Johnson disapproves of penalty call

With seven wins at the track, Jimmie Johnson is used to being out in front at Dover. This time it cost him. Johnson's drive for a record eighth win on the mile concrete track ended when NASCAR penalized him Sunday for jumping leader #42-Juan Pablo Montoya off the restart with 19 laps left. Johnson finished 17th in a race won by Tony Stewart. Montoya finished second. "There's always a judgment call in pro sports," Johnson said. "Our sport doesn't have many opportunities for that. Today, it did, and the call didn't go my way."

NASCAR states that the race leader (Montoya) has to be the first car across the starting line. Johnson got a huge jump on Montoya and refused to give up his position. Montoya also had the responsibility to speed up and be in the lead once the cars leave the restart zone. Johnson said Montoya wasn't driving fast enough.

NASCAR said it was an easy call. "He left early and he didn't give it back like we tell them all the time when that type of thing comes up," said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president for competition. "It's pretty cut and dried. You can look at the films and the restart zone and where the start was." Associated Press