Jimmie Johnson took a decisive step to obtain his first crown of NASCAR, after leaving the Phoenix International Raceway with a solid advantage of points on his immediate pursuer in the match.
Johnson captured the second put behind the winner Kevin Harvick in a Sprint of three final returns, after the competition was neutralized with red flag.
“He did not have much sense to risk with Harvick since most important of today he was to obtain points, and to have culminated secondly is not nothing bad”, Johnson said.
Johnson only arrives the next week to the Homestead-Miami Speedway with an advantage of 63 points on the Ford of Matt Kenseth, needing to stay far from the problems and to culminate the twelfth or best one to raise itself with crown 2006.
Caza 2006 did not begin of the best form for Johnson makes nine races back. 39º in the first race culminated, descending until the ninth step of the table. But Johnson did not occur by won and ran each race thinking only about adding points. This tenacity was worth a comfortable advantage to him in the championship when it only reduces a date of the calendar.
Harvick, that obtained his fifth triumph of the season and led 252 of the 312 returns, was great the dominator of the day and managed to contain with effectiveness the attacks of Johnson in the final returns.
“Jimmie pressed to me enough on the end”, said Harvick. “But of no way it was going to lose this race.”
Harvick, that already devoted champion in advance of the Busch Series with nine victories, is to 90 points of Johnson in the present contest of Glass NEXTEL.
“I would have liked to arrive more at Miami near the leader, but we did everything what we could in the last competitions. I believe that anyway it has been a great year for us.”
Kenseth arrived 13º with its Ford Fusion and was not too much optimistic for the distinctive race of Miami.
“I am not very optimistic”, said Matt. “Obvious any thing can happen, or an accident or a mechanical problem of our rival, but certainly if we did not improve our performance we are very far from the objective that we tried.”
The certain thing is that the climate that is breathed in the equipment of Kenseth, Roush Racing, nonaid to the 2003 champion. Roush jack announced a deep reconstruction of its square, that includes the dismissal of four of the five first engineers on whom it counts the powerful equipment nowadays.
The surprising rookie Denny Hamlin, that did an impressive season until the moment with two triumphs, culminated third party behind Harvick and Johnson. Hamlin still is with chances mathematical of campeonar to 90 points of the leader Johnson.

Time of race - 3 hours, 14 minutes, 44 seconds
Returns: 312
Average of speed - 96,131 mph
Margin of victory - 0,250 seconds
Inexperienced Raybestos of the Race - Denny Hamlin

Glass NEXTEL of NASCAR continues with race no. 36 of its calendar of 36 competitions, the 19 of November in the Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Photos: http://www.nascar.com/, Motorsports Images and Archives, Getty Images, Associated Press

To see result of the race