Johnson started the race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 16th place, but managed to keep himself out of trouble and progressively gained positions in on the track. The double-file restart format gifted the Chevy driver with the perfect opportunity to pass Martin with 23 laps to go, as he passed the Sprint Cup veteran on the outside and never let go.
The No 48 Chevrolet driver was also lucky enough not to worry about Juan Pablo Montoya's pressure in the late stages of the race, as the Colombian – who clearly had a winning pace all day – was penalized for speeding in the pit lane during his last stop. That left Johnson all alone for the win, which he secured easily ahead of his 50-year old teammate.
While taking his 43rd win of career – and third all-time at the IMS – Johnson also passed teammate Jeff Gordon in the drivers' standings, where he is now 2nd to Tony Stewart. The Stewart Haas driver came 3rd to the finish line, ahead of Greg Biffle and Brian Vickers. Gordon finished the race in 9th place, while the unfortunate Montoya had to settle for 11th place.
“Geez, was he fast. For an old guy, he had me pretty worried. Those last 15-20 laps, we had to drive it so hard just to stay ahead of the 5 [Martin]. I was better in [Turns] 3 and 4 than he was, and he had me beat in 1 and 2, and it was kind of a give-and-take thing that was going on. Luckily, we held him off,” said Johnson in the Victory Lane.
“I drove my heart out and gave it everything I had. I'm just thankful that I had a chance to race for the win. I'm disappointed we didn't win, but I got beat by Superman,” added a disappointed Martin after the race.
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