Jimmie Johnson didn’t qualify where he wanted, and his car never quite cooperated during the final practice session at Kansas Speedway. So he spent Saturday evening in the garage area, going over different setups with the rest of his team.

That dedication, that attention to detail, is a big reason he’s chasing his sixth straight Cup title.

Johnson and his team must have figured things out. The defending series champion stormed to the front early Sunday, then weathered a series of late cautions before holding off Kasey Kahne in a green-white-checkered finish for his first win since April.

“Jimmie was very dedicated last night with us, trying to figure out the setup of the car,” crew chief Chad Knaus said. “We pored over a lot of combinations and we came up with a good one.” (AP)