Checkered Countdown: Top-Five Las Vegas Finishes

No.1 Johnson outruns Kenseth on the high side and beats him in a photo finish (2006).

Jimmie Johnson won the last race before the reconfiguration of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway by leading just the final lap. In fact he had not been up front all day and with three laps to go Matt Kenseth seemed to already have his hands on the trophy. But then Denny Hamlin and Kenny Wallace wrecked bringing out the caution and an attempt at a green-white-checkered finish. After the restart Kenseth radioed to his team that his engine sounded too weak for his liking. He was able to block a run Johnson attempted to make on him on the back straightaway but could do nothing when his competitor flew by him on the outside of turn four and beat him at the finish line by less than a car length.