Johnson shows merit in exhibition

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Jimmie Johnson is the odds-on favorite to win the NASCAR Nextel Cup championship in 2005 and his performance in Saturday night’s exhibition race at Daytona International Speedway did nothing to dispel that notion.

Johnson, who finished second to Kurt Busch by eight points last year – the closest margin in stock car history – took the lead 16 laps from the end of the 70-lap Budweiser Shootout and held off a pack of charging challengers to the end.

Ryan Newman grabbed a big lead when he took only two fresh tires on the required pit stop in the second segment of the made-for-TV race. But Johnson, with four new tires, was the next-fastest driver out of the pits and tracked down Newman in eight laps on the 2 1/2 -mile oval.

Johnson charged past Newman’s Dodge on lap 55, pulling Greg Biffle, Busch and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon along with him.

“Right at the end, it mattered who came out first in that pit stop and my guys did a great job getting me out in front,” Johnson said.

While Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet held the lead, the action behind him was furious in the closing laps, with Newman making a great move, diving low into turn one three laps from the end to grab second. Gordon, who took second away from Biffle on lap 66, was shunted back to sixth on the next lap, but came back to finish third.

Tony Stewart wound up fourth, followed by Biffle, Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin.

The victory came in Johnson’s third start in the non-points race for last year’s pole winners and former Shootout champions.