NASCAR Brickyard 400 Results 2012: Jimmie Johnson Wins Fourth Indianapolis Race

Team owner Rick Hendrick may have had better days -- but not many.

Hendrick watched as Jimmie Johnson won Sunday’s Crown Royal 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, taking the checkered flag 4.758 seconds ahead of runner-up Kyle Busch and tying teammate Jeff Gordon for most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins at the Brickyard -- four.

The victory was Johnson’s third of the season -- all but assuring he will remain the only driver to have qualified for the Chase for the Sprint Cup each year since the inception of NASCAR’s playoff format in 2004. Johnson won for the 58th time, leaving him eighth on the all-time list and second to Gordon among active drivers.

A fourth-place finish propelled Hendrick teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. into the lead in the series standings, after points leader Matt Kenseth wrecked out in 35th place.

Greg Biffle came home third, followed by Earnhardt and Gordon. Pole-sitter Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski and Tony Stewart completed the top 10.

The last time Earnhardt led the Cup standings was October 2004 after Talladega, but he held the top spot for only two days, thanks to a 25-point NASCAR penalty for cursing during a post-race television interview.

Racing side-by-side with Trevor Bayne on Lap 132, Joey Logano spun his No. 20 Toyota, bounced off the No. 47 Camry of Bobby Labonte and wiped out the No. 17 Ford of Kenseth, who was running near the outside wall, trying to slip past the wreck.

Carl Edwards’ first race with new crew chief Chad Norris went awry nearly from the outset. Edwards started second and contested the lead with Denny Hamlin for half a lap, but lost power and slowed on Lap 12 and brought his car to pit road.

By the time the No. 99 crew had the issue straightened out -- after a green-flag pit stop followed by another under yellow on Lap 42 -- Edwards was four laps down and effectively out of contention -- not the sort of effort he needed in a winless season with a Chase position on the line. Edwards finished 29th.

Here are the full results from Sunday’s NASCAR race at the Brickyard: