Jimmie Johnson may have started in the same place that he finished at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, in 7th, but his journey to that position wasn't a simple one.

Johnson, and the entire Hendrick Motorsports team of cars, quickly began to make their way to the front as the race began, and Jimmie Johnson even led a couple of laps while staying out an extra lap under green-flag pit stops on two separate occasions. With a strong set-up under the hood of the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet, Jimmie Johnson seemed to be in position for at least a top-five finish.

Then, Johnson made his final pit stop of the day a couple of laps ahead of the rest of the field during a green-flag run, taking two tires. Almost as soon as Jimmie Johnson got back up to speed on the track, a yellow flag was issued for debris on the track from a blown engine, putting him a lap down from the leaders. Luckily, Johnson did receive the free pass under caution and restarted 17th. Finding himself halfway back in the field, Johnson steadily made his way through the field in the final 60 laps, gaining 10 spots for the 7th place finish.

Heading in to an off-week for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Johnson remains 4th in points, 51 points behind NASCAR Sprint Cup Series leader, Matt Kenseth. NASCAR returns to action July 29th in Indianapolis.