Johnson again plays his cards right in Vegas

No driver appreciated the recent changes made to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway more than Jimmie Johnson, who won the NASCAR Nextel Cup race here the previous two years.

But even with its new paving and higher-banked corners, the 1.5-mile oval “still has its unique Las Vegas feel,” Johnson said.

So does its Victory Lane, where Johnson celebrated again Sunday by winning the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 for the third consecutive year in front of an estimated 156,000.

The reigning Cup champion did it the hard way, overcoming a pit-stop penalty that left his No. 48 Chevrolet deep in the 43-car field midway through the race.

It took him about 100 of the 267 laps to claw his way back, overtake teammate Jeff Gordon and hold the lead for good to get the 150th Cup victory for Hendrick Motorsports.

“To get three at the same place is very special, especially when they’ve changed the race track,” said Johnson, an El Cajon, Calif., native. “We put a lot into it and it’s nice to get the reward.”

Johnson, 31, won by nearly three seconds over Gordon on a sunny, windy day, with Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing third and Matt Kenseth of Roush Fenway Racing fourth.

Mark Martin finished fifth in a Ginn Racing Chevrolet, and the 48-year-old veteran still leads the Cup standings by six points over Gordon.

Martin has said he plans to drive only a partial schedule this year, but his strong finish again Sunday kept alive speculation that he might change his mind.

Most drivers didn’t change their negative opinions about the hazards of driving the reconfigured Las Vegas Speedway. A dozen cars spun out or hit the wall Sunday, much as they did in the Busch Series race Saturday.

The track was repaved and its corner banking was raised to 20 degrees from 12 in the off-season. That led to sharply higher speeds, prompting Goodyear to use a harder tire to keep speeds under control.

But the new tire made the cars slick and unstable, drivers said, and there were nine accidents Sunday. Gordon called it “a white-knuckle experience the whole weekend,” and even Johnson said he “had two or three instances myself where I lost control of the car.”

Both called on NASCAR, the teams and Goodyear to find a solution. “The sport is too big to be making last-minute changes,” Johnson said.

Johnson’s win was the 24th of his career, and it was the first time a driver won three consecutive years at the same track since Greg Biffle won at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

Johnson was strong early but ran into trouble during a pit stop, when one of his tires rolled too far from his pit stall. That drew a penalty from NASCAR that sent him to 25th place.

Then, “Jimmie buckled down and got after it,” said his crew chief, Chad Knaus. Johnson took the lead after passing Gordon and Jeff Burton, whose Richard Childress Racing Chevy was in contention before an electrical problem shuffled him to 15th.

Johnson is making a habit of rebounding from early problems to claim victory.

He won at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last summer after a flat tire left him 38th. And in last season’s final race at Homestead-Miami, he finished ninth to win the Nextel Cup after driving his debris-damaged car from 39th.

“[Johnson] and that team are fighters, they don’t give up,” said Gordon, the four-time Cup champion who won here in 2001.

Gordon said his second-place finish was “bittersweet” because, though it sustained his strong start this season, “I felt like we had the car to beat and we got beat.”

Local favorites Kyle and Kurt Busch, who grew up in Las Vegas, struggled much of the day. Kyle finished ninth and Kurt was 26th.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 11th and climbed to 28th from 40th in the points.

Juan Pablo Montoya was 22nd and pole-sitter Kasey Kahne finished 35th after slamming into the wall late in the race.

The next race is at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga., next Sunday.

james.peltz@latimes.com