BROOKLYN, Mich. -- Trapped one lap down for 100 laps, Jimmie Johnson rallied from an ill-timed flat tire to finish 17th in Sunday's 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway.
Carl Edwards held off NASCAR Sprint Cup points leader Kyle Busch to win the race by .947 seconds in a two-lap shootout that followed the seventh caution of the 200-lap event at the two-mile track in Michigan's Irish Hills.
Johnson, however, was the victim of one of several calamities that beset the Hendrick Motorsports organization Sunday. His 17th-place finish was the highest among the Hendrick cars -- Jeff Gordon came home 42nd after hitting the outside wall on lap 97, Dale Earnhardt Jr. fell to 23rd after scraping the wall on lap 183, and Casey Mears ran 18th, the first car one lap down.
Johnson held on to third place in the Cup standings but is 302 points behind Busch.
"Just periodically look at your gauges," crew chief Chad Knaus warned his driver after the command to start engines, noting that Michigan is notorious for producing debris on the track, such as hot dog wrappers that can adhere to a car's grille and raise the water temperature. "Everybody up here on the box."
"Thank you, boys," Johnson added. "Let's have some fun."
"All right, coming to green," said spotter Stevie Reeves. "Have a good one."
Johnson started to the outside of polesitter Brian Vickers but grabbed the lead on the first lap.
"Starting off neutral in the center," Johnson said of the handling of the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet on lap 2. "A little free off (the corners) but good."
On lap 8, Earnhardt passed his teammate for the lead. "Loose on throttle," Johnson said.
"Just try to follow that 88 (Earnhardt) and try to figure out that line he's running up there (at the top of the track)," Knaus suggested.
"Good in (into the corners)," Johnson reported four laps later. "Loose wherever I am on throttle."
"The 99 is coming fast," Knaus warned on lap 15, noting that Edwards was climbing rapidly through the field from his 27th starting position.
"I went to the bottom and it was looser yet," Johnson said on lap 17 after trying a different line with the Lowe's Chevy. "Thought it might be tighter. Sorry."
Lap 19 brought the first caution when the engine in Marcos Ambrose's Ford began spewing smoke and oil.
"When the weight gets on the right rear, it starts sliding," Johnson told Knaus under caution.
"We knew that was going to happen," Knaus said. "We'll just have to adjust on it a little."
"10-4," Johnson replied. "Apparently, I've got some debris on the grille."
"Pits are closed," Reeves noted. "They're going to cover pit road here (with Speedy Dry, to soak up the oil from Ambrose's car)."
"Same adjustments," Knaus said as Johnson prepared to bring the Lowe's Chevy to the pits on lap 23.
"Great stop, guys," Knaus exulted after Johnson won the race off pit road. "That's what I'm talking about."
"Great work, boys," Johnson echoed. "Great work."
"All right, pace car's down," Reeves said on lap 25 as Johnson prepared to restart in the top spot. "It's up to you."
By lap 30, however, the Lowe's Chevy had fallen back to third behind Earnhardt and Kyle Busch.
"Still a little free there," Johnson reported.
"Free or loose?" asked Knaus.
"Free now, but it's going to get loose," the driver replied.
"Try to keep it up there (near the front)," Knaus urged. "Try not to let too many guys get by us, or it'll be more trouble than we can imagine."
When Edwards' No. 99 Ford passed the Lowe's Chevy for fourth, Knaus said prophetically, "That's the car that's going to win the race. That's the car we have to beat."
"I'm trying to be patient with the loose," Johnson said. "We'll just have to see how far off we are."
By lap 41, Johnson had fallen to seventh behind Gordon.
"It just got a lot worse in here," he told Knaus on lap 51. "It just fell off a cliff."
"You'll be fine," Knaus reassured him. "Everybody's slowing down. Stay ahead of that 19 (Elliott Sadler), bud. You can do it."
"I guarantee you, no one is as loose as I am," Johnson said.
"Don't give up, buddy," Knaus urged.
"There's no give-up in me," Johnson replied. "I'm just telling you what the car's doing."
"Jimmie, if you see anything happening out there that looks like a caution, bring it to pit road," Knaus instructed on lap 62.
With no caution forthcoming, Johnson brought the Lowe's Chevy to pit road under green on lap 66.
"It's still loose?" Knaus asked on lap 72.
