CONCORD, N.C. -- It was a disappointing ending to a solid night for Jimmie Johnson and Team Lowe's Racing when an engine problem forced the championship team to retire early.
Johnson started Sunday's Sprint Cup event from the 10th position and quickly began working his way toward the front when the green flag waved.
Just 25 laps into the 400-lap event, Johnson had moved into fifth place and had taken the lead by lap 48, making it the 13th consecutive race he'd led at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
Johnson continued to move in and out of the top 10 depending on pit road strategy, leading five times for a total of 35 laps throughout the night.
But with a little more than 50 laps remaining in the series' longest event of the season, the quest for Johnson's sixth victory at Lowe's Motor Speedway ended when his engine let go.
"About three or four laps before I came to pit road, it dropped a cylinder and we were just running around on seven," said Johnson, who was left with a 39th-place finish. "I knew it was just a matter of time before it went, and, sure enough, it went.
"But although we didn't get the finish tonight we wanted by any means, I can't thank my team enough and everybody at Hendrick Motorsports for working as hard as they have. We have closed the gap a lot and we have very competitive cars right now, and that is all because of a lot of hard work by this No. 48 team.
"I just wish we could have gotten a better finish in this Lowe's Impala at Lowe's Motor Speedway. All in all, I'm pleased with the night. I just wish we could have made it 60 more laps."
The result dropped Johnson to ninth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers' point standings.
While Johnson and his Lowe's crew had a frustrating night in Charlotte, Hendrick Motorsports drivers Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. both turned in top-five finishes, crossing the line fourth and fifth, respectively. Casey Mears finished 29th.
Kasey Kahne picked up the victory in Sunday's event. He also earned the win in Lowe's Motor Speedway's All-Star race last weekend. Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, Gordon and Earnhardt Jr. rounded out the top five.
Busch continues to hold the top position in the point standings, followed by Jeff Burton, Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer.
The next stop for the Sprint Cup Series will be Dover International Speedway. The June 1 event will be broadcast live on FOX beginning with a pre-race show at 1:30 p.m. ET.
Johnson has three wins and six top-10 finishes in his 12 starts at the one-mile oval.
TOP 10 FINISHERS AT LOWE'S
1. Kasey Kahne
2. Greg Biffle
3. Kyle Busch
4. Jeff Gordon
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
6. Jeff Burton
7. Matt Kenseth
8. Elliott Sadler
9. Carl Edwards
10. David Reutimann
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS DRIVERS' FINISHING POSITIONS
4. Jeff Gordon
5. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
29. Casey Mears
39. Jimmie Johnson
TOP 12 IN POINTS AFTER LOWE'S
1. Kyle Busch
2. Jeff Burton -94
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. -139
4. Denny Hamlin -264
5. Clint Bowyer -282
6. Carl Edwards -322
7. Kevin Harvick -343
8. Tony Stewart -349
9. Jimmie Johnson -367
10. Jeff Gordon -374
11. Greg Biffle -377
12. Kasey Kahne -406
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS DRIVERS' POINT POSITIONS
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. -134
9. Jimmie Johnson -367
10. Jeff Gordon -364
28. Casey Mears -779
TELEVISION SCHEDULE
Dover International Speedway
Friday, May 30
Sprint Cup practice, 11:30 a.m., SPEED
Sprint Cup qualifying, 3 p.m., SPEED
Saturday, May 31
Sprint Cup practice, noon, SPEED
Sprint Cup final practice, 1 p.m., SPEED
Sunday, June 1
Pre-race, 1:30 p.m., FOX
Race, 2 p.m., FOX
NATIONWIDE SERIES RECAP
Saturday, May 24
Behind the wheel of the No. 5 Lowe's Chevrolet, Johnson finished 10th in Saturday night's Nationwide Series event at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
Starting from the 22nd position, Johnson drove his JR Motorsports machine through the field, leading a lap before making a green-flag pit stop on lap 120 of 200.
Soon after Johnson returned to the track, the caution flag waved, trapping the Lowe's Chevy in the 27th spot.
After spending the rest of the night trying to make up ground, Johnson's team called for a four-tire pit stop in the closing laps of the event while many teams opted for two. He restarted 15th but could only find his way to 10th place when the checkered flag waved.
The finishing order of the remaining JR Motorsports cars was: Dale Earnhardt Jr., fourth, and Brad Keselowski, third. The race was won by the No. 32 car, driven by Kyle Busch.
