Jimmie Johnson Takes NASCAR Vegas DaimlerChrysler 400

Johnson defended his Sin City title for a second straight year by winning the NASCAR Nextel Cup UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

It was the first victory this season and the 24th career for Johnson, the reigning series champion who won this event for the third consecutive season.

Johnson struggled early Sunday, dropping back to 25th at one point and bobbling coming off a turn.

But a green-flag restart with 12 laps left saw Johnson leading Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon and Daytona 500 runner-up Mark Martin.

"All I was thinking was no more cautions," Johnson said. "I didn't need a crazy debris caution at the end."

After leading by over five seconds, Johnson quickly pitted on lap 80, signaling the beginning of another round for the lead contenders.

Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch nearly collided into each other one lap later coming down pit road, with older brother Kurt locking up his brakes to avoid hitting his younger brother. The near-incident began when Martin slowed down to avoid a speeding violation.

By the time the sequence cycled through, Johnson's Chevrolet Monte Carlo was back in the lead.

Johnson defeated Gordon by 1.999 seconds. Second-year driver Denny Hamlin was third to complete a 1-2-3 finish for Chevrolets. It was the 150th win for Hendrick Motorsports.

Matt Kenseth's Ford Fusion was fourth, followed by Martin's Chevrolet.

Martin continues to lead the point standings by six over Gordon, but that will change because Martin does not compete at Bristol Motor Speedway in two weeks. Martin announced last year he was running a limited schedule.

Johnson's dominance was the end result of overcoming adversity. He led four times for 89 laps, while Gordon led the most - three times for 111.