LOUDON, N.H. -- Jimmie Johnson had one of the two best cars in Sunday's Lenox Industrial Tools 301 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but he didn't get a chance to prove it in the closing stages of the event.
Soon after fuel-mileage strategy propelled an unlikely cast of characters to the front of the field, rain began to fall, causing the race to be called 17 laps short of its intended distance with Kurt Busch, parked on pit road at the head of the field when the storm arrived, declared the race winner.
Other drivers who had come to pit road for fuel under caution on laps 218-220 made up the rest of the top five: Michael Waltrip, J.J. Yeley, Martin Truex Jr. and Elliott Sadler.
Johnson, who had last pitted on lap 204 and couldn't have made it to the end of the race on fuel, joined Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon and others victimized by the combination of strategy, precipitation and misfortune.
Nevertheless, when rain stopped the race, the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet was ninth after a gas-and-go under caution on lap 274. Fifth in the Cup championship standings, Johnson gained ground on leader Kyle Busch, who finished 25th Sunday.
Unfortunately, the two-time defending Cup champion didn't have a chance to improve his position, because, by the end of the race, the Lowe's Chevy was perhaps the fastest car on the track.
Less than three hours earlier, the race had begun under a cloud cover that gave way to blue sky before the rain arrived.
"OK, guys, it's going to be a great day today," crew chief Chad Knaus said after the command to start engines. "It's a short race, 300 laps, actually 301 today. The average time of the race is about three hours and 20 minutes. We'll probably have four pit stops, and track position will be extremely important.
"We've got a great race car. Just like we said in the meeting today, nice and smooth."
"On my way in (to the pits), Chad, if you could just remind me of my accelerating points and check out points on the way out," Johnson replied, given that the team had decided to use the pit stall of teammate Jeff Gordon as a key point during pit entry.
"OK, boys, we've got a great car," Johnson added. "As long as we do our jobs, we'll get us something today."
After a disappointing run in Friday's qualifying session, Johnson started 23rd but quickly began to work his way through the field. By lap 3 he was 20th, and on lap 9 he passed Greg Biffle for the 19th position.
"How you doing out there?" Knaus asked on lap 12, with Johnson indicating the Lowe's Chevy was tight in the centers of the corners.
"Tire smoke up ahead of you," spotter Stevie Reeves warned on lap 14. "He's locking up the front for some reason, the 26 (Jamie McMurray).
"Jimmie, how'd your car take off on sticker (new) tires?" Knaus wanted to know on lap 21.
"I don't think I was all that bad," the driver responded. On lap 26 Johnson passed Gordon for the 15th spot.
"Good job, man," Knaus said on lap 40, after Johnson had passed Elliott Sadler for the 12th position. "Straight and smooth."
"The car wants to diamond in the center," Johnson replied. "It's using up a lot of track."
"You're way better off than some of these other guys," Knaus encouraged him. "We'll make a small adjustment when you stop."
"Good job, bud," Knaus said on lap 50, with Johnson running 11th. "We're going to pit you in about 20 (laps)."
"OK, let's settle in now," Knaus prompted on lap 61, after the Lowe's Chevy had begun to lose some of its speed. "You need to be running 31 (seconds) flat."
"Keep diggin', bud," Knaus added on lap 67. "We're going to pit you here in about four (laps)."
"Pit this time, if you can," Knaus said three laps later.
"Pit road, Chad," Reeves said, indicating the No. 48 Chevy was on its way toward the pit stall.
"Go, go, go. Dig, dig, dig," Knaus shouted as Johnson left pit road. "Got the 00 (Michael McDowell) outside. Watch your speed."
Johnson was ninth after the pit stops cycled through. Dario Franchitti slammed the turn 4 wall to cause the first caution of the race on lap 85.
"We only went 15 laps," Knaus said. "What do you think about staying out?"
"OK, still a little tight," Johnson replied, after which Knaus decided to bring the Lowe's Chevy back to pit road for two tires and a panhard bar adjustment.
"There were some gas-onlys there, bud," Knaus said after the stop, indicating that several drivers had taken on fuel but not tires during the stop.
Johnson was 10th for a restart on lap 91 and began moving up. From laps 101 to 105, he battled Denny Hamlin for the seventh position.
"I was about to turn him," Johnson said after making the pass.
"You've never successfully turned anyone in your life," Knaus joked.
"I was trying to do the bump-and-run politely for four laps," Johnson explained. "It was going to get ugly."
"Once you get up in front of those cars ahead of you, it'll free back up," Knaus said on lap 120, with the Lowe's Chevy still seventh.
On lap 128, however, Dale Earnhardt Jr. passed Johnson for the seventh position, prompting Knaus to exclaim, "Come on, bud. Keep digging. We've got the 11 (Hamlin) and the 9 (Kasey Kahne) back there coming pretty fast."
