Johnson joins elite company at Indy

INDIANAPOLIS - Make room for Jimmie Johnson among the legends of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Johnson won at the famed 2.5-mile speedway on Sunday, July 29, joining Jeff Gordon as the only four-time winners of the annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at IMS.

Five-time Sprint Cup Series champion Johnson also won in 2006, 2008 and 2009. He joins Gordon and Indianapolis 500 legends A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears as four-time winners of an oval race at IMS. Michael Schumacher won the United States Grand Prix five times on the IMS road course.

"Man, you just hope to race here," Johnson said. "To come here and win is a huge honor. And to win four - four wins! I'm at a loss for words. It was a total team effort. We put it on them today. It was nice."

Johnson drove his No. 48 Lowe's Kobalt Tools Chevrolet to give Hendrick Motorsports its eighth Brickyard victory, which extends its event record.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished a Brickyard career best fourth in the No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet, taking the Sprint Cup points lead. Gordon was fifth in the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, his 11th top-five finish in 19 starts at this event.

Johnson led 99 of 160 laps in a dominant performance. He took the lead for good by passing Greg Biffle on Lap 132. Johnson's crew won the race in the pits on the final stop of the race, under caution on Lap 134. Johnson then did his part by holding off Biffle on the final restart of the race, on Lap 141, and he pulled away over the final laps on the 2.5-mile oval.