Jimmie Johnson gave the Hendrick Motorsports outfit a welcome boost as the Chase for the Championship nears, adding his fifth victory of the year at Fontana to secure his place in the post-season.
While team leader Jeff Gordon has endured a run of results not exactly befitting the season-long points leader, Johnson himself had gone four months without a victory before coming out on top in the Sharp AQUOS 500 at California Speedway. The reigning champion won comfortably after passing Carl Edwards for the lead to guarantee himself a chance to defend his Nextel Cup crown and, by adding a fifth victory in 2007, ensured that he would receive a handy 50-point bonus when the 'play-offs' begin in two races time, marking him out as top seed,
ahead of Gordon.
On a hot evening in California, Johnson dominated the second half of the race after taking top spot for the last time during the final round of pit-stops with 22 laps to run. In all, the Lowes Chevrolet driver led 65 of the last 80 laps and comfortably contained Edwards in the closing stages.
Edwards survived a pit-lane incident with Juan Montoya early on to recover to second spot, strengthening his claim for a decent Chase ranking, while Kyle Busch kept the family name in the limelight with third. Brother Kurt, who has been on a roll of late, could only manage ninth spot, but strengthened his claim to a place in the post-season. Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Matt Kenseth, Martin Truex Jr and best-placed Toyota driver Brian Vickers filled the gap between the Busch brothers, while Kasey Kahne rounded out the top ten.
Earnhardt's fifth place was welcome but did not have much impact on his championship position, Junior remaining one spot outside the Chase cut-off, while top twelve occupants Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick had to make do with twelfth and 13th on the night, Harvick slipping to twelfth in the race for Chase places.
Gordon, meanwhile, could only manage 22nd place, a lap off team-mate Johnson at the chequer.
![Jimmie Johnson - Kobalt/Lowe's Chevrolet [pic credit: GM media]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/300233.jpg)
