Jimmie Johnson got back to his winning ways this afternoon as the reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion held off a charge by teammates Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton to win the Auto Club 500.

Johnson, who has won an unprecedented four consecutive titles, assumed the lead during a caution period and then held on for the final 20 laps after the restart at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana.

"Life is good, we're glad to be back in Victory Lane," he said.

It was the fifth career victory at Auto Club Speedway for Johnson, who already had held the record for most Cup series wins at the two-mile oval.

The win also enabled Johnson to quickly bounce back from his performance at the season-opening Daytona 500 a week ago, when mechanical problems left him with a 35th-place finish.

Harvick finished second, followed by Burton, his teammate at Richard Childress Racing. Mark Martin, Johnson's teammate at Hendrick Motorsports, was fourth.