FORT WORTH, Texas _ Jimmie Johnson, the seven-time NASCAR Monster Energy Cup champion, came to life on Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway.
Johnson finished a season-best fifth and led 60 laps overall in the O'Reilly Auto Parts 500. To put that into perspective, Johnson had not had a top-5 in his previous 29 races, and he had led a total of 44 laps in his previous 45 starts.
"This is what we've been looking for," said Johnson, winless in his last 65 races.
The performance followed a poor weekend at Martinsville Speedway in which Johnson finished 24th, two laps off the lead.
This completed a strong weekend showing by Johnson. He won the pole on Friday and had the top speed for 10-, 15- and 20-lap runs during the final practice on Saturday. Johnson showed more speed than at any point this season.
"I was just trying to get a consistent weekend," Johnson said. "In the back of my mind, I was thinking we just needed to have a rock-solid day (on Sunday). If we could do that, I could confirm to myself and everything else that we are moving in the right direction."
