NASCAR: Johnson takes makes it three out of four at MIS

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Six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson scored his first career victory on the two-mile Michigan superspeedway, taking a dominant win after picking a perfect strategy in the late stages.

Johnson took the lead with nine laps to go, having got his final pitstop out of the way with 36 laps left while taking four fresh tires. He used the new rubber to great effect, and eased his way to the front as those ahead made their final stops under green.

It was Johnson's third win in four weeks, and the fifth Hendrick Motorsports victory on the trot, while six of the top 10 cars had Hendrick engines.

Penske Ford driver Brad Keselowski, who finished third, admitted: "I needed a little more to run with these big-motor cars."

Poleman Kevin Harvick was Johnson's main opposition, but a tardy final stop hampered his bid for the Stewart-Haas Chevy squad, and he had to pass Paul Menard and Keselowski in the closing laps.

Kasey Kahne, who finished fifth, bounced back from an early spin to finish ahead of Hendrick team-mate Jeff Gordon. The four-time champion had a great car in clear air but struggled in traffic.

Behind last week's winner Dale Earnhardt Jr., rookie star Kyle Larson finished eighth despite an early spin that damaged the rear of his Ganassi Chevy. Larson also got penalized for speeding on pit road, but refused to be denied another top-10 finish.

Joey Logano, who led in the middle stages, finished ninth and blamed a poor final restart for miring him in traffic.