Lucky Dog x 2??

By Mark Young

Yesterday's race started in a very interesting way.  Jimmie Johnson nearly hit the wall in the opening laps, a victim of a flat tire (though he said that Burton took the wind off his spoiler) and had to pit under the green flag.  Once back on the track the TV stated that he was two laps down.  Seconds later Robby Gordon spins out and brings out the caution flag.  what happened next still is not very clear to me but something fishy went on and I need your help to figure this out.

So the field is under a yellow flag situation and some, not all, of the lead lap cars pit for adjustments.  Jimmie Johnson went into the pits the following lap (because he was 2 laps down) for adjustments to his front fender.  Johnson was the only car one lap down at that point in time and was awarded the Lucky Dog award giving him one of his two laps back.  HOWEVER- When the cars were getting ready for the green flag NBC announced that Johnson was now on the lead lap.

This makes absolutely no sense to me.  Either NBC was wrong with the announcement that Johnson was two laps down or NASCAR decided to change the rules again.  Could someone out there is Turn 3 let me know what happened?

This is clearly another thing that wouldn't happen if Pope Brian I would abolish the Lucky Dog rule.  This is the third race in a row where a driver who was more than one lap down managed to get back on the lead lap when they otherwise would not have been able to and capitalize it into a top 10 finish.  I say that NASCAR should do what Bob Barker says every day on The Price is Right and get this dog spayed.