LONG POND, Pa. -- Considering that the caution flag simply wouldn't cooperate with crew chief Chad Knaus' pit strategy, Jimmie Johnson's sixth-place finish in Sunday's Pocono 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway was more a triumph than a tragedy.

Kasey Kahne won the event with the race's dominant car, and Brian Vickers was a distant second at the finish of the hot, grueling 200-lap marathon. Denny Hamlin came home third, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton and Johnson, who made up significant ground on series points leader Kyle Busch (43rd).

At the end of an up-and-down day, the two-time defending Cup champion gained one position in the standings to sixth, 285 points behind Busch.

"I was really proud of the spark we had at Dover," Knaus said after the command to start engines. "I know you wanted to go for the win, but we came out of there with a good, solid finish (seventh a week earlier at the Monster Mile). You've got a really good race car. Let's be smart, be on our toes and be prepared for some different pit strategies."

"Boys, thanks a lot for another great race car," the driver of the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet replied. "We had a good one last week, and we're going to have another great day today."

"It's going to be nice and hot today, so make sure you guys are hydrating," Knaus told his crew. "Take on plenty of fluids. Let's have some fun today. Fun!"

"Ten-four," Johnson acknowledged.

Johnson started from the outside of the front row and quickly passed polesitter Kasey Kahne off turn 1 on the first lap. "Good job, buddy," Knaus radioed as Johnson roared across the finish line in the lead. "Straight and smooth. Go ahead and put those brake fans on."

On lap 5, still the leader, Johnson reported on the handling of the Lowe's Chevy: "Tight in the center of all three corners. Might get loose into (turn) 1 here."

"Loose into 1 and then real tight rolling through the center," he added seven laps later. "I've got to park it getting in there."

"Keep doing what you're doing, man," Knaus urged three laps later.

"Tight in the center of the tunnel (turn 2), tight in the center of 3, maybe a little loose getting into the tunnel," Johnson added.

After leading the first 16 laps, Johnson surrendered the top spot to Kahne on the Long Pond Straightaway between turns 1 and 2.

"This will help your looseness into the corner, man," Knaus told his driver. "Just stay on him."

"It's tight more often than it's free, but that last time it was free in the center," Johnson said on lap 19. "I don't know what's happening."

"Ten-four, Jimmie, we're going to pit you in about 10 laps," Knaus replied.

"You're pretty far away from him," Knaus said on lap 25, noting that the Lowe's Chevy had fallen back from Kahne's No. 9 Dodge.

"Not by choice," Johnson replied. "I don't know what's going on."

"So far, the tight-loose, that's pretty much what everybody's saying," Knaus explained. "Just not a lot of grip out there."

"Caution's out -- debris," spotter Stevie Reeves interjected on lap 26.

Johnson brought the Lowe's Chevy to the pits on lap 28.

"Good job, guys," Johnson said after the stop. "I'm not sure if we got the 9 (Kahne)."

"Tires seem fine," reported Knaus. "Nothing to worry about there."

Scott Riggs, who had pitted under green before the caution, stayed on the track and inherited the lead for a restart on lap 32, with Kahne second and Johnson third.

"The 66 (Riggs) pitted a lap or two before the caution," Knaus said. "They were able to stay on the lead lap. Jimmie, if you think you were ahead of that 9 car, pull up beside him."

"I just don't know," said Johnson, who fell in behind Kahne for the restart.

(Turn) 1 is my weak spot right now," Johnson radioed on lap 38.

"Just keep diggin', buddy," Knaus replied. "If these guys get past us, we're going to be in big trouble the deeper (in the field) we go."

Reeves keyed his mic on lap 40: "Crash behind you. Caution's out," after Kurt Busch spun into the infield off turn 1.

Under caution, Johnson gave Knaus an update on the handling. "I haven't felt any loose in, so I can be more aggressive getting into the corner," he said. "But it tightens up right before the center of the corner."

After a two-tire pit stop under caution, Johnson restarted second behind Martin Truex Jr., who had stayed on the track. Before the lap was over, the Lowe's Chevy had the lead again.

"The 20 car (Tony Stewart) is second now," Knaus told Johnson on lap 45. "He's on two tires also."

"Starting to feel a little bit of that 'tight' coming back in Turn 1, but that's the most balanced it's felt so far in all three corners," Johnson radioed under caution on lap 56, after a wreck in turn 1 involving rookies Sam Hornish Jr. and Patrick Carpentier. "There's a whole bunch of trash in the corner down here."

"Tight to the wall for me here," Knaus instructed as Johnson brought the Lowe's Chevy to the pits on lap 58. "Two tires."

"We were first one out of pit lane," Reeves radioed after the stop. "One car (Vickers) stayed out." That meant Johnson would restart second on lap 64, but Kahne had a problem with the lug nuts on his left front tire and had to return to the pits before the restart.

