Jimmie Johnson edges Kyle Larson in overtime thriller at Dover

DOVER, Del. - In front, 24-year-old Kyle Larson sought his third NASCAR Cup Series win. About two seconds behind him sat 41-year-old Jimmie Johnson, who already had 82.

Larson had never won at Dover International Speedway; Johnson had done so 10 times. The veteran has a record-tying seven Cup championships. Larson has been in the series for just two of them.

On the 398th lap of the AAA 400 here Sunday, the caution flag waved, and so began another struggle between one of NASCAR's established names and one of its rising stars. When the race restarted on the 404th lap, Johnson surged ahead. Two laps later, he secured an overtime victory.

Larson led for 241 laps. He was moments from the finish. But he could not vanquish the seven-time champ.

"Needed it to stay green there at the end," Larson said. "I was a lot better than Jimmie was - he just did a better job than I did on that last restart."

Perhaps no pairing embodies the clash between eras better than Johnson and Larson. The younger driver opened this season with four second-place finishes and one win in seven races, owning the top spot in the standings until Martin Truex Jr. passed him this week. Larson led for 85 laps last spring at Dover and finished second. He led for a career-high total Sunday before a similar defeat.

"It's just disappointing," Larson said as Johnson took a victory lap. "I run second all the time."

In the other car, Johnson inched closer into history. His 83 victories tie him with Cale Yarborough for sixth all-time. Only he, Richard Petty, and Darrell Waltrip have won 11 times on one track.

Of those 11, few could have been more unlikely than this one. After making a gear change between qualifying and the race, Johnson had to start at the back of the field Sunday, his second-worst starting position in 31 races at Dover. He led for just seven laps, the fewest of any of his victories here.

"But you put that rabbit out in front of me, and I'll chase it down," Johnson said. "It's just the way I've always been."

Johnson snuck into the top five around the 50-lap mark and stayed there for most of the afternoon. He battled Larson and Truex at the front, but only Johnson stayed on the track at Lap 329, and he remained near the front after a subsequent caution.

Still, Larson fought his way back, took the lead again on Lap 361, and held it until the final restart.

"All right, second's not bad," Johnson recalled thinking with five laps to go. But then he told himself, "This thing isn't over. They're never over until the checker falls."

He saw David Ragan crash on Lap 398 and cause the 14th caution of the day. Then, Johnson knew, it would come down to which car started better on old, worn-out tires at the end of a long afternoon.

Larson tried not to overdo the throttle, but his tires spun anyway.

"I haven't had much luck in my NASCAR career," Larson said. "It's been a little bit better this year, but it still would, gosh - [Johnson's] the luckiest human being on this planet, but he's also extremely good, and he can execute like nobody else."

Perhaps a young driver will say that about Larson one day. The 24-year-old, Johnson predicted, will win many races and become the face of the sport. And so a driver who could be one day matched wits with one who already is. In a showdown Sunday at Dover, the old guard won out in the end.