Tire blows up Jimmie Johnson’s day

DAVID POOLE, dpoole@charlotteobserver.com

Sunday, Jul. 15, 2007

JOLIET, Ill. -- Jimmie Johnson led 82 laps in Sunday’s race and it looked as if he and Tony Stewart might well wind up battling for the victory until Lap 223.

That’s when Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet snapped around and slammed the wall after losing a right-rear tire. “It knocked the wind out of me and I hit my elbow on the seat,” Johnson said after leaving the infield care center. “But I am just disappointed. We had such a great race car and I was trying to have something for the No. 20 (Stewart).”

Johnson said the jolt when his tire blew was violent.

“I thought the drive shaft came out of the car,” he said. “Just going down the back straightaway that sucker exploded.”

Johnson has never won at Chicagoland, but until Sunday he’d never finished worse than sixth here.

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