"The 9's coming back to pit road," Reeves said incredulously.

"They were pulling lefts (left-side tires), and Kasey took off," Knaus explained as Kahne pitted to replace three lug nuts that had been removed by mistake.

"How many laps is this race?" Johnson asked moments later.

"A lot more," Knaus replied. "Two hundred total."

"Better in one," Johnson reported after caution flew for a four-car pile-up in turn 1 on lap 67. "It's raining in the tunnel turn."

On lap 71, NASCAR stopped the race for more almost eight minutes after a quick shower drenched turn 2.

"They've lost the tunnel turn," Knaus confirmed. "They're going to red-flag it. Stevie, did they say anything about drivers getting out?"

"All they said was a crew member could bring them water. They said keep 'em in the car for a little bit, because they're getting it (dry) pretty quick."

"Green here, 83 and 17 in your mirror," Reeves said after the stoppage as Johnson restarted in the lead on lap 74.

"They were wrecking off (turn) 3," Reeves radioed on lap 81. "One's down against the inside wall (Clint Bowyer), one's on fire at the end of pit road (Juan Pablo Montoya)." Caught up in Bowyer's spin off turn 3, Montoya's car had erupted in flames.

"When you exit pit road, Jimmie, they put a lot of fire extinguisher material down at the end there, so I would recommend you keep your mouth closed," Knaus suggested.

"They're starting to put some oil-dry down there where he caught on fire, down at pit road entrance," Reeves added.

"How you feeling, Jimmie?" Knaus asked. "You want an ice pack?"

"I'm OK," Johnson replied.

"Tight to the wall here, bud," Knaus instructed as Johnson brought the Lowe's Chevy to the pits on lap 85. "Two tires, two tires. Go, go, go. Dig, dig, dig. Good job, guys. Worked out real good."

Because six cars stayed on the track under caution, Johnson restarted seventh on lap 87. By lap 92, however, he had passed Elliott Sadler for the second position.

"Just a little free into (turn) 1," Johnson reported on lap 96.

"Try a little front brake if you like," Knaus suggested.

"Keep diggin', buddy," Knaus said on lap 101. "We're going to pit you in about 15 (laps)."

A caution on lap 105 spoiled Knaus' plans because five cars had pitted within three prior laps and managed to stay on the lead lap.

"The 43 (Bobby Labonte) and the 20 (Stewart) just stole the show there," Knaus fumed.

Johnson restarted 13th on lap 109.

"Try to get back up in the top five there," Knaus exhorted. "Remember, aggressive at the start."

"It's freeing up as I run," Johnson said on lap 115 after passing Earnhardt for the eighth spot. "It started off a little tight in the center, but it's real good now."

"Everybody ahead of us was faster than us right now," Knaus told his driver on lap 119.

"Thanks for the good news," Johnson replied.

"Just information, dude," Knaus rejoined.

Dario Franchitti wrecked in turn 3 on lap 121 to bring out another unwanted caution.

"These guys are really messing up my strategy with all these damn cautions," Knaus complained.

"Jimmie, can I try a little strategy here, or do you want to play it safe?" Knaus asked under yellow on lap 123.

"It's in your hands, my friend," Johnson replied.

"Stay out, stay out, stay out," Knaus instructed, keeping Johnson on the track when almost all of the other contending cars came to the pits for service. "Do not pit."

"I feel awfully lonely out here," Johnson said after staying on the track, his only company being teammate Jeff Gordon.

"Your goal is to go as absolutely fast -- not that you don't always -- as you can right here," Knaus said before the Lowe's Chevy restarted in the lead on lap 126.

Johnson also stayed out under caution on lap 132, when Gordon, Earnhardt and Vickers were among those who made pit stops.

Instead, Knaus waited to bring the Lowe's Chevy to the pits under green on lap 136, ensuring that the car could make it the rest of the way with one more fuel stop.

"All right, man -- nice, consistent laps here," Knaus told Johnson, who was out of sequence on pit stops and separated from the rest of the field.

"You're running about two-tenths of a lap faster than the leader," Knaus told his driver on lap 145. "If it stays green for a while, we'll be fine."

"Pretty much loose all the way around the track," Johnson radioed on lap 155 as the field cycled through a round of green-flag stops.

"Keep diggin', bud," Knaus said on lap 163. "We're going to pit you in about four (laps). Keep getting it."

When Kyle Busch spun off turn 2 on lap 177, the final caution of the race spoiled Knaus' strategy again.

"Cautions messed us up pretty bad," Knaus said ruefully.

Johnson restarted eighth on lap 182 and improved two positions before the finish.

"Sorry for all the drama," Knaus said after the Lowe's Chevy crossed the finish line for the final time. "I learned a little bit there today."

"Don't worry about it," Johnson consoled his crew chief. "Great, great effort."