CONCORD, N.C. — Champagne flew in victory lane at Charlotte Motor Speedway, stinging the eyes of three people who were overjoyed with the felling.
The feeling of victory, that is, for driver Jimmie Johnson, crew chief Chad Knaus and team owner Rick Hendrick. After a long dry spell, the bubbly shower was refreshing.
On Sunday, Johnson won for the first time in 23 races in NASCAR's premier series. That drought was marked by near-misses, races foiled by uncharacteristic pit-road penalties and plain old bad luck.
"We knew we could be back," Johnson said. "It was just slower than we thought it would be.