Starting from the outside of row number one and leading the first lap of Monday’s rain delayed Pennsylvania 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, Jimmie Johnson made it clear he was going to be a contender for the win at the Pocono Raceway. Showing the way for the first twenty-two laps of the event, Johnson led the field to pit road for the competition caution on Lap 22. Leaving pit road eventual race winner Denny Hamlin beat Johnson off to take the lead.

Johnson was able to move past teammate Jeff Gordon for second and set his sights on Hamlin in the top-spot, as the two drove away from the field during the first half of the event. A caution for Bobby Labonte’s spin on Lap 97 brought out the fourth caution of the day and jumbled the running order when eight drivers decided to stay on the track while others pitted. Restarting the race from the eighteenth-spot Johnson was mired in traffic, but that was about to be the least of his worries.

After taking the green flag to restart the race, Johnson radioed to crew chief Chad Knaus reporting that cars were “just blowing by me on the straightaways.” With Knaus giving his driver instructions on how to diagnose the problem from the cockpit, the setback forced the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet to pit road on Lap 105. Heading to his stall, Johnson radioed his crew saying, “It’s getting ready to blow the motor right now.”

The crew lifted the hood on the No. 48 and quickly shut it and sent their driver back out on the track. The team apparently found a loose plug wire and reattached it; however Johnson’s problems were not over yet.

Just laps after being sent back on the track, the No. 48 continued to lose power and positions on the race track. Race leader Kasey Kahne put Johnson a lap down on Lap 109 and on Lap 114 NASCAR warned the No. 48 to pick up his speed and that he was in danger of not maintaining the minimum speed.

When David Ragan brought out the fifth caution of the day on Lap 142, the Chad Knaus-led crew went back to work under the hood of the No. 48, this time replacing the carburetor. The team continued to work throughout the day, changing spark plugs and ending up three laps down but with the problem apparently solved.

Refusing to give in and catching a few breaks thanks to a number of late-race cautions and lucky dogs, Johnson eventually made his way back onto the lead lap.

Restarting the race with only thirteen laps to go, Johnson was back on the lead lap and hungry to get back to the front. Taking the green flag, Johnson dove to the inside as he moved past a number of cars and into the first corner. With the laps winding down, the three-time defending series champion proved why he has that title as he went to work passing cars lap after lap as he maneuvered his way closer to the top-10.

When the checkered flag fell on Monday’s matinee it was Denny Hamlin taking the win, while Johnson and his team came home a hard-fought 13th. Considering all of the adversity and potentially devastating situations the team found themselves in throughout the race, a thirteenth was more than respectable.

"I don't know yet but I assume it was a spark plug issue,” Johnson explained after climbing from his race car. “That's the last thing we started changing. The car started running better so it’s just crazy how sometimes a little part like that can go wrong. I know our guys will look closely at it to make sure that something like that doesn't happen again. I'm just so proud of the fight this race team has. For us to come back from three laps down and get back on the lead lap and salvage a 13th-place finish means a lot to me. I think we are going in the right direction and it shows to me what my team is capable of and I know what I'm capable of going into the Chase.

“We dealt with a lot today,” Johnson added. “I have to thank my guys for working so hard and trouble-shooting some different things. We finally found the problem there at the end. We were three laps down and able to get some cautions there at the end. For a while there I thought we would get a Top-10 but I pounded the wall off (Turn) 2 and tore up the right side of the car and lost a couple of spots. Just a lot of fight in this race team. I’m very proud of them.”

The refusal to give in to a problem that would have sent other teams to the garage is what separates Johnson and the No. 48 team from the rest of the competition. One of the most under-respected drivers and teams in the sport, Monday’s outing even had teammate Jeff Gordon a bit surprised.

"Right there at the end I knew he was back on the lead lap and I wasn't expecting him to pass me, that's for sure,” Gordon – who finished ahead of Johnson in eighth – admitted. “But you know, these guys, you can never count them out and that's what makes them a championship caliber team and Jimmie's a great driver. So, it's unfortunate that they had a car that was probably capable of winning, or at least battling up there for the win, that it kind of took them out of it there. But they fought back and still had a pretty decent day out of it."

Heading into Watkins Glen this weekend, Johnson sits 197 points behind Tony Stewart in the standings. While Stewart may have the advantage in terms of points, Johnson has the owner/driver beat in terms of races won. If Johnson can continue his consistently strong outings and amazing luck, this year just might be a truly record setting year for Johnson and the entire No. 48 team.

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