"I'm doing all I can," the driver replied, but by lap 134, Johnson had lost two more positions.
"The right front feels like it's gone," Johnson radioed to Knaus.
"Ten-four, we're going to be pitting in about 25 laps," the crew chief responded.
But a caution superseded the planned green-flag stop.
"Caution's out for debris in (turn) 3, Jimmie," Reeves said on lap 139.
"We'll raise the panhard bar up some more," Knaus said before Johnson brought the Lowe's Chevy to the pits. "There's not a lot more I can do for you."
"Get 'em, man. Go get 'em," Knaus told Johnson, who restarted 10th on lap 144. "You've got to get these guys while you've got fresh tires."
On lap 151, Joe Nemechek hit the turn 3 wall to bring out the third caution of the race.
"It's a little better in the center, still a little free in and off," Johnson reported on his handling. On Knaus' instructions, Johnson remained on the track as the top 17 cars stayed out.
"The 24 (Gordon) is probably the best car I've seen today on new tires," Knaus said on lap 153. "The 88 (Earnhardt) is probably the best on older tires. We're a couple laps past halfway right here."
Johnson was seventh for a restart on lap 157; nine laps later he passed Clint Bowyer for sixth, and on lap 172 he got by Kevin Harvick for fifth.
"Nice work," Knaus said. "Clean air up ahead of you, bud. You're doing great."
"Tight in the center of (turns) 3 and 4," Johnson reported on lap 196.
"You're not that far off," Knaus replied. "We've got one more pit stop where we can free you up a little. You can figure it out."
"Jimmie, got one smoking on the front," Reeves warned on lap 202, after A.J. Allmendinger's Toyota blew its engine.
"Did that looseness go away?" Knaus asked under the ensuing caution.
"Ten-four, in about 10 laps," Johnson responded. Then it was about the same."
"I don't know what the heck happened from yesterday (in practice)," Knaus mused.
"Well, let's keep working on it and get what we can," Johnson replied as he brought the Lowe's Chevy to the pits under yellow.
"Save fuel, Jimmie," Knaus told his driver after the stop. "You're about 14 laps short right now."
"Ha, ha, ha," Johnson laughed at the prospect of saving 14 laps worth of fuel.
"I can tell you one thing," Knaus rejoined prophetically. "The fastest car's not going to win this race. It's whoever plays the pit strategy. Keep saving. We can get a gas-and-go at the end or stop early, whichever's better for us."
Aric Almirola's crash in turn 2 on lap 217 brought strategy into play as many cars deep in the field -- including Busch, Waltrip and Yeley -- came to the pits for fuel.
" Jimmie, we're going to have some guys pit here because they can make it the rest of the way from here, I hate to say," Knaus predicted accurately. "But we need to stay out. Save fuel and hope we get a 40- or 50-lap run."
After a restart on lap 222, Johnson was third and pressing Gordon for the second spot. In a heated battle that lasted more than three laps -- and involved contact between the two cars -- Johnson took the position from his teammate.
After dispatching Gordon, Johnson took off in hot pursuit of Stewart, who was leading at the time.
"He's going to keep falling off," Knaus predicted. "You'll get him."
By lap 245, the threat of rain had become a probability.
"These clouds are rolling in, just like what we had yesterday," Knaus said.
"It's getting pretty dark back over my shoulder," Reeves confirmed.
"Go get him, wheel man," Knaus added as Johnson continued the chase.
On lap 271, Earnhardt dropped low to come to the pits and was blindsided by McMurray's No. 26 Ford. Needing to come to the pits for fuel under the caution, Johnson and Knaus discussed strategy.
"Can we go up on the panhard bar instead of tires?" Johnson asked.
"Yes, but let's put a round in the right rear," Knaus replied.
"Sure, if that saves us time," Johnson agreed.
"I'm thinking we're going to have 10 guys stay out here, bud," Knaus said, who called for a round of wedge in the right rear.
"Sorry that 11 (Hamlin) got ahead of us," Knaus said after the stop. "I wanted to make sure we got that round in the right rear."
One lap after the restart on lap 279, Sam Hornish Jr. wrecked Bowyer to bring out the final caution of the race.
"Here comes the rain," Johnson radioed under caution on lap 282.
"Sprinkling up here, too," Reeves chimed in from the spotters' perch above the grandstand.
"Let's go green," Johnson exhorted, wanting a chance to improve his position.
"If they stop it, we're screwed, because there's another storm coming that's going to wipe out the whole city of Concord (the state capital)," Knaus said ruefully.
"OK, Jimmie, they're going to bring you down pit road this time," Reeves said on lap 284, and after the cars parked on pit road, rain ended the race.
