Jimmie Johnson's Michigan win punctuates Hendrick dominance

BROOKLYN, Mich. — Hendrick Motorsports seemed miles ahead of the competition Sunday at Michigan International Speedway.

One of the NASCAR powerhouse's chief rivals evaluated the gap with a measurement that made that distance seem even greater.

"It's pretty obvious that the Hendrick engines are way ahead of everyone else," third-place finisher Brad Keselowski said after finishing best in class behind the Hendrick-powered Chevrolets of Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick in the Quicken Loans 400. "As far ahead as they are right now, they're probably a full season ahead of everyone. We've got work to do to get there."

SUNDAY:Johnson earns first career win at Michigan

The target is the best driver in the Sprint Cup Series, who checked off one of the few voids from his sterling resume with his series-leading third win in four races.

The 69th victory of Jimmie Johnson's career also was his first at Michigan, leaving only four tracks (Kentucky Speedway, Watkins Glen International, Chicagoland Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway) unconquered by the six-time series champion.

WATCH: Johnson discusses his win at Michigan

Johnson needed 25 tries for his breakthrough at Michigan, where he previously had lost a handful of wins with dominant cars because of engine failures, blown tires and faulty strategy. Crew chief Chad Knaus called a flawless race Sunday, bringing the No. 48 Chevrolet to the pits for a four-tire stop under green while leading with 36 laps remaining. Johnson reclaimed the lead for the final 10 laps after the rest of the field made stops.

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"We have figured out every way to lose this race, and today we were able to get it done," said Johnson, who ranks eighth on NASCAR's all-time win list. "We are getting stronger; there is no doubt about that. I think it is obvious that Hendrick Motorsports produces fast race cars. They build fast engines. We're winning a lot of races, and running up front."

Hendrick drivers have won five consecutive races, and its engines powered six of the top eight finishers at the 2-mile oval, whose wide surface and fast speeds often serves as a strong barometer for championship contenders.

Paced by Harvick (a race-high 63 laps led from the pole position) and Johnson, nine Hendrick-powered cars led 163 of 200 laps.

"I think it's pretty obvious," a frustrated Harvick, who led the most laps but didn't win for the second time in five races, said when asked about Hendrick's dominance.

PHOTOS: 2014 Sprint Cup race winners

The edge becomes even more glaring when measured against the struggles of competitors. Outside of the Team Penske Fords of Keselowski and Joey Logano (who led 29 laps), hardly any other organization was a factor.

Roush Fenway Racing's highest finisher was Greg Biffle in 20th — the first time the team didn't have a top 10 at team owner Jack Roush's home track since June 2000. The highest-finishing Toyota was Clint Bowyer in 10th, and Joe Gibbs Racing's Matt Kenseth led the only laps (two) for a Camry.

"Just don't have it," said Kenseth (14th), who led Cup with seven wins last year. "I don't know how else to explain it. We just can't fix (the car) on pit road. We just can't get within close enough speed of the leaders to be able to hang on to the position even when the team gives it to me."

WATCH: Drivers discuss their finish at the Quicken Loans 400

Even with 11 races remaining until the Chase for the Sprint Cup begins, Keselowski didn't offer much hope for teams that aren't in Hendrick's ballpark.

"I don't really think there is anybody in the wings," the 2012 champion said when asked whether any challengers lurked for Hendrick. "I think the way this year's package has come together, where we are right now is where we're going to be for the remainder of the year. You might see some small gains from some teams but I don't see anything significant coming. The Penske cars are probably the best when it comes to (being) balanced. The Hendrick cars are probably the best where it takes power, Kevin Harvick, his team is probably the fastest.

"I don't really see that changing for the duration of the season. … Thankfully we've got 12 weeks until the Chase starts. At Penske, I think we're right there, just maybe a half a nose behind the Hendrick‑powered cars. But we need just a little bit more, and if we can do that, we can have a shot at running for the championship."

But the problem in playing catch-up is that Hendrick doesn't plan on letting off the accelerator, either.

"The fact of the matter is I think we've got to be a little bit better," Knaus said. "We've got to continue to improve so by the time, we get to the Chase we're where we need to be."

Follow Ryan on Twitter @nateryan

PHOTOS: Jimmie Johnson through the years

Sunday's Quicken Loans 400 results

1. (7) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 200 laps, 130.7 rating, 47 points, $205,661.

2. (1) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 200, 135.1, 44, $196,118.

3. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 200, 113.9, 42, $153,393.

4. (5) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 200, 105.8, 40, $136,349.

5. (13) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 200, 85.9, 40, $121,250.

6. (2) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 200, 117.2, 39, $140,526.

7. (3) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 200, 106.2, 38, $103,590.

8. (12) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 200, 89.7, 37, $121,460.

