Race Report.(Motorsports)(Coca-Cola 600)

In this case, the numbers lie. They show Jimmie Johnson leading the Coca-Cola 600 eight times for 334 laps, almost 501 miles of NASCAR's longest race. They show him leading 53, 5, 69, 17, 54, 64, 65 and the last 16 laps around Lowe's Motor Speedway. And they show him being passed only once at speed, by Elliott Sadler at lap 54 of the 400-lap event.

But Johnson's win wasn't nearly as easy as that. Five cautions, a red flag and pit stops during the final 64 laps erased huge leads and forced him to rally from fifth to win. He made a late-race, three-wide pass of Robby Gordon and Kasey Kahne en route to catching Jeremy Mayfield, Michael Waltrip and finally, leader Jamie McMurray down the stretch. He regained the lead at 384, but a caution and red flag for Ryan Newman's blown engine bunched everyone for a three-lap dash to the finish.

Johnson won it over Waltrip, Matt Kenseth, McMurray, Sadler, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Casey Mears, Mayfield, Tony Stewart and Rusty Wallace. The 600 ended under caution when Bobby Labonte crashed in Turn Two on the last lap. NASCAR froze the running order, creating confusion and disagreements among drivers who had been two- and three-wide when the yellow waved.

"This is an awesome team and this was an awesome car,'' said Johnson, now one of six drivers with back-to-back 600 wins. "It's nice to deliver when you have a car this dominant. Usually you make a mistake when you have one this good. We stuck to our game plan [regarding pit strategy] and it ...