Johnson Wins Despite Bad Ruling at Pocono

Jimmie Johnson used a near-flawless performance to overcome a NASCAR mistake and won the caution-filled Pocono 500 on Sunday at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa.

“We were just fast all the way through,” Johnson said. “The pit stops were fast, the race car was fast, the driver was fast.”

Johnson controlled most of the Pocono 500 for his second win in three weeks, third this year and ninth of his career.

He has led 820 miles in the last three races and has two more seconds in his last five.

Johnson put aside a disappointing 32nd-place finish last week at Dover, when he was one of the many casualties of a 19-car pileup that led to several caution-rule changes for this race.

At Pocono, he was almost a victim of NASCAR’s ever-changing, and often confusing, rules.

The pit road official opened the service lane one lap too early during a late caution period.

As a result, Johnson, the leader, was unable to pit as most of the cars behind him did. He had to pit later, and it cost him the front spot on the restart.

Instead of penalizing the violators, NASCAR let the field stand. Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus said they never received an explanation from NASCAR.

Johnson, though, raced his way back to the front, then built on his lead on several late restarts on the 2 1/2-mile triangular track. He led 126 of the 200 laps and took the lead for good on lap 174.

Jeremy Mayfield, who has two of his three career victories at Pocono, finished second.

He pushed Johnson hard inside and was about a car length behind when another yellow flag came out with three laps left.

Bobby Labonte, who won the 1999 Pocono 500 and the 1999 and 2001 Pennsylvania 500, was third.

After only three cautions in the first 100 laps, there were eight in the last 100. The most notable came when Rusty Wallace hit Michael Waltrip and sent him into the wall. Both drivers were knocked out, and Waltrip was furious.

“I am just amazed that somebody could do something that stupid,” Waltrip said.

The race ended under caution because Dale Jarrett and Jeff Burton blew engines.

The 11 caution flags equaled the 11 last week.

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Michael Schumacher won the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal for his seventh Formula 1 victory in eight races, using a two-pit-stop strategy perfectly to overcome a season-worst sixth-place start.

“Everything worked to plan, and our competitors had some problems,” Schumacher said. “We thought we had no chance for the pole position and sort of went for a strategy we thought would work in the race.”

The German, who holds just about every major record in the globe-trotting Formula One series, also picked up his third victory in a row and fourth in five years on Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. His seven victories in Montreal is a Formula One record for wins at one track.

“I have no special reason for all the races I’ve won here,” Schumacher said. “We just have a good package here and a little luck.”

Schumacher, who is well on his way to a seventh world championship, added to his career victory mark with his 77th Formula One triumph.