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MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- There was a time this summer when a seventh championship seemed out of reach for Jimmie Johnson.Hendrick Motorsports was struggling and Johnson wasnt at the top of many lists to contend for the title.Then the Hendrick organization flipped a switch, built better, faster cars, and Johnson turned it up a notch. Now, that slot in NASCARs record books is absolutely within reach.Johnson earned one of four spots in next months title-deciding season finale Sunday with his ninth career victory at Martinsville Speedway . The six-time NASCAR champion will race for his seventh championship, which would tie him for the record with Hall of Famers Richard Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt.Ive been trying to ignore this conversation about seven, and now I cant, said Johnson, who doesnt particularly want to start thinking about the stakes just yet.Ill probably lie to all of you guys and say Im not going to think about it at all. But its inevitable. Fortunately, I dont have to think about it for three weeks. But were going to enjoy this and savor it. Were going to get our ducks in a row for Homestead.The victory blocked Joe Gibbs Racing from placing all four of Toyota drivers in the final round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup title . There are only three spots still open in the Nov. 20 finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and JGRs hope of sweeping the final four ended Sunday.Most likely to miss the final? Carl Edwards, who had a tire problem and finished 36th at Martinsville -- lowest of the eight Chase drivers. Also in trouble: Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch, who finished 20th and 22nd.Brad Keselowski, eliminated from the Chase last week , finished second and was irritated by a lengthy caution earlier in the race when NASCAR struggled to figure out the running order. Had those laps not been wasted under yellow, Keselowski absolutely believed he could have beat Johnson.We dont need to run 100 laps under yellow with the field, not trying to figure out where theyre at, and it probably cost us the race, Keselowski said.The caution took 29 laps, and left some grumbling the order still wasnt correct when the race restarted.I think the stakes are so high, I really wish we would have red flagged the race, gone, reviewed it and gotten it right, said third-place finisher Denny Hamlin. Theres a 100 percent chance it was not right at the end. It changed the running order.Hopefully, that doesnt change what happens going into Homestead. I know that NASCAR is doing everything they can with the scoring they have and things like that. But you have to get it right. It definitely was not right.JGR finished third, fourth and fifth as Hamlin, Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch are inside the top-four as the series heads to Texas Motor Speedway. But all was not well in the Gibbs camp after the race.Busch felt Hamlin -- finished the highest by holding up Kenseth and Busch in the waning laps. Although the teammates worked well together on restarts, Busch felt that Hamlin not getting out of the way allowed Johnson to win and Keselowski to finish second.We work so good together that we just gave the win to (Johnson). So, JGR all the way, Busch said. At the end, you had the slowest Gibbs car holding up the rest of the line, and all we did was let somebody else from another organization pass us and go up there and chase down (Johnson).Hamlin disputed Buschs view.I may have held those guys up for a little bit of that final run, but definitely dont think I was holding anyone up at the end, for sure, Hamlin said.Jeff Gordon finished sixth in his final scheduled race as the replacement driver for Dale Earnhardt Jr. It is presumably the final race of Gordons career. He retired last season, but was pressed into eight races when Earnhardt suffered a concussion.Martin Truex Jr. finished seventh and was followed by Jamie McMurray and Joey Logano, winner last week at Talladega but now the first driver below the cutline in the Chase.It was an unusually fast race for Martinsville standards, and the five cautions were the fewest since April of 1989.SCARY SCENE: Track officials said 22 pedestrians were struck by a motorist in a parking lot outside the speedway after the race.A track official said there were no life-threatening injuries, although seven were transported to Memorial Hospital in Martinsville, Virginia, and two more were transported to Morehead Memorial Hospital in Eden.One person was taken into custody after the incident for questioning.JOHNSON VS. HAMLIN: There was mid-race aggression between Johnson and Hamlin , as Hamlin moved Johnson out of his way for a pass for position.He thinks hes a (expletive) king, doesnt do anything wrong, Hamlin radioed.Johnson didnt understand Hamlins lack of patience, and Hamlin said it stems from incidents in the first two rounds of the Chase.DEHYDRATED DRIVERS: It was the warmest fall race at Martinsville since 1999 and temperatures in the mid-80s caused overheating for at least two drivers.AJ Allmendinger and Michael McDowell had to be treated for dehydration after the race, and both were released from the care center.Michael Annett also was treated