Johnson's win overshadowed by race team's plane crash

MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- Jimmie Johnson's series-high sixth victory of the season Sunday was overshadowed by word that a plane carrying members of the Hendrick Motorsports organization crashed.

The Federal Aviation Administration said 10 people were aboard the plane when it crashed on its way to the race at Martinsville Speedway.

There was no word on fatalities or injuries, FAA spokeswoman Arlene Murray said.

NASCAR officials informed Johnson and three other Hendrick drivers of the crash after the race. Johnson was excused from Victory Lane.

"We're working very closely with members of the Hendrick organization," NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said. "We're just saying extra prayers right now."

Hunter said the FAA notified the National Transportation Safety Board, and "they're investigating to see what might have happened or what has happened."

In Sunday's Subway 500, Johnson pulled away from Rusty Wallace and Ryan Newman on a restart with seven laps to go to climb four spots in the season-ending title chase. Kurt Busch was solid again and moved one step closer to wrapping up NASCAR's first playoff championship.

In a race where leading contenders Jeff Gordon struggled and Dale Earnhardt Jr. was never a factor, Busch finished fifth and expanded his points lead to 96 over Gordon and 125 over Earnhardt, who fell to third.

Earnhardt started the day just 24 points off the lead.

Busch started seventh and led a race-high 120 laps, earning an addition five-point bonus with four races left.

"You've got to step up to the plate and race hard in each of these final 10" races, he said. "We had a regular season and now we have a playoff and right now we haven't had a bad finish."

Busch has finished no worse than sixth in six races since NASCAR separated the top 10 in points for a 10-race championship playoff.

Gordon, seeking his fifth championship, started the day 74 points behind and gave his second straight dazzling show of driving, overcoming a car that ran in the mid-20s most of the day with strategy. He stayed on the track under a caution with about 150 laps to get track position, then remained in the top 10 the rest of the way and finished ninth.

Last week, Gordon crashed on the first lap at Charlotte, went two laps down, spun out and rallied to finish second and keep his hope alive.

For Gordon and several others, a new concrete and asphalt surface laid down this summer on the half-mile oval proved hard to master. The race was run in one groove, and drivers who got out of that groove paid a dear price as several cars routinely passed underneath them with ease.

Earnhardt, seeking his sixth consecutive to-five finish here, was among those shuffled back into the field early -- but that proved the least of his problems. After starting third, he had trouble getting his car to turn all day, made repeated trips to pit road and two to the garage area.

The second time came with 34 laps to go when he got run into by Kyle Petty and finally drove his Chevrolet to his hauler, ending his day.

Jamie McMurray finished second, Ryan Newman was third and Sterling Marlin fourth, giving Dodge the top three spots behind Johnson's Chevrolet. Busch was the top Ford and was followed by Jeremy Mayfield and Jeff Green, both in Dodges, and the Chevys of Kevin Harvick and Gordon.