"10-4," the driver replied.
"Caution's out," Reeves warned on lap 85 after contact from Ryan Newman sent Dave Blaney's Toyota into the wall. "You've got one backward on the backstretch up against the wall."
Johnson brought the Lowe's Chevy to the pits for four tires and fuel on lap 86. After the restart on lap 90, Johnson was sandwiched between Gordon to the inside and Tony Stewart to the outside through turn 2. Johnson and Stewart rubbed, and the Lowe's Chevy caromed into Gordon's No. 24.
One lap later, Johnson came to pit road with a flat tire and lost a lap he wouldn't regain until the Lowe's Chevy earned a free pass on lap 190.
On lap 97, Gordon blew a tire and hit the wall, causing the third caution of the race.
"Jimmie, what was wrong with the car there?" Knaus asked.
"Still loose," Johnson replied.
On lap 102, the Lowe's Chevy restarted 33rd, one lap down.
"All right. All we have to do is stay ahead of these lappers," Knaus said, hoping for a quick caution and a free pass as the first car one lap down.
"Better center-off," Johnson said of his handling on lap 107.
"Much better rolling to and through the center, free off," he added on lap 116.
Knaus promised to make adjustments on the next pit stop. "We're still a half-second off the 99, so we really haven't gained on the leader," he said.
"Back on the backstretch, there's some oil there, Jimmie," Reeves warned on lap 132.
"I can smell it," Johnson said. "Sketchy into (turn) 3."
"Got to stay ahead of that 19, buddy," Knaus said on lap 138. "He's the one we're battling for the lucky dog."
Green-flag pit stops, however, spread the field and trapped the Lowe's Chevy one lap in arrears. Johnson came to the pits under green on lap 141.
"The 10, Jimmie, is up there about 10 seconds ahead of you," Knaus said on lap 144, indicating that Patrick Carpentier, another lapped car, was a full corner ahead of Johnson.
On lap 150, Johnson was still 32nd -- but fast.
"Jimmie, you're probably running consistently the same lap times as the leaders," Knaus said.
"Free in and free off," Johnson reported.
"We probably shouldn't mess with those guys too much, dude," Knaus said on lap 153 as Johnson raced a pair of lead-lap cars. "They're racing for position."
"Who am I messing with?" Johnson asked.
"83 (Brian Vickers) and 88 (Earnhardt)," Knaus replied.
"Wow! Am I loose all of a sudden!" Johnson exclaimed on lap 157.
"We're going to pit you in about 22 laps," Knaus promised on lap 163.
"Take this time to run the top groove and try to get it figured out," Knaus suggested a lap later. "We're not going to catch the guy ahead of us, and we're faster than the guy behind us, so we might as well try to learn something."
On lap 165, NASCAR called a caution for debris.
"Let's try those adjustments we talked about," Knaus said. "We'll drop the right side six rounds or so. We still have an opportunity to get back in the top 20. You're faster than the cars that are a lap down."
"I've passed a lot of these guys that are a lap down," Johnson said. "Want to just put tires on and race 'em?"
Knaus went with the adjustments, and after a restart on lap 170, Johnson began to make progress. By lap 179 he was 23rd.
"The 38 (David Gilliland) is the next spot, right there ahead of you," Knaus said.
A moment later, NASCAR threw the fifth caution of the race for debris in turn 3. "Free through the center," Johnson reported. "On the throttle, great."
"OK, here's the deal," Knaus said. "If the cars one lap down ahead of you pit, you stay out."
"10-4, I'll do the opposite," Johnson replied.
"Give it everything you've got here, bud. We'll get a caution," Knaus said before the restart on lap 183 with the Lowe's Chevy running 18th, again the first car one lap down.
The restart was short-lived as lap 186 brought another debris caution, and Johnson regained his lost lap as the "lucky dog."
"Pit this time. Four tires," Knaus instructed. "Take a look at those fenders real good. Make sure we don't have any issues there."
On lap 191, Johnson restarted 18th on fresh tires.
Denny Hamlin's blown engine caused the seventh and final caution on lap 194, and on lap 199 Johnson restarted 16th. He had gained two more positions when contact with Travis Kvapil's Ford sent the Lowe's Chevy spinning through the infield grass off the final turn, dropping him to 17th at the finish.
It was that kind of day.
