BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Considering the way Jimmie Johnson's No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet ran in Sunday's Food City 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway, his 18th-place finish was about the worst the reigning Cup champion could have earned.
A flat tire late in the race deflated Johnson's hopes of a top-10 finish, but the grueling 500-lap event at the .533-mile short track nevertheless was cause for optimism in the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports camp because it marked the best performance of the driver and his team at a venue that, historically, has given them difficulty.
During a green-white-checkered-flag restart that took the race six laps beyond its posted distance, Jeff Burton led a Richard Childress Racing sweep of the Food City 500. Kevin Harvick, who took out Tony Stewart on lap 498 to cause the final caution of the race, finished second, followed by RCR teammate Clint Bowyer.
Greg Biffle ran fourth, followed by Johnson's Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Because Friday's qualifying session was rained out, Johnson started the Lowe's Chevy from the pole, based on the car's No. 1 standing in owner points from the 2007 season, which govern rainouts for the first five races of the new season.
"Let's have some fun today," crew chief Chad Knaus said after the drivers received their command to start engines. "We're starting up front. Let's try to maintain our position in the top 10."
"I can't thank all you guys enough for busting your butts the way you do," Johnson said to the crew. "Let's go out and get a good finish today."
As the cars rolled on their pace laps, spotter Stevie Reeves warned the crewmen, "Guys in the pits, watch your eyes, with the blower there and the oil dry," referring to the powdery substance on the track.
"I'll try to talk to him (Johnson) when I can see him," Knaus radioed to Reeves. "I'll give him his lap times in turn 4, but I won't talk to him if he's overtaking someone or someone's overtaking him."
"Everything working OK in there?" Knaus asked Johnson.
"Yes, but I'm not sure the pace car's running the right speed there," Johnson replied.
With the issue of pit road speed resolved, Knaus rejoined, "All right, one to go. Everybody up on the wall here."
"Boys, you're the best," Johnson said.
"And you do not have a camera today, so you're free to gesture all you want," Knaus added.
Johnson led the first 13 laps before Bowyer passed him in turn 4. The Lowe's Chevy held second position until NASCAR called a competition caution on lap 51 to inspect tire wear -- steady rain on Saturday had washed the rubber from the concrete surface.
"It's a little tight in the center," Johnson reported under the yellow.
Knaus responded with an order to the crew. "Half a round on the panhard bar. You're going to have to be careful with the 5 car (Casey Mears, who was pitting behind Johnson at the end of the frontstretch). He's coming in right behind us."
"Jimmie, you can get a little bit more coming in there," Knaus said after the stop, referring to Johnson's speed entering the pit. "Doing good, man. That's the best I've ever seen you here."
"It's going to be terrible for the lead-lap cars with all that rubber up there," Johnson said, noting the tire debris at the top of the outside groove.
Johnson restarted second on lap 58, but Robby Gordon's spin two laps later brought out the second caution. "Forgot to ask you about your temps there, Jimmie," Knaus said. "Have you had a chance to look at them?"
"It's 210 right now," Johnson replied.
"Piece of debris up high here off of (turn) 2," warned Reeves. "Stay down."
After the Lowe's Chevy lost second position to Stewart and third to Harvick, the discovery of more debris in turn 2 brought out the third caution of the race.
Under the yellow flag, Johnson and Knaus discussed the handling of the car, prompting Knaus to instruct the crew, "Raise it up a pound in the left rear. Raise the panhard bar half a round."
Six laps after Reeves warned his driver that Dave Blaney's Toyota was sliding all over the track, Blaney spun in turn 2 to bring out the fourth caution of the race, on lap 120.
"I got a little too snug in the center," Johnson said during the yellow. "I tried to stay with the 20 (Stewart), but I felt like I was getting my stuff too hot."
"That's OK," Knaus replied. "We've got a long way to go. We're not in a hurry."
On lap 153, Reeves warned Johnson that Sam Hornish Jr. "is making pretty erratic lane changes to block you."
On lap 182, running in third position, Johnson radioed Knaus about his handling. "Real tight," he said.
"Try to lift, try to enter a little higher, maybe," Knaus suggested. "You're doing great."
Caution flew for the fifth time on lap 189, for a pileup in turn 1 that damaged the cars of Dario Franchitti, Jamie McMurray, Paul Menard, Ken Schrader and Bobby Labonte.
"Right there, we were about two-tenths off where we needed to be," Knaus said of the preceding run. "Pit this time. Make your adjustments."
"That thing they've got out there trying to pick up the rubber off the top isn't getting it done," Johnson said to the vehicle attempting to vacuum the rubber "marbles."
"It's just spreading all over everywhere."
Knaus was more interested in how much rubber was left on Johnson's tires. "Pretty long run there," he said. "It's showing some cords, but it's not bad."
Johnson restarted second on lap 198 but surrendered the position to Bowyer 11 laps later. On lap 212, Burton passed the Lowe's Chevy for third position, and Harvick followed.
"Get that rhythm back," Knaus urged.
On lap 234, Johnson complained about a tight condition. "We thought it might be a little tighter," Knaus said of adjustments made during the previous pit stop. "We'll fix you up on the next stop."
"I think the right front's over-inflated," Johnson said on lap 279, after wrecks involving Franchitti, Menard, Casey Mears and Denny Hamlin caused the sixth caution.
"The last time you were in we put some wedge in it, so it would tighten up, knowing that we could free it up with the panhard bar," Knaus explained, and then, to the crew, "Up one and a half on the panhard bar."
After a quick stop, Johnson left the pits in fifth position for a restart on lap 288.
On lap 291, after Kyle Busch's spin off turn 2 brought out caution No. 7, Johnson again reported on the handling of the Lowe's Chevy: "It feels like the left rear is coming in, and it feels like it's getting a little grippy when I get back on the gas."
Johnson restarted fourth on lap 300 and continued to run in the top five.
"You were the fastest car on the track that lap," Knaus told him on lap 324.
The following 50 laps featured a battle between Johnson and Burton in which they traded third position. On lap 375, the cars touched in turn 2, and the Lowe's Chevy spun toward the pit wall on the backstretch. Deftly, Johnson avoided contact with the wall.
"Great job, guys," Johnson said after quick work in the pits for fuel and new tires.
"Shake it off there, Johnson," Knaus said of the spin. "This is the best run you've had here."
"Pretty bad-ass save," Johnson replied.
"I can't believe he cut down on you like that," Knaus rejoined. "It's getting toward the end of the race, and everybody's getting more aggressive."
On lap 413, Johnson relayed the opinion that the contact with Burton's car might have caused more damage than originally thought.
"Tighter," he said. "I swear the toe (tire angle) got knocked out when I hit the 31 (Burton)."
"There's nothing we can do about it," Knaus said. "You've just got to ride it out. Just get that rhythm back."
But with the car hobbled slightly, Johnson began to lose positions. He had fallen to eighth when he gave Knaus the bad news on lap 475.
"I've got a tire going down," Johnson reported. "I've got a tire going down."
"Try to get your rhythm," Knaus urged.
"It's down, it's flat," Johnson answered.
On lap 481, Johnson brought the Lowe's Chevy to the pits for fresh rubber, but he lost two laps in the process. Nevertheless, he salvaged an 18th-place finish out of a day in which he had run considerably better than his result.
"Jimmie, you did a great job today," Knaus said at the finish. "I'm really proud of you."