after the race, but NASCAR did not disclose his symptoms.UP NEXT: A Sunday stop at Texas Motor Speedway, where Johnson has won the last four November races. Calvin Ridley Jersey . Defenceman Yannick Weber scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the Canucks breathed a sigh of relief with a 2-1 win on Saturday night. Deion Sanders Falcons Jersey .S District Court against Major League Baseball, the Office of the Commissioner and his own union, the MLBPA. http://www.thefaclonsshoponline.com/Youth-Steve-Bartkowski-Falcons-Jersey/ . Uniteds eighth defeat of a wretched campaign means Liverpool, which currently occupies the fourth and final Champions League place, could go nine points clear of its fierce rival by beating West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. Charlie Adam scored both of Stokes goals at Britannia Stadium either side of Robin van Persies equalizer, with a miserable day for seventh-place United capped by first-half injuries to centre halves Jonny Evans and Phil Jones that forced them off. Atlanta Falcons Jerseys .com) - The red-hot Los Angeles Kings will try to extend their winning streak to a season-high seven games when they visit the Edmonton Oilers for Sundays clash at Rexall Place. Julio Jones Womens Jersey . Hargreaves began his career in 2008 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and has played with the Edmonton Eskimos and last season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. BEIJING -- Swimming officials from Australia and China have joined the fray as a feud over doping between swimmers Mack Horton and Sun Yang boils over at the Rio Olympics.The Chinese Swimming Association asked Horton on Monday to apologize for his inappropriate words after he labeled Sun a drug cheat -- a reference to Suns three-month suspension in 2014 over banned heart medication. Australias Olympic Committee shot back in Hortons defense hours later, saying he was speaking his mind in support of clean athletes and wished him luck.We have no intention of making an apology, Kitty Chiller, Australias chef de mission at the Olympics, said in Rio.Horton, 20, took a dig at Sun while the two attended a news conference Saturday after Horton unseated the Chinese defending champion in the 400-meter freestyle. It was the second time in days that Horton had publicly referred to Suns drug suspension as part of what the Australian team acknowledged is a campaign to unsettle the Chinese star.Sun had earlier been accused of splashing water at Horton in an apparent attempt to get his attention, and Horton made his initial drug cheat reference when asked why he had ignored Sun.We would urge athletes to respect their fellow competitors, International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams said Monday.Sun, 24, who won two golds at the 2012 London Games, has a long history of bad behavior and tangling with others. He has been accused of disruptive pool behavior by swimmers -- both men and women -- from several countries. The Chinese team briefly banned him from competing after a raft of disciplinary issues, including crashing a friends Porsche SUV into a bus in 2013 while driving without a license, landing him in jail.Sun has previously said he did not know the medication trimetazidine, which he took for chronic heart palpitations, had been placed on the banned list when he tested positive.The 2-meter (6-foot-6-inch) Chinese star burst into tears Sunday after losing to Hortonn, garnering an outpouring of support from Chinese social media users who pilloried Horton on his Facebook page.dddddddddddd The Australian was accused of snubbing Suns attempt to congratulate him on his win immediately after the race, although the two did briefly shake hands later at the podium.Mack obviously has very strong views about the need for clean sport, as every single one of us does, and he has every right to express his views and his displeasure in that sense, Chiller said.Chinese swim team manager Xu Qi also laid into Horton, saying the Australian had hurt the feelings between Chinese and Australian swimmers and showed a lack of good manners and upbringing, according to the official Xinhua news agency.Sun, who has largely refrained from firing back at his rival and has called for respect for all athletes, appeared to get his swagger back Monday. He told reporters at an Olympic village bus stop that he is the king in the 1,500-meter freestyle event scheduled for Sunday, when he will again compete against Horton. When prodded, he added that he was no friend of Hortons.The spiraling row has generated a shrill response from Chinese media during what has already been a period of elevated tensions after Australia voiced opposition in recent weeks to Chinese claims of maritime territory.On Monday, Xinhua released a slew of gently critical articles on topics ranging from Australian trade policy to Melbournes quality of life. The Global Times tabloid opted for a more blunt approach, referring to Australia in a commentary as a former British offshore prison that is on the fringes of civilization.We dont know if it is Horton who is silly or its the Australian media that is evil, or perhaps Australia just has a different moral standard, the newspaper said. No one should be surprised at uncivilized acts emanating from the country. ' ' '