DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- All things considered, Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet team made the most of two bad situations in Saturday night's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.
After running consistently among the leaders for the majority of the race, Johnson weathered a flat tire on lap 135 and a crash on lap 157 to finish 23rd. The two-time defending Cup champion maintained fifth position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship standings.
Kyle Busch won the race under caution, having nosed ahead of Carl Edwards when NASCAR called a caution for a wreck in turn 1 on the second lap of a green-white-checkered-flag finish. Edwards was credited with second place, followed by Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch and David Ragan.
Busch extended his lead in the championship standings to 182 points over Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished eighth after leading a race-high 51 laps and took second in the points from Jeff Burton, who came home 37th.
"Let's have some fun tonight," crew chief Chad Knaus radioed after the command to start engines. "We all got the motto for the evening from Jimmie in the meeting tonight." Though Knaus didn't reveal what the motto was, it was clearly something that was meaningful to the members of the Lowe's team.
"Wow! I didn't realize my words were so powerful," Johnson replied.
"They speak volumes," Knaus rejoined.
"Well, boys, let's just have some fun tonight," Johnson said as the cars rolled on their pace laps. "Who knows what will happen. I appreciate everything you've done."
"Jimmie, can you hear me back there, bud?" Knaus asked as Johnson approached the backstretch.
"You're a little scratchy back here in (turn) 2," Johnson answered.
"Can you hear me now?" Knaus asked again, mimicking the Verizon Wireless commercial.
"10-4," Johnson replied.
"Big thumbs up, everyone," Knaus said to the crew as the cars approached the green flag. "Let's have a great night tonight." Then, to his driver, "Go ahead and slide back in that seat and give those belts a tug."
"OK, coming to green," announced spotter Stevie Reeves. "Have a good one."
The Lowe's Chevy started 30th, but Johnson quickly began to work his way through the field. By lap 12 he was 22nd.
"Tell that 38 (David Gilliland) not to bump-draft me in the center of the turn," Johnson told Reeves on lap 13, a request that was communicated to Gilliland's spotter.
The Lowe's Chevy had moved into the top 15 by lap 20, when A.J. Allmendinger scraped the turn 4 wall to bring out the first caution of the race.
"What you got there, bud?" Knaus asked.
"I can still run wide open when I'm by myself," Johnson replied. "In traffic, loose in. If we can get some green-flag running, we'll be fine."
Johnson brought the Lowe's Chevy to the pits for four tires and fuel on lap 21.
Johnson restarted 12th on lap 25, but on lap 32 the Lowe's Chevy got hung out in the middle lane and dropped back in the running order.
"Just pick a lane and hang out," Knaus suggested on lap 35.
On lap 44, Ryan Newman's spin caused the second caution. "
What you got there, bud?" Knaus asked.
"I went to the middle," Johnson said of his loss of positions. "It was my turn to pass, and nobody went with me."
"How's it driving?" Knaus asked.
"About the same as the first run," the driver replied.
"Let me ask you a question," Knaus added. "When those guys are running high in the corner, why are you running about a half a groove or so lower than they are?"
"No aero push," Johnson answered, explaining that he could get a good run through the corners on the cars ahead of him.
"I'm talking behind you," Knaus rejoined. "I think that's opening up a window for the cars behind you. Just throwing that out there."
"Let's knock a pound out of the left rear," Knaus said to the crew as Johnson came to pit road on lap 45. After the first of several outstanding stops, the crew chief offered his congratulations: "Great stop, guys."
"You're ninth now," Knaus told Johnson as the field prepared to restart on lap 48. "Your handling will get better the closer you get to the front."
"I think you're as strong as anybody," Knaus added on lap 58, with Johnson 10th in the draft. "It's just circumstances. Get somebody to stay with you."
On lap 70, after Greg Biffle and Juan Montoya crashed in turn 4, Johnson reported progress with the handling. "I'm getting used to it," he said as he prepared to come to pit road. "It's better now."
"Everybody's fighting the same thing," Knaus replied.
Another superb pit stop on lap 72 got the Lowe's Chevy out in second position. "Great pit stop, guys," said an elated Knaus, after Johnson avoided contact with cars behind him during an aggressive exit from pit road.
"What happened?" the driver asked.
"Nothing," Knaus replied. "When you pulled out, all those guys were coming like crazy. You'd need a neck brace if they had hit you."
"Tight off is really hurting me when they're back there pushing me," Johnson reported on his handling in the draft while running fourth under green on lap 83.
"This thing just won't roll," he added on lap 88, after taking third. "It's killing me."
"What are you talking about?" Knaus responded. "It looks pretty good."
"You've got a five-car breakaway there, if they'll just stay with you," Reeves told the driver on lap 90, with the Lowe's Chevy still third.
"I just can't suck up in there," Johnson said of his inability to pull up to the car ahead of him. "That's as close as I can get on the straightaway."
"You're doing good," Knaus encouraged. "A top-five will be fine."
On lap 100, Johnson lost the third position to Gilliland.
"He just drove around me," Johnson told Knaus. "I'm flat (out). I can only go so fast."
By lap 107, Johnson had fallen to sixth. "Settle in there," Knaus said. "Stay in line."
On lap 109, after Elliott Sadler's crash in turn 4 brought out caution No. 4, Johnson reported on the handling: "Still loose in (into the corner) and tight center-off when I get a big push."
"You're doing great, man," Knaus said, as Johnson came to the pits for service. "You're doing great."
"What's hurting you more, the loose in or the tight off?" Knaus asked.
"I'd say the tight off," Johnson replied. "I don't know whether we can pinpoint just the exit."
"We'll get you fixed up," Knaus promised. "We've got a plan."
"Can you give me any love on corner entry?" the driver asked.
"We already did," was Knaus' response.
After another top-notch stop, Knaus added: "You guys have done a great job tonight -- everybody." The quick work got the Lowe's Chevy out fourth for a restart on lap 115.
"Crashing behind you!" Reeves warned on lap 124 as Jeff Burton's Chevy spun off the racetrack in turn 4.
"How's it feeling there?" Knaus asked under caution.
"I can get through the center of the corner and start catching guys, but I can't keep up on the straightaway," Johnson replied.
"I think four tires are the thing to do, don't you?" Knaus asked, anticipating a pit stop.
"I think the most important thing is staying in that front group," Johnson suggested.
"But you'll have 25 laps on those tires, so I think four tires is the way to go," Knaus responded. Then, to the crew: "Four tires. Pull left sides."
Jamie McMurray's spin in turn 1 on lap 131 brought out the sixth caution. Johnson was fifth for a restart on lap 134, but trouble arrived soon thereafter.
"I think I've got a right front flat!" Johnson radioed, shortly after incidental contact with eventual race winner Kyle Busch. "It wouldn't turn the last corner. I'm going to try one more (lap)."
One lap later he changed his mind. "Must have a fender pushed in. It's tight, not flat."
"Pit this time," Knaus instructed on lap 137. "Four tires. Pull left sides."
"Was there rub on that tire?" Johnson asked after the stop.
"Left front was flat," Knaus told his driver.
"How did that happen?" Johnson asked incredulously. "We touched on the right front."
"You're 27th right now," Knaus said before the restart on lap 140. "I don't know what you're going to be able to do from back there. Just go like hell."
Johnson improved his position on short green-flag runs that were interrupted by cautions, but on lap 157, three laps short of the scheduled finish, the Lowe's Chevy was involved in a crash that brought out the 10th yellow flag of the race.
"I'm wrecked. I hit the wall. I've got two flat tires," Johnson said.
"(Dave) Blaney just came down and hit you, bud," Knaus consoled his driver.
"Pretty big tire rub still," Johnson said after a pit stop for repairs on lap 158.
"It doesn't matter if we wreck," Knaus replied. "Just go as fast as you can. We've just got to finish this thing."
"Obviously, we don't have a lot to worry about here," Knaus added as the field came to the green flag for the final two laps. "Just ride, and finish on the lead lap."
Mission accomplished, as Johnson saved a respectable finish on a night that could have been much worse.
