FONTANA, Calif., Sept. 1 (UPI) -- Jimmie Johnson grabbed the checkered flag Sunday night to win the Sprint Cup Pepsi 500 auto race at Fontana, Calif.
The El Cajon, Calif., native ran a dominant race from the pole position, leading 227 of the 250 laps. His No.48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet beat runner-up Greg Biffle by more than two seconds.
"To have the fan base I have here and winning in my home state is just amazing," the two-time defending points champion said in a post-race interview.
It was his third victory this season, his second straight at Fontana's Auto Club Speedway and the third in his career at the 2-mile oval track.
Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth completed the top five finishers.
Harvick started the race in the last position.
In the battle to clinch a spot in the season-ending "Race for the Chase," Kyle Busch leads the qualifiers followed by Carl Edwards, Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Burton.
