CONCORD, N.C. -- So many drivers would have loved to have had?Jimmie Johnsons problems this summer.A losing streak? Didnt he win two races earlier in the year? Doesnt he have 77 for his Sprint Cup career? Oh, and there are those six Sprint Cup championship trophies. So what is there to complain about?But Johnson, when asked about having a win fall out of his grasp a week ago at Dover thanks to a pit road penalty, didnt hesitate to react to the fact that his career-long winless streak had stretched to 24 races.Its been a long summer, theres no doubt, Johnson said after Dover. Leading laps [in recent weeks] certainly helps and takes the sting off of the long summer, but Id really like to get to Victory Lane soon.Soon ended up being seven days, as Johnson captured the Bank of America 500, a race rescheduled thanks to Hurricane Matthew from Saturday night to a Johnson-favorable day race Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.Johnsons victory was a relief to not only himself but the entire Hendrick organization. No Hendrick driver had won a race since Johnson won his second of the season March 20 at Auto Club Speedway in California in the fifth race of 2016. Even for a driver with six big trophies and millions in winnings, the losing stunk.He could have looked at his six Cup trophies and relish in the years when he dominated, the years when he was the driver to beat, instead of the quintet of Toyotas from Joe Gibbs Racing and Furniture Row Racing. Instead, he grew quiet, as he often does when frustrated, and the last win seemed like an eternity ago.The past is the past, Johnson said. You know, Ive always raced for the experience Ive had in the car. It hasnt been about stats or the previous trophies that Ive won or whats really ahead of me.Theres an experience that I have in the car that I chase and I love: the community thats created on a race team, the bond and friendship that you have.In the first 21 races after that California win, Johnson had led just 95 laps, posted a meager seven top-10 finishes and had an average finish of 17.4. In the past three events, he has led 363 laps -- including 155 in Sundays victory.In some ways, it would seem silly to fret over that slump. He had made NASCARs version of the playoffs. He had two wins this year. Only eight drivers can say they have had that many.Its easy to get down and out, Johnson said. Youre only as good as your last race, and this summer was really hard on us.Its not like his Hendrick Motorsports teammates were winning. Chase Elliott came close a couple of times.?Kasey Kahne was completely out to lunch until rattling off five top-10 finishes in the last six races. The No. 88 car -- the one that shares shop space with Johnson -- has had three drivers, as Dale Earnhardt Jr. is out with a concussion.Four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon and young driver Alex Bowman have shared driving duties for Earnhardt, and Gordon being in the car played a critical role in Johnsons victory on Sunday. His feedback helped the organization look at some of its issues in a different way, and the team has debuted some new cars in the past month that have implemented those suggestions.Having Jeff Gordon in the car has really opened up our eyes to a different side of Jeff thats helped us, said crew chief Chad Knaus, who didnt work as closely with Gordon when Gordon drove the No. 24 car, which is housed with the No. 5 car at the HMS complex. Jeff gives great feedback, as does Alex, and its been interesting to hear what they say.Its kind of like when you hear the same thing over and over and over again, but then somebody else tells you the same thing, your ears kind of perk up a little bit.Charlotte was a natural place for Johnson to snap his skid. He broke a 19-race winless streak at the track in 2003. His eight wins at the 1.5-mile track are more than any driver, but five of those victories came in a six-race stretch from 2003-05.A driver never forgets how to win. A driver such as Johnson knows the sport can be cruel, and in some ways, it has been in recent years. He had not advanced to the semifinal round of the new elimination-style Chase for the Sprint Cup in its first?two seasons.That all changed Sunday as a byproduct of Johnson snapping the winless streak. His quest to tie Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty with seven career titles just turned into a serious possibility.Johnson has said he doesnt know how to manage this Chase. In the past, he just had to have the best 10-race stretch, and Johnson had mastered that on tracks that seemed to bring out the best in him. His titles, especially the five consecutive from 2006-2010, were an amazing feat of having to run great for so long and so consistent.Now, the Chase rewards one-day wonders or three-race streaks. Not until the final four events does a driver have to match what Johnson used to do over 10 races to win the title.Johnson knows what a car should feel like for him to have that type of performance.I dont have to scare myself to put up a good lap time [now], Johnson said. I can drive a good, smooth, consistent lap. ... If I do need to go out there and scare myself and pull away from the 20 [of?Matt Kenseth] or pull away from the 11 [of Denny Hamlin], I can do it and get rewarded for it.Johnson earned the biggest reward on Sunday. He was followed by fellow Chase driver?Kenseth?and then three non-Chase drivers -- Kahne, Ryan Newman and Kyle Larson. Several Chase drivers had issues, with five of them -- Hamlin (30th), Austin Dillon (32nd), Elliott (33rd), Joey Logano (36th), Kevin Harvick (38th) -- now in a potential battle to avoid being among the four eliminated in two more races.Six-Time Johnson has no worries, and all he needs is four races like his championship runs of his prime and he will hoist a seventh title