CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Hendrick Motorsports says it will give four-time defending NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson the pit crew from Jeff Gordon’s team for the final two races of the season.
The announcement comes a day after Johnson’s crew struggled through a pair of stops at Texas Motor Speedway. When an accident knocked Gordon out of the race, his crew replaced Johnson’s team for the rest of the day.
Johnson finished ninth in the race and lost the points lead to Denny Hamlin. He now trails Hamlin by 33 points with two races remaining in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.
Third-place driver Kevin Harvick last month swapped crews with teammate Clint Bowyer because he was unhappy with the job his team was doing on pit road.
