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"It didn't really matter if you were in front of him or not, he was going to pass you in about four or five laps anyway," Biffle said. "His car was just really, really good."
Team owner Rick Hendrick said the win was a testament to the combined talents of Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus.
"I think the equipment is so equal today, but you've got to look at the talent Jimmie has and the talent Chad has and the pit crew and everything else, the feedback, the communications," Hendrick said. "I've never seen a guy that could drive a car as out of control and make it look in control as Jimmie can."
And as the No. 48 team celebrated a victory, another Hendrick driver solidified his surprising status as a Sprint Cup championship front-runner.
With his fourth-place run Sunday, Earnhardt Jr. took over the points lead -- 14 points ahead of Matt Kenseth, whose day ended early in a crash with Joey Logano.
"We've persevered all year, and we've done good work all year," Earnhardt said. "I think it is a bit of a confidence booster, something I'm proud of because we've worked hard all year and we've got something to show for it."
Earnhardt took the points lead at the expense of Kenseth, whose car was banged-up and smoldering after he tangled with Logano.
"It is crazy there at the end," Kenseth said. "You could see the wreck happening and I was just hoping I wasn't going to be in it."
It also was a rough day for Carl Edwards, whose engine began losing power only a handful of laps into the race.
In his first race with new crew chief Chad Norris, Edwards qualified second but began dropping in the field after an apparent engine malfunction. Edwards finished 29th, left Indianapolis 12th in the points and is in danger of missing NASCAR's season-ending Chase.
"We have to take chances," Edwards said. "We have to go race. We can do that, we can race like that. It will actually be a big relief in a way because there is no other choice. We just go race for wins. I wouldn't bet against us. We can do it."
[Associated
Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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