BROOKLYN, Mich. -- As races at Michigan International Speedway almost always do, Sunday's Lifelock 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race hinged on fuel mileage.
The ability to save fuel made a winner of Dale Earnhardt Jr., who picked up his first victory since joining Hendrick Motorsports after the 2007 season. The need to pit for fuel in the late stages of the race made a sixth-place finisher of Earnhardt's teammate, Lowe's driver Jimmie Johnson, who overcame a transmission problem during the race and moved from sixth to fifth in the series standings.
It was the second consecutive sixth-place result for the two-time defending Cup champion to go with a seventh June 1 at Dover.
"Just like we spoke about at the meeting this week, nice and easy," crew chief Chad Knaus told the driver of the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet as the field rolled off pit road. "You've been doing a phenomenal job the last few weeks. You've got a great car. Remember, it's a short race -- 200 laps, 400 miles.
"On pit road, we've got the 12 (Ryan Newman) behind us and an opening in front of us," Knaus continued. "It goes 21 (Bill Elliott), 12, us, opening, 16 (Greg Biffle)."
"Boys, a clean sheet of paper we started with a few weeks ago, and it looks pretty damn good," Johnson rejoined during the pace laps. "Let's keep doing what we're doing, and we'll get back to our winning ways."
"That's pit road speed, there," spotter Stevie Reeves told Johnson before the green flag.
"Forty-six (4,600 rpm) in second (gear)," Johnson answered. "We're right at our max for pit road speed."
"We'll play it cautious for the first stops and see what the competition does," Knaus replied, wary of a possible pit road speeding penalty. "Check with the 24 (Jeff Gordon) and see what they've got. The 88 (Earnhardt Jr.) has the same thing we do."
"Get up here on the wall," Knaus commanded the Lowe's crew on the final pace lap. "Come on, guys. Stay focused. Two hundred laps -- let's have some fun today."
"Coming to green here," Reeves told Johnson, who was starting sixth on owner points because rain had washed out Friday's qualifying. "Tighten 'em up and have a good one. Pace car's down. Ready. Green flag!
It didn't take Johnson long to improve his position after the start. On lap 3 he passed Jeff Burton for second behind polesitter Kyle Busch.
"Caution's out, Jimmie," Reeves told Johnson on lap 4. "Spin behind you off turn 2."
"That first lap was awesome," Johnson told Knaus under yellow, describing the handling of the Lowe's Chevy. "The second lap was tighter, so we'll see what happens."
Shortly after the restart on lap 7, Johnson passed Kyle Busch for the lead. "All clear," Reeves told his driver after the pass. "Good job."
"Temps?" Knaus asked Johnson on lap 14, wanting to know how the oil and water temperature were behaving at the 2.0-mile track, where it's commonplace for trash and hotdog wrappers to adhere to the grilles of the stock cars.
"Two hundred thirty," Johnson replied, indicating that everything was well within the safe range. "A little lazy through the center. Forward bite is right."
"Jimmie, there's a red bag laying up there in turn 1," Reeves warned on lap 23. "Make sure you don't get it in the radiator."
"I'm trying the top," Johnson told Knaus a lap later, still holding the top spot but with Brian Vickers in hot pursuit. "Am I still running same times as the 83 (Vickers)?"
"The last lap you were two tenths (of a second) slower," Knaus replied. "The lap before that, you were dead even."
Vickers, however, continued to close the gap at more than two tenths of a second per lap.
"He's running extreme top both ends, kind of diamonding (turn) 2 a little bit," Reeves told Johnson.
"The 83 is the only car on the track that's faster than you are right now," Knaus reported on lap 29. "You're doing great."
"Keep diggin', bud," Knaus added on lap 32, with Johnson still in the lead. "We're going to pit you in about eight (laps). Stevie, where's the 17 (third-place Matt Kenseth) running?"
"About three quarters of the way up all the way around," Reeves answered.
"Jimmie, he's the second-fastest car behind you," Knaus told his driver.
