FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) _ Jimmie Johnson won his third consecutive Texas fall race Sunday, when none of the eight championship contenders were able to clinch one of the final four spots in NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.
Johnson emerged from a frantic finish, the second attempt at a green-white-checkered finish after his teammate and Chase contender Jeff Gordon spun out from the front after contact with Brad Keselowski.
Gordon was leading on the first green-white-checkered attempt on lap 335, in a race scheduled for 334 laps, when he took the outside lane. When Gordon drifted high, Keselowski pushed through the gap, and made contact that left Gordon’s car with a cut tire.
While Johnson celebrated his fourth victory at Texas, an irate Gordon got out of his car and confronted Keselowski, who appeared to be spitting blood after there were punches thrown.