Texas NASCAR: Johnson defeats Harvick and Earnhardt for win

The #48 Hendrick Chevrolet led most of the second half of the Saturday night race, overcoming multiple cars that took two tyres at the final caution along with Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Johnson was the first to pass all the cars with only two fresh tyres, and while Earnhardt and Harvick battled for second, the six-time champion built up a decent cushion out front.

When Harvick cleared Earnhardt, he set about closing on Johnson, but he couldn't catch the Hendrick driver and even scraped the wall trying to do so.

Johnson led a race-high 128 of the 334 laps on the way to the win, his first in the spring Texas race, with all his previous victories coming in the track's late-season event.

Earnhardt was only a car length short of overcoming Harvick and had to settle for third, a great comeback drive after a poor qualifying session and a double visit to pit road earlier in the race because of a loose wheel.

Joey Logano drove back up to fourth after contact with Harvick on the final restart had dropped him to eighth, with Penske team-mate Brad Keselowski finishing just behind in fifth.

Keselowski could have been in the victory battle if not for hitting the commitment cone when entering the pits with three quarters of the race gone.

Jamie McMurray finished sixth, the first of the drivers who took two tyres at the final pitstops, ahead of Hendrick duo Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne.

Martin Truex Jr kept up his streak of finishing in the top 10 at every 2015 race in ninth, ahead of Carl Edwards - who scored his first top 10 since joining Joe Gibbs Racing for this year.

Outside the top 10 in 14th was polesitter Kurt Busch, who led 46 laps. As the track cooled down the Stewart-Haas driver began to slip back, and couldn't find a happy medium with his car.

Paul Menard had looked like a driver capable of challenging for the win, but the Richard Childress Chevrolet came to the pits with a mechanical problem with 110 laps to go.

Ryan Blaney was another casualty, the Wood Brothers Ford driver retired from his fifth Cup race on lap 71 with engine trouble.

The 21-year-old had delivered a sterling lap in qualifying, lining up 13th.

RESULTS - 334 LAPS:

LEADING DRIVERS' STANDINGS:

Chase places provisionally secured: Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin