INDIANAPOLIS -- Jimmie Johnson grabbed his second win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, becoming only the second driver to win the storied Brickyard 400 from the pole.
The victory is the 35th of Johnson's career, moving him into a tie with Mark Martin for the third-highest win total among active drivers.
"Thanks so much," Johnson radioed to the crew after he crossed the finish line. "You guys are the best. That's all there is to it."
Johnson had the car to beat all weekend. He was the fastest in two of the four Sprint Cup Series practice sessions, collected his first pole position at Indianapolis, and led 71 of the race's 108 green-flag laps on the way to earning his second win of the season.
Yet, despite having the dominant team, Johnson won the 15th running of the Brickyard 400 by surviving tire troubles that plagued the entire NASCAR field.
Tire wear was a major issue all weekend, and it was no different Sunday when NASCAR was forced to call six competition cautions during the 160-lap race. Because of the short green-flag runs, the longest being just 12 laps, pit strategy played an enormous role in the event.
While most of the other teams alternated taking two and four tires during pit stops, crew chief Chad Knaus stuck to his somewhat conservative game plan. The Lowe's Chevy took four fresh tires during each caution until the final yellow flag waved on lap 151.
Johnson was running third when he brought his car down pit road for the final time, and the back-to-back Sprint Cup championship team rose to the occasion, knocking off a perfect stop and sending Johnson off pit road with the lead.
Johnson held off hard-charging Carl Edwards for the final seven-lap run to the finish line, and, appropriately, blew a right rear tire during his burnout on the fabled bricks.
"Chad called it perfectly," said Johnson. "We had a great stop at the end. I just can't say enough of this race car all weekend long. It really was a pleasure to drive it, and it's because these guys have been working so hard. Big day for Lowe's and Chevrolet -- this Impala was awesome."
Knaus said, "They (NASCAR) did the right thing by having us come down and do what we needed to do to get the tires on the cars so nobody had any problems and got hurt. This team has worked so hard to get our program turned around, and I really feel like we've come into our own over the last 10 to 12 weeks and just haven't gotten the breaks that we needed. Fortunately, today it all came together. To win the pole here and to win the race, it's pretty nice."
The finish is Johnson's third top-10 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and moves him into fourth place in the Sprint Cup Series driver point standings. It is his sixth top-five finish and 10th top-10 of the season. The pole position was the 15th of his career.
Following Johnson and Edwards to the line were Denny Hamlin, Elliott Sadler and Jeff Gordon.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., an early victim of the tire problems, fought back for a 12th-place finish. Casey Mears finished 26th.
Kyle Busch continues to lead the championship point standings, followed by Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, Johnson and Edwards.
The Sprint Cup Series will head back to Pocono Raceway for next weekend's event. The Pocono 500 will be broadcast live on ESPN beginning at 1 p.m. ET Sunday, Aug. 3. Johnson started second and finished sixth at the 2.5-mile tri-oval in June.
TOP 10 FINISHERS AT INDIANAPOLIS
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Carl Edwards
3. Denny Hamlin
4. Elliott Sadler
5. Jeff Gordon
6. Jamie McMurray
7. Kasey Kahne
8. Greg Biffle
9. Jeff Burton
10. AJ Allmendinger
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS DRIVERS' FINISHING POSITIONS
1. Jimmie Johnson
5. Jeff Gordon
12. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
26. Casey Mears
TOP 12 IN POINTS AFTER INDIANAPOLIS
1. Kyle Busch
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr. -253
3. Jeff Burton -271
4. Jimmie Johnson -315
5. Carl Edwards -320
6. Jeff Gordon -460
7. Greg Biffle -544
8. Denny Hamlin -551
9. Kasey Kahne -563
10. Tony Stewart -605
11. Matt Kenseth -638
12. Clint Bowyer -642
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS DRIVERS' POINTS POSITIONS
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr. -253
4. Jimmie Johnson -315
6. Jeff Gordon -460
25. Casey Mears -1137
TELEVISION SCHEDULE
Pocono Raceway
(All times Eastern)
Friday, Aug. 1
Sprint Cup practice, noon, SPEED
Sprint Cup qualifying, 3:30 p.m., ESPN2
Saturday, Aug. 2
Sprint Cup practice, 10 a.m., ESPN2
Sprint Cup happy hour, 11:30 a.m., ESPN2
Sunday, Aug. 3
Sprint Cup pre-race, 1 p.m., ESPN
Sprint Cup race, 2 p.m., ESPN
