NASCAR at Kansas 2015 Results: Winner, Standings, Highlights and Reaction

Jimmie Johnson led only 10 of the 267 laps during Saturday's SpongeBob SquarePants 400 at Kansas Speedway, but all that matters is that the No. 48 car was in first place as the checkered flag waved. 

No Sprint Cup driver owns more victories this season than Johnson, per NASCAR Stats:

Derek Togerson of NBC 7 in San Diego feels Johnson is second to none when it comes to 1.5-mile tracks:

"

If it's a 1.5-mile track, Jimmie Johnson is in contention. JJ gets the win in Kansas!

— Derek Togerson (@DerekNBCSD) May 10, 2015"

Hendrick Motorsports added that Saturday night marked two major milestones for the six-time points champion:

Victory Lane certainly made for a surreal experience, as Johnson celebrated with characters from SpongeBob SquarePants and lifted a trophy bearing the main character's likeness, per NASCAR:

Everything came down to the final restart with seven laps remaining. A caution on Lap 256 forced many crew chiefs to make tough decisions in the pits. Some cars took fuel and tires, while others opted for just fuel.

At the restart, Johnson was in the lead, but Kevin Harvick had two fresh tires and thus looked poised to overtake the No. 48 car. It seemed only a matter of time before Harvick jumped into first, but Johnson managed to hold him off.

It was a great piece of driving, and crew chief Chad Knaus' late gamble on the last pit stop ultimately paid off.

Here's a look at the top 10 from the race:

Pos.	Driver	Laps Led
1	Jimmie Johnson	10
2	Kevin Harvick	53
3	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	0
4	Jeff Gordon	0
5	Joey Logano	29
6	Matt Kenseth	1
7	Brad Keselowski	43
8	Kurt Busch	20
9	Martin Truex Jr.	95
10	Ryan Newman	0

Martin Truex Jr. continues to be plagued by bad luck. He led for 95 laps on the night and had one of the strongest cars in the field. Truex's last pit stop might have cost him a chance at getting back into the lead. He took only fuel instead of fuel and tires. With the tires, he potentially could have made a push toward Johnson. Without them, he wound up in ninth.

Truex still has more points than all but one driver, but his lack of a win in 2015 is obviously glaring.

Pos.	Driver	Points	Wins
1	Jimmie Johnson	389	3
2	Kevin Harvick	437	2
3	Joey Logano	375	1
4	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	360	1
5	Brad Keselowski	343	1
6	Matt Kenseth	331	1
7	Kurt Busch	292	1
8	Denny Hamlin	284	1
9	Martin Truex Jr.	391	0
10	Jamie McMurray	328	0
11	Jeff Gordon	317	0
12	Kasey Kahne	313	0
13	Aric Almirola	312	0
14	Paul Menard	306	0
15	Ryan Newman	305	0
16	Clint Bowyer	272	0

Mother Nature decided to interrupt the proceedings on the 98th lap, as the heavens opened up and drenched Kansas Speedway. MLB.com's Matthew Leach felt that NASCAR was only asking for trouble scheduling a race near Kansas City in the spring:

Although the rain was obviously a nuisance, it made for a sweeping visual after the bad weather rolled out and the sunset rolled in, per Eli Gold of the Motor Racing Network:

"

A beautiful Kansas sky after the rain during tonight's race. pic.twitter.com/qfeuZjdW0v

— Eli Gold (@EliGoldBama) May 10, 2015"

Even after the rain dried completely, it made things interesting for the drivers and crew chiefs, who had to adjust their strategies to suit the new track conditions.

Most seemed to conform well, with only nine total cautions occurring throughout the race and 23 cars finishing on the lead lap.

One driver who continued to be snakebit throughout the night, though, was Joey Logano. Although Logano finished fifth, he easily could have challenged for the win if he hadn't continually gotten pushed back in the field. No one moment was more frustrating for Logano than when he entered pit road too early on Lap 186, per Fox Sports 1:

As a result, he restarted from the back. Logano wasted little time in returning to a solid position, but that infraction essentially cost him any chance of winning.

Many eyes were on Erik Jones Saturday night. The 18-year-old replaced Denny Hamlin during last month's Bristol race, but the SpongeBob SquarePants 400 was effectively his Sprint Cup debut.

Jones talked Friday about his mindset going into the race, per ESPN.com's Mark Ashenfelter:

"

There is a little bit more nerves going into the race weekend. I'm not feeling them right now. ... I'm sure as the race comes around and as we get closer to the start time I'll be a little bit nervous about getting the green flag and going out and making laps. Right now, feel pretty calm, but there's definitely more time to think about it.

"

Few young drivers look to have more promise than Jones, so a lot of fans were curious to see how he would perform at Kansas.

Jones ultimately spun out around Turn 4 on Lap 196, but his race has to be considered a small success. He more than held his own with the circuit's biggest stars, and his mistake was one that comes with inexperience.

Jones accepted responsibility for his mistake, per Fox Sports:

USA Today's Jeff Gluck walked away dazzled by the youngster's somewhat brief performance:

Jones eventually returned to the race, but he finished 40th, 25 laps off the lead.

The Sprint Cup goes on a bit of a break next week. Drivers will head to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Sprint Showdown on Friday and All-Star Race on Saturday.

With a cool $1 million on the line, you can bet that drivers will have their eyes firmly focused on the prize.