LONG POND, Pa. -- As Jimmie Johnson zeroes in on impending fatherhood it's unknown what dimensions his driving persona will develop -- but Sunday at Pocono Raceway was classic Johnson and the result was a fifth-place finish in the Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500.

In the past three races Johnson's No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team had spiraled from second in the championship to fourth to seventh coming to Pocono, thanks to uncharacteristic mistakes on the race track and pit road that had resulted in finishes of 36th (Darlington), 16th (Dover) and 37th (Charlotte).

The malaise continued Friday when Johnson was quickest in the opening practice, only to slip to 26th in qualifying.

But it all changed Sunday, when a rain shower delayed the race's start more than two hours. But nothing was going to rain on Johnson's parade, as he roared from 26th into the top 10 before 30 laps were run.

From there, Johnson was a fixture in the top 10 for 100 laps before what's become a typical wild closing brought five cautions in the last 45 laps. At that point Johnson was third, but he pitted for fuel and four tires and restarted 21st.

He never was worried.

"I'm very happy -- not only for the way we were fighting on the track but I had a front-row seat for the 20 [Joey Logano] and the 29 [Kevin Harvick]," Johnson said with a laugh as he described the incident in Turn 3 that brought out the penultimate caution, which also caused a green-white-checkered finish.

"It was a great effort. We had a great race car and was able to deliver [a good finish]. I tried not to be too comfortable and take unneeded risks and it was the right call. I guess I've been living on the other side of the line for a few weeks and I made some mistakes.

"So I'm very proud of the effort -- a great race car. We're just fine, we're having fun and it was just nice to get a top-five."

Johnson had scored top-fives in five of the first eight races this season -- including three victories -- when he left Richmond second in the points. But he was taken out in a vicious wreck when A.J. Allmendinger's brakes failed at Darlington; he sped late on pit road at Dover and lost a chance at a win; then had a miserable, multiple-mistake and crash-filled night at Charlotte, of all places. (Continued)