LAS VEGAS, NV – Lap 230 was the key. Leading the race, Jeff Gordon pitted on what was to be the final caution of the Shelby-American 400, and with the approval of his Crew Chief, chose to preserve track position and take on only two tires. Teammate Jimmie Johnson’s crew chief, Chad Knaus, in what now looks to be a stroke of genius, chose to take on 4 tires. With a restart on lap 234 with Gordon 1st and Johnson 4th the two rocketed into first and second. It was only a matter of time before Johnson, with new shoes was able to overcome Gordon. "Man, I did all I could for the three runs before that, and I had nothing for him," Johnson said. "I could get close [and] then couldn't get the pass pulled off. We had a great race car all day long. I think [Gordon] really showed the strength of the Hendrick cars when Jeff and I checked out from everyone. "In the end, we had a car that was right on that last run."
