JOLIET, Ill. -- The last thing Jimmie Johnson wanted to see in Saturday night's Lifelock.com 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway was the caution that slowed the race with five laps remaining.
Johnson had a comfortable working margin over Kyle Busch and was streaking toward his second victory of the season when David Gilliland's blown engine on lap 262 brought out the ninth caution of the race and gave Busch, a seven-time winner in the Cup series this season, the opening he needed.
In a thrilling two-lap dash to the finish, Busch went to the outside of the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet through turns 1 and 2, cleared Johnson's car through turns 3 and 4 and held on for the victory. Busch's No. 18 Toyota got to the finish line .159 seconds ahead of the Lowe's Chevy.
Kevin Harvick came home third, followed by Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart.
With the runner-up finish, Johnson held on to fifth place in the Cup championship standings, 387 points behind Busch, the leader. Johnson moved within 15 points of fourth-place Carl Edwards, who had problems with his front splitter Saturday and finished 32nd.
"It's going to be cooling off," crew chief Chad Knaus told his crew after the command to start engines for the first night Cup race at the 1.5-mile track. "It's probably going to get down to the low 70s, high 60s before this thing is done."
"Got a good opportunity tonight to have some fun. I'd like to wish Mr. Hendrick (team owner Rick Hendrick) a happy birthday. Remember, we're racing for relief, $48 for every lap we complete, $4,800 if we bring home the trophy."
Knaus was referring to the charity program through which Lowe's stores would donate money to aid victims of recent floods and tornadoes in the Midwest. "Racing for Relief" also will be in effect for the July 27 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
"We've got the 88 behind us, an opening, then the 70 (in front)," Knaus said, describing the location of the Lowe's Chevy's pit stall. "There's a competition caution at lap 35."
"We've been knocking on the door for the last couple months," Johnson radioed, giving a final word or encouragement before the race started. "You guys have been doing a fantastic job. Let's get it done tonight."
"Let's have a big thumbs-up," Knaus agreed. "Let's have some fun tonight."
"Pace car's down," interjected spotter Stevie Reeves as the action started. "Green flag!"
Because Thursday's qualifying was rained out, Johnson started from the fifth spot according to owner points. In the early going he had little trouble maintaining his position.
"Temps when you can, please," Knaus radioed to his driver on lap 8. "205," Johnson replied, then reported on the handling of the Lowe's Chevy. "It's very comfortable. A little light in the center."
"They've moved clear up to the wall," Reeves radioed to Johnson on lap 20, indicating other cars had taken a high line on the racetrack. "The 17 car (Matt Kenseth) in your mirror is running the top in (turns) 1 and 2, the bottom in 3 and 4."
On lap 23 Johnson completed a circuit in 32.55 seconds, prompting Knaus to exclaim, "I don't know what button you pushed, but you're the fastest car on the track."
"I put some rear brake into it," the driver replied.
"Only nine more 'til we pit, bud," Knaus rejoined on lap 26 with Johnson running third.
"Tight in the center and back to the gas," Johnson reported on the handling on lap 34.
"Competition caution," Reeves indicated after the completion of lap 35.
"We're probably three-tenths off where we need to be," Knaus said. "We're going to raise the panhard bar up two rounds and take a pound of air pressure out of the left rear."
"I feel like the left front is a little light, not turning though the center," Johnson answered.
"We're going to raise the panhard bar a half-inch, just like we did on pit road during practice," Knaus rejoined.
"Tires look great," Knaus said after the pit stop. "I don't know what the problem is. Car looks tight as a crate."
The Lowe's Chevy was fourth for the restart on lap 40 and soon passed teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 88 Chevy for third.
"I'm really, really tight," Johnson said on lap 49 after Denny Hamlin slowed with ignition problems and brought out the second caution of the race. "Be as aggressive as you want to," the driver added, encouraging Knaus to call for major adjustments to the car.
On the pit stop on lap 50, the Lowe's Chevy took on fuel only. After leaving pit road, Johnson reported a problem with one of his mirrors.
"Jimmie, is that your rear-view or side-view mirror?" Reeves asked under caution on lap 52.
"Rear," Johnson replied. "I've got it angled so that it's sitting up there. I'll let you know if it falls off."
"Just wanted to know which one so I could give you some help there," Reeves said.
Five cars remained on the track through the second caution, and Johnson restarted seventh.
"You might want to start looking up there (the top of the track)," Knaus suggested as Johnson's lap times began to drop off slightly.
Fighting a tight handling condition, Johnson had dropped back to 10th position by lap 64.
"When I check up early and get back on the gas, I overrun the front," Johnson added on lap 84, during a green-flag run that lasted until lap 111.
"They're starting to peel off and pit, Jimmie," Knaus warned his driver on lap 93 as the cars that had stayed out under the previous caution began to come to pit road. "Keep your eyes open."
On lap 102, Johnson brought the Lowe's Chevy to the pits for service.
"Go get ?em, man," Knaus radioed to Johnson on lap 106, after the Lowe's Chevy had left the pits with four new tires and a full fuel cell. "Right in front of that 5 (Casey Mears) car there's a bunch of spots."