trophy. Even during those stretches of Johnson mastery, team owner Rick Hendrick didnt partake in the Victory Lane celebration shower.But there he was Sunday. Apparently snapping a 24-race winless streak is truly a special occasion.Ive never taken the champagne bath in 30-something years, Hendrick said. So it was like our first race again.As many championships as the Hendrick drivers can conquer (Hendrick has won 11 Cup titles), theres something about being down-and-out -- about not performing, about spending millions and millions of dollars and going home without a trophy -- that stings.Johnson talked about it. And Hendrick insinuated it.Nobody has to remind me that we hadnt won a race, Hendrick said. You guys [in the media] remind me of that every weekend, and they do on TV.I think we were washed up and should have quit. But it kind of motivated us, he added. Nobody ever gave up, and you know, we know what a champion Jimmie is. Cheap Mariners Jerseys Authentic . The team said Saturday that Lopez was hurt during its 121-120 overtime loss at Philadelphia on Friday. The Nets said they would issue another update next week after consultation with their doctors. Cheap Mariners Jerseys China . McPhee said that Ovechkins father Mikhail is in stable condition after having the surgery this week and is no longer in intensive care. "Weve told him to stay as long as necessary with your dad," he said. Ovechkin and his Russian national team were eliminated from the mens hockey tournament in Sochi on Wednesday with a 3-1 quarter-final loss to Finland. http://www.cheapmarinersjerseys.com/ . Its an influence in football and a big part of the game. Cheap Edgar Martinez Jersey . Roman Josi had a goal and an assist to lead the Predators to a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Monday night. Cheap Randy Johnson Jersey . Having already announced that the race will start May 9 with three stages in Northern Ireland and Ireland and finish in Trieste on June 1, the rest of the route was unveiled Monday. NEW YORK -- Derrick Walton Jr. didnt get to play in a blowout loss to SMU last season because of a sprained ankle. He was held scoreless in Michigans opening-round win in the 2K Classic Benefiting Wounded Warrior Project because of foul trouble.Boy, did he make up for those two games.Walton hit seven 3-pointers and finished with 23 points and six assists to lead Michigan to a 76-54 victory over SMU on Friday night in the championship game at Madison Square Garden.Personally, I kind of felt I let my teammates down by picking up two cheap fouls, Walton said about Thursdays win over Marquette. Thankfully they did a great job without me. It just shows how good we are as a unit and today I just wanted to be really aggressive and that was pretty much it.He kept hitting from 3-point range to keep the Mustangs at bay. The closest they got in the second half was 13 points when they hit two 3s to open the second half.Coach has been giving me the green light to not worry about the missed shots, Walton said. I miss a couple, I kind of shake it off. I feel like my guys had confidence in me as well, so that does wonders for my confidence as well.Walton, who had seven 3s total in the first three games, was 4 of 6 from 3 in the first half as Michigan took control right away and went on to a 44-25 halftime lead.Zak Irvin, the tournament MVP, added 16 points for the Wolverines (4-0), while Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman had 12.The last loss we had to them, we basically got punked throughout the whole game and we knew we werent going to let that happen this game, Irvin said of the 24-point loss. We came out with a chip on our shoulder. Derrick really started it off on the offensive end but also collectively on the defensive end. We held them to 37 percent from the field, thats huge for us.Semi Ojeleye led the Mustangs (3-1), who beat Pittsburgh in the opening round, with 13 points and nine rebounds.Michigan played about as good a game as anybody has played against us in over four and change years, Mustangs coach Tim Jankovich said.dddddddddddd I think they were absolutely outstanding. I thought everything they tried to do, include hit a number of guarded shots, it was incredible. I thought they were terrific.Michigan, which had only four turnovers, finished 13 of 31 from 3-point range, led by Waltons 7 of 12. SMU was 6 of 16 from beyond the arc.BIG PICTURE:Michigan: It was nothing new for Michigan to light it up from 3-point range. The Wolverines were ninth nationally last season making 342 from long range. ... Michigan is 9-2 in its last five trips to New York City. ... Michigans average margin of victory in the tournament was 25 points.SMU: The Mustangs were ineligible for the NCAA Tournament last season. ... This was the first loss to Michigan in three all-time meetings. ... The Mustangs had four players play at least 32 minutes.STEADY MVPIrvin couldnt have two games any closer statistically. Against Marquette he had 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists. In the championship game he had 16 points, six rebounds and five assists.GOOD SHOOTINGMichigan shot 52.9 percent (27 of 51) from the field while the Mustangs hit 37.3 percent (22 of 59).LOT OF REBOUNDSSMU finished with a 41-24 rebound advantage over the Wolverines including 18-2 on the offensive end.OLD COACHFormer SMU coach and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Larry Brown was sitting behind the Mustangs bench for the second straight night. Brown brought Jankovich with him to SMU as an assistant.UP NEXT:Michigan: The Wolverines are at South Carolina before a four-game home stand against Mount St. Marys, Virginia Tech, Kennesaw State and Texas.SMU: The Mustangs return home for a game with UC Santa Barbara and then its on the road again to Southern Cal and Boise State. ' ' '