Sprint Cup Series – Shelby American 2/28/10

Hendrick dominated at Las Vegas Motor Speedway as Jimmie Johnson put the #48 back in victory lane!

photo credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images

Jeff Gordon lead all but 48 laps in Sunday’s race. Maybe it’s a bit ironic, because the #48 passed Gordon for the lead with 16 laps to go. Jimmie Johnson grabbed his second consecutive win.

“We’re excited,” Johnson said. “It’s early in the year. It is a relief to know that we worked in the right areas over the off-season. But, you know, Richmond is a long way away from right now. We need to keep collecting points, winning races, make the Chase, then get to work for what we’re really here for. It’s great. We don’t feel invincible, though. It was nice to go out there today and really earn this one, race Jeff that hard for the win. So, you know, I feel very good about things. But ‘invincible’ – far from that.”

Kevin Harvick passed Jeff Gordon over the closing laps to score a runner-up finish.

“It was a good day,” Harvick said. “For us, I put us behind on Friday when I smacked the wall there in practice. The guys did a great job fixing the car. We just got behind from that point and were able to make up ground today. That to me is the most promising thing we’ve been able to do the last two weeks, is go to the back and come to the front. It was tough to pass today. We were able to get the track position that we needed at the end of the race. Just came up one spot short.”

And what about the #24? Gordon had to settle with a third-place finish.

“The last couple laps?” Gordon asked. “I did everything I could, and it just took everything out of the right front tire. Took everything out of the right front tire, built the right front tire up so much I was just plowing it at the end. I knew when Jimmie got by me, we were probably going to lose second as well. While I ran a few laps that slowed Kevin down, where I ran in front of him on the bottom, I couldn’t maintain it. You know, we were just fading.”

Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are both on their ‘Drive for 5′ this season. It could be the biggest headline we’ll watch when The Chase gets underway. We’ll have to wait and see.

Their Hendrick teammate, Mark Martin finished fourth followed by Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano, Tony Stewart, Clint Bowyer, Kasey Kahne and Greg Biffle – all finished in the top-10.

For the (unofficial) race results, click here.

There were 7 cautions for 29 laps and 18 lead changes among 9 drivers: Ku. Busch-pole, J. Gordon 1-52, Biffle 53-56, J. Gordon 57-89, Kenseth 90-98, J. Gordon 99-109, Speed 110-113, J. Gordon 114-160, Johnson 161, Harvick 162, Ky. Busch 163, Stewart 164-165, J. Gordon 166-213, Harvick 214, Stewart 215-219, J. Gordon 220-230, Bowyer 231-233, J. Gordon 234-250, Johnson 251-267

Kevin Harvick retains his points lead by 47 points over his RCR teammate, Clint Bowyer in second.

Atlanta is next on the schedule for the Sprint Cup Series this weekend.