9. (9) Joey Logano, Ford, 200, 117.3, 36, $129,056.

10. (15) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 200, 92, 34, $128,256.

11. (26) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 200, 94.1, 34, $126,473.

12. (11) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 200, 95.6, 33, $129,404.

13. (8) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 200, 96.8, 32, $91,090.

14. (21) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 200, 83.5, 31, $134,901.

15. (24) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 200, 77.6, 29, $98,715.

16. (17) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 200, 79.6, 28, $115,523.

17. (27) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 200, 68.1, 27, $96,365.

18. (28) Juan Pablo Montoya, Ford, 200, 72.4, 26, $84,265.

19. (23) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 200, 68.4, 0, $87,665.

20. (18) Greg Biffle, Ford, 200, 68, 24, $129,415.

21. (37) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 199, 53.5, 23, $103,098.

22. (25) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 199, 60.6, 22, $100,773.

23. (22) Carl Edwards, Ford, 199, 57, 21, $101,865.

24. (31) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 199, 56.5, 20, $105,723.

25. (20) Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 199, 61.5, 19, $112,685.

26. (32) David Gilliland, Ford, 198, 51.5, 18, $102,937.

27. (30) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 198, 51.7, 17, $120,915.

28. (42) Cole Whitt, Toyota, 198, 42.1, 16, $84,840.

29. (29) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 198, 61.2, 15, $92,640.

30. (19) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 197, 74.9, 15, $130,801.

31. (4) Aric Almirola, Ford, 197, 73.5, 13, $121,201.

32. (40) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 197, 36.6, 12, $82,315.

33. (38) Josh Wise, Chevrolet, 197, 42.9, 11, $81,240.

34. (34) Brett Moffitt, Toyota, 197, 44, 10, $89,140.

35. (39) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 197, 36.9, 0, $80,975.

36. (35) J.J. Yeley, Chevrolet, 197, 30, 0, $80,920.

37. (16) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 196, 33.2, 7, $108,768.

38. (33) David Ragan, Ford, 196, 44.3, 6, $84,070.

39. (36) David Stremme, Chevrolet, 195, 29.9, 5, $72,070.

40. (41) Alex Bowman, Toyota, accident, 169, 33.9, 4, $68,070.

41. (14) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 169, 74.6, 3, $111,911.

42. (10) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 110, 25.5, 2, $92,145.

43. (43) Travis Kvapil, Ford, accident, 23, 28.8, 1, $56,570.

———

Race Statistics

Average Speed of Race Winner: 143.441 mph.

Time of Race: 2 hours, 47 minutes, 19 seconds.

Margin of Victory: 1.214 seconds.

Caution Flags: 8 for 36 laps.

Lead Changes: 25 among 13 drivers.

Lap Leaders: K.Harvick 1-18; J.Gordon 19-42; B.Keselowski 43-44; J.Gordon 45-56; K.Harvick 57-74; J.Johnson 75-77; J.Logano 78-91; J.Johnson 92-104; K.Harvick 105-112; B.Keselowski 113; K.Harvick 114-118; B.Keselowski 119; K.Harvick 120-126; J.Logano 127-141; K.Harvick 142-148; J.McMurray 149-151; J.Johnson 152-164; J.McMurray 165; D.Earnhardt Jr. 166; Ku.Busch 167-182; K.Kahne 183; K.Larson 184-185; A.Dillon 186-187; T.Stewart 188; M.Kenseth 189-190; J.Johnson 191-200.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Led, Laps Led): K.Harvick, 6 times for 63 laps; J.Johnson, 4 times for 39 laps; J.Gordon, 2 times for 36 laps; J.Logano, 2 times for 29 laps; Ku.Busch, 1 time for 16 laps; B.Keselowski, 3 times for 4 laps; J.McMurray, 2 times for 4 laps; K.Larson, 1 time for 2 laps; M.Kenseth, 1 time for 2 laps; A.Dillon, 1 time for 2 laps; K.Kahne, 1 time for 1 lap; D.Earnhardt Jr., 1 time for 1 lap; T.Stewart, 1 time for 1 lap.

Wins: J.Johnson, 3; D.Earnhardt Jr., 2; K.Harvick, 2; J.Logano, 2; Ku.Busch, 1; Ky.Busch, 1; C.Edwards, 1; J.Gordon, 1; D.Hamlin, 1; Bra.Keselowski, 1.

Top 12 in Points: 1. J.Gordon, 537; 2. J.Johnson, 522; 3. D.Earnhardt Jr., 514; 4. M.Kenseth, 513; 5. Bra.Keselowski, 490; 6. C.Edwards, 462; 7. J.Logano, 454; 8. K.Larson, 454; 9. K.Harvick, 447; 10. Ky.Busch, 446; 11. R.Newman, 440; 12. D.Hamlin, 435.