successful in whatever he's done," Aikman said. "And Tom is certainly an impressive individual with a unique blend of significant business acumen and racing experience.
Aikman and Staubach and their partners formed the racing team in 2003.
They retain minority interest, along with partners Bill Saunders , Paul Whitman and Mark Griege .
Hall of Fame Racing is in its second season, with Tony Raines and Terry Labonte splitting driving duties. The No. 96, sponsored by DLP HDTV, finished 26th in owner points last year and was 25th entering Sunday.
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