By the time the pit stops had cycled through a lap later, Johnson had climbed to eighth in the running order, but Michael Waltrip's spin on lap 111 caused the third caution of the race and brought another round of pit stops.
"It's still not hooked in the center," was Johnson's report on the handling. "That (last set of adjustments) definitely helped, but it's a little edgy on throttle."
"10-4," Knaus replied. "Not much we can do at this point. You're ninth, so hang in there and try to get a top-five."
"Let's keep working on it," Johnson encouraged. "There's a lot of time left."
With a number of cars either remaining on the track or taking only two tires, the Lowe's Chevy restarted 17th on lap 117, but by lap 128, Johnson had already knifed his way through the field to ninth.
"A little tight through the center, a little edgy off," the driver reported on lap 133.
"10-4," Knaus acknowledged, "but that's the fastest you've been in a while."
On lap 137 Johnson passed Mark Martin for the eighth position.
"Caution's out for debris," Reeves radioed on lap 142
"A little free in, tight center, edgy off," Johnson told Knaus under caution.
"Did you ever put that brake back to the front Jimmie?" Knaus asked. "You may want to try that."
After an excellent pit stop under yellow, Johnson restarted seventh on lap 147.
"Keep after it there, buddy, and we'll be able to fix you up there on the next stop," Knaus told his driver on lap 156, after the Lowe's Chevy dropped a position.
By then, the handling of the car had shifted from tight to loose. "Trying to get the power down, it's real loose," Johnson said. "Man, it's getting loose!"
On lap 168, Johnson regained the seventh position. "The 83 (Brian Vickers) is the next spot ahead of you," Knaus said.
"What do you think, wedge or the panhard back down a little bit?" Knaus asked on lap 171.
"It was better that last run," Johnson replied.
"You're the fastest now you've been in awhile," Knaus added. "Closest we've been all night on speed."
"I'm loose all the way around, but my biggest problem is off (turn) 4," Johnson explained.
"32.49 (seconds), Knaus said of Johnson's time on lap 173. "Fastest car on the track by a 10th (of a second)."
"Caution's out for debris," Reeves interjected on lap 176.
"The only problem I have with this setup is on new tires," Johnson said under caution. "I'm a sitting duck, so if we can do something to help that ..."
Accordingly, Knaus called for a panhard-bar and air-pressure adjustment.
After the pit stop on lap 178, Johnson's car came to life. He restarted seventh on lap 183 and began moving forward. On lap 190 he passed David Ragan for the fifth position.
"How was your car there in the short run?" Knaus asked on lap 201.
"A little free, but we cut (the problem) about in half," the driver replied.
"You're about a 10th faster than the leader (Kyle Busch at the time)," Knaus added. "Hang in there."
On lap 207, Johnson passed Stewart for fourth. "Go get 'em, dude," Knaus exhorted. "The 28 (Travis Kvapil) is a lapper, the 29 (Harvick) is your next spot."
Three laps later, Knaus told Johnson, "We're going to be pitting you in about 20 (laps), bud." Two laps after that, Carl Edwards pitted from the lead with what he thought was a flat left front tire. It turned out to be the front splitter dragging the pavement.
NASCAR called the sixth caution of the race for debris on lap 225.
"You want to leave it?" Knaus asked. "You're going to have 40 laps to go when we go green here."
After a spirited discussion, Johnson said, "Let's just leave it alone. I'd rather lose the race loose than lose the race tight. If we're loose, we've got a chance."
"I don't want to hear that word (lose) again," Knaus said with a laugh.
"Good job, guys," Knaus told the Lowe's crew after a pit stop on lap 227. "There was no way we were going to beat that 18 (out of the pits). Did you beat the 12 (Newman) out, Jimmie?"
"I think so," the driver replied.
"Obviously, that 12 there took two tires," Knaus said.
"They said he beat you," Reeves told Johnson and Knaus, after getting the word from race control. "He's coming outside."
"He's on two tires, Jimmie," Knaus reiterated. "Now we're just informed the 16 (Greg Biffle) is on two. Man, a long way to go."
"It's going to be one to go when you get here, Jimmie," Reeves said before a restart on lap 231. "That 2 car (Kurt Busch) down on the apron, he just stayed out to get five bonus points (for leading). He's got motor trouble."
Johnson restarted third on lap 231, but Newman (running second) and Kvapil's lapped car prevented him from keeping pace with Kyle Busch, the leader.
Caution flew again on lap 237, when Paul Menard's Chevy knocked the bumper cover off Jason Leffler's car.
Johnson, who had gotten past Newman before the yellow, restarted second and dogged Busch until another quick caution was called for Bobby Labonte's spin off turn 2 on lap 245.
Two laps after a restart on lap 249, Johnson passed Busch through turn 2 for his first lead of the night. Over the next 10 laps, the Lowe's Chevy pulled out to a comfortable margin and appeared headed for victory lane -- until Gilliland's engine blew on lap 262.
"I've never seen one blow up like that," Johnson marveled.
"It's going to be a single-file restart here, bud," Knaus told his driver on lap 264. "Probably a green-white-checkered. Good job, bud."
But on the two-lap dash to the finish, Busch got to the outside through turns 1 and 2 and made the pass stick through turns 3 and 4 -- and Johnson had to settle for a hard-fought runner-up finish.
