Earnhardt Jr and Martin still occupied the top two places and their nip/tuck battle started again. Behind them Johnson made good progress from eighth to fourth by lap 265 and was closing on the lead trio as Earnhardt Jr began to suffer tyre troubles and fell back behind Martin and Denny Hamlin. Martin took the lead on lap 275 and instantly eased the pace slightly, something that worked right into Johnson's hands and by lap 295 Martin, Hamlin and Johnson were together on track with Earnhardt Jr now back in fourth and Edwards a rapidly advancing fifth.
With everyone trying to save as much fuel as possible Hamlin was the first to brake, ducking down pit road on lap 296 followed by Earnhardt Jr on lap 300, a reluctant Martin a lap later and then Edwards on lap 302. That left Johnson with a ten second lead over Clint Bowyer, the only other leading contender yet to pit, with everyone else at least 20 seconds down the road with just ten laps remaining.
Johnson immediately eased right back, allowing car after car to pass him, safe in the knowledge that his nearest rival was having to do the same. Although Bowyer was able to trim three seconds off his lead in the final ten laps Johnson could afford to coast around the final lap to take the chequered flag to the delight of his Chad Knaus led crew.
Bowyer took the chequered flag seven seconds behind Johnson but just four seconds ahead of the fuelled Hamlin with Edwards holding on to fourth after a great comeback drive and Martin a dejected fifth after looking the most likely winner with ten laps to go.
Point leader Jeff Burton had a typically unobtrusive run to sixth place while Earnhardt Jr wound up seventh after losing more time on pit road when his team elected to take two fresh tyres as well as his final bit of fuel. Truex Jr, Biffle and Kyle Busch rounded out the top ten with Casey Mears eleventh and Bobby Labonte twelfth despite running on seven cylinders for more than half the race.
![Jimmie Johnson. [Pic Credit image.net]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/386116.jpg)
