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Article: VINDICATION JIMMIE JOHNSON WINS DAYTONA 500
- Article from:
- Roanoke Times & World News
- Article date:
- February 20, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2006 Roanoke Times & World News. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Defending the lead to win his first Daytona 500 was the easy
part. Erasing the doubts about his car's legality proved more
difficult for Jimmie Johnson.
Minutes after Johnson beat Casey Mears to win the Nextel Cup
season opener, third-place finisher Ryan Newman questioned if the
175,000 fans saw a fair finish. Newman's doubts had nothing to do
with NASCAR penalizing three drivers for aggressive driving,
including Tony Stewart, whose outburst last week persuaded series
officials to police the racing closer.
Newman noted how Johnson's team has been penalized the last few
years -- and even last week -- with crew chief Chad Knaus.
"This could still be the first opportunity for NASCAR to pull ...