On lap 35, Vickers finally caught and passed the Lowe's Chevy for the lead off turn 2. Johnson regained the top spot on lap 36, only to surrender it again a lap later.
"Bud, we're probably about three tenths off where we need to be," Knaus said on lap 39, one lap before Vickers pitted and handed the lead back to Johnson.
"Come around and pit this time," Knaus instructed, indicating a green-flag stop on lap 41. "Pit this time."
"Got some crap on the grille," Johnson said as he brought the Lowe's Chevy to the pits. "I've got red gauges. Try to clean the grille."
"Ten-four," Knaus replied.
After the complete cycle of green-flag pit stops, Vickers was running first, two seconds ahead of Johnson.
"The oil temp's still a little high," Johnson reported. "It's about 260."
"We got a big piece of debris off (the grille)," Knaus replied. "No problem."
"The car is more positive on entry, which is not bad," Johnson said of the handling. "We got about half of what we needed through the center."
"We took about half the 'tight' out of the center there," Johnson reiterated on lap 53.
"Ten-four," Knaus replied. "We'll keep working on it. You've got the 17 (Kenseth) running 42.40s (seconds per lap) coming up behind you there, about two seconds back."
On lap 64, Kenseth passed the Lowe's Chevy for second position.
"Tight," Johnson radioed tersely three laps later.
"Hang in there," Knaus responded. "We're going to pit you in about 15 laps."
On lap 70, Johnson surrendered the third position to Kyle Busch.
"Keep diggin', buddy," Knaus said on lap 73. "We're going to be pitting you in about 10 laps."
"The right front is a little 'skaty,'" Johnson reported.
"Just keep diggin', bud," Knaus insisted. "We're the slowest car in the top 15 right now."
On lap 80, Johnson brought the Lowe's Chevy to the pits for another green-flag stop, and Vickers pitted from the lead one lap later.
Kenseth gained enormous ground during the round of pit stops and held a five-second lead over Vickers. Johnson was third after the cycle but lost the position to Kyle Busch on lap 84.
"It's turning better, but it's turning too late for me," Johnson told Knaus. "I need help turning sooner in the corner."
"Jimmie, the 18 (Kyle Busch) wants to know if his left-side tires are going down, if you can see 'em," Reeves radioed on lap 85, after which Johnson drove the Lowe's Chevy up beside Busch's Toyota.
"The left front looks soft, but not flat," said Johnson, who then retook third from Busch
"That's a 42.28 (seconds)," Knaus radioed Johnson on lap 92. "Fastest car on the track that time. Good job."
Lap 93 brought the second caution of the race, when a beer can rolled across the track.
"Free in, loose off, tight in the center," Johnson reported under the yellow, talking about the adjustments made under the previous pit stop. "It helped late center and hurt late exit on that last change."
"That run was a lot better," Knaus said. "I'd rather have you loose than tight, it looks like."
On lap 98, Johnson restarted fifth behind Carl Edwards (who took two tires on his pit stop), Kenseth, Busch and Vickers. On lap 99, Johnson took the fourth position from Vickers.
Kurt Busch's spin on lap 103 caused the race's third caution.
"I feel like I'm a little freer in," Johnson reported as the Lowe's Chevy rolled under the yellow flag. "The center's still going to be an issue, but I can be more aggressive with it."
"Just keep trying to back up that entry and hug the center (of the corner), bud," Knaus said.
"Do you feel like the loose-in is making you tighter in the center?" Knaus asked.
"No, it's really when I arc it into (turn) 1 to run the top," Johnson replied.
Johnson restarted fourth on lap 108, after most cars outside the top 10 pitted for fuel. On lap 119 he passed Kyle Busch for third.
"Nice job," Knaus said. "Go get 'em, man." One lap later, Johnson obliged, passing Edwards for the second position.
"OK, man, keep it up," Knaus said. "We'll pit you here in about 10 ... excuse me, 15 (laps)."
On lap 122, Johnson trailed Kenseth by 1.3 seconds, with a pit stop in the offing. "We're going to have to pit 10 laps earlier than a lot of these other guys," Knaus told his driver.
