Team owner Rick Hendrick and car owner Jeff Gordon looked on with pride Sunday as NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Jimmie Johnson did a celebratory burnout at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

It seemed fitting after the long afternoon that a tire on Johnson's No. 48 Chevrolet exploded in a large cloud of smoke during the celebration.

Tire trouble was the theme of Sunday's Brickyard 400. Johnson proved the top finisher, and two of his Hendrick Motorsports teammates also finished in the top 12, as he posted his second victory at IMS.

Because the Goodyear tires used for the race were not durable enough to withstand the lack of downforce on the cars or the speeds and track surface, NASCAR threw six competition cautions designed to force teams to pit and change their tires. As a result, the longest green-flag run was only 12 laps, and 52 laps were run under caution.

Johnson was the first driver out of the pits with seven laps to go and held off hard-charging Ford driver Carl Edwards for his 35th career victory.

Despite the eggs on the faces of the NASCAR powers-to-be after what many considered a race debacle, Hendrick had to have been pleased with the outcome. His powerful and prestigious team had won only twice all season prior to Sunday, a subpar showing by Hendrick Motorsports standards, and Hendrick had even brought in a motivational speaker to the team headquarters in Concord, N.C., earlier in the week.

Appalachian State football coach Jerry Moore, who has led the Mountaineers to three straight Div. I-AA national championships, reportedly told the HMS crew that "it's all about desire and dedication, who wants it more."

Desire and dedication came through Sunday. But the team also utilized opportunity, finding a way to turn near disaster into triumph.

After the race, Johnson and Hendrick took time together to "kiss the bricks" -- the winner's tradition. As they got down on their hands and knees, they showed as much relief as excitement after the caution-filled day.

The victory moved Johnson -- the two-time defending series champion -- into fourth place in the points standings with 16 races remaining.

Hendrick driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr., left the race second in points. Gordon maintained his sixth-place position in the season-long points race.

Labels: Appalachian State, Brickyard 400, Chevrolet Nascar Victories, Goodyear, Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon Jimmie Johnson, Jerry Moore, Jr., Rick Hendrick, Sprint Cup