"It's a little free in, still has that tight center, but forward bite is much better," Johnson reported on lap 128.
"The last several laps, it's gotten real tight," he added five laps later.
"We're going to be pitting you in about six laps," Knaus said. "Six more laps, maybe seven. So keep diggin'."
"Temps still pretty good?" Knaus asked on lap 135. "The thing is, on these tires, into (turn) 1, it feels a little funny, a little loose."
"Bring it around," Knaus said on lap 139. "Pit this time."
"No pressure behind you there, Jimmie," Reeves added.
"Watch your speed," Reeves cautioned after the green-flag stop. "Get all you can below the yellow (blend line)."
"You are going to be running second here in just a minute," Knaus told Johnson on lap 142. "The 17 (Kenseth) will be the leader."
"Trouble getting off (turn) 2, a little loose," Johnson said on lap 145.
"Caution's out, caution's out," Reeves radioed to his driver on lap 147. "Got one spinning on the back."
"Unfortunately, the center (of the corner) is still about the same as it was in the last run," Johnson reported under caution on lap 148.
"Well, we knew that little spot would be a problem, but it'll tighten up for you in the center," Knaus reassured his driver.
"Stay out here, bud," Knaus instructed Johnson on lap 149, when most of the rest of the contending cars came to the pits.
"Leader (Kenseth) came in and took two tires there," Knaus said. "I think it's going to be fine."
"This thing will not go into second gear!!" Johnson radioed before the restart. "It will not go into first or second gear. I cut it off, popped it out of gear, refired it, and I have no second gear."
Moments later, Johnson got second gear. "I've got it," he said. "I just got it. We're good."
But his elation was short-lived. "Now it won't do it again," he said.
"Just focus on your three and four (gears)," Knaus suggested. "We'll push you off pit road (on the next pit stop). Look at your shifter boot. Make sure nothing's hanging out."
"I just hope it goes into third," Johnson replied.
There was no problem, however, when the Lowe's Chevy restarted from the lead on lap 151.
Moments later, Robby Gordon hit the wall to cause the fifth caution of the afternoon.
"There's going to some people pull in here and top off, and they're going to be able to make it (on fuel for the rest of the race)," Knaus told his driver. "I'm thinking we need to stay where we're at."
"In your hands, buddy," Johnson replied.
"I think we're good," Knaus rejoined. "You were starting to pull away there. We've got another 30 laps before we have to pit."
Johnson battled rookie Sam Hornish Jr. for the top spot after the restart and held onto the lead.
"We're going to pit you in about 11 laps," Knaus told Johnson on lap 174. "Keep diggin', man."
"Really tight," Johnson said on lap 181.
"You're doing great," Knaus answered. "We'll pit here in a couple (of laps)."
"OK, pit this time," Knaus instructed on lap 182, telling Johnson to bring the Lowe's Chevy to the pits for a four-tire stop.
"Give it everything you've got," Knaus added after the stop. "You're good on the lead lap. You can go about two seconds a lap faster than those guys (other drivers who were trying to conserve fuel)."
Johnson was running 22nd when he returned to the track but began picking up positions as other cars began making their final pit stops for fuel.
"Six laps to go," Knaus said on lap 194. "We can easily get back into the top 10."
"Top 10??!!" asked Johnson.
"A lot of those guys stayed out, man," Knaus explained.
Hornish spun on lap 198 to bunch the field again, and Johnson restarted sixth for a green-white-checkered-flag finish that took the race three laps past its posted distance.
"This is going to be good, dude," Knaus predicted. "You're the only guy out there on four tires."
"Be on your toes," Knaus warned before the final restart. "I really don't think that 88 (Earnhardt) can make it (on fuel). I know you're going to pass him. But I don't want you to pile it up if he stumbles."
But Mark Martin sputtered on the restart and held up the Lowe's Chevy, and Earnhardt had enough fuel to make it to the finish under caution, after Michael Waltrip and Patrick Carpentier wrecked on the frontstretch after the white flag had been displayed.
"Good job guys," Knaus said after the finish. "Came home sixth."
