LONG POND, Pa. — In a race marred by the death of a fan hit by lightning, Jeff Gordon earned his first victory of the season Sunday, taking advantage of an accident sparked by teammate Jimmie Johnson and going on to win when the race was called because of a downpour preceding the storm.

After the race, Pocono officials said one person died and nine others were injured after a lightning strike in the parking lot behind the grandstand.

‘‘You hate to hear something like that,’’ Gordon said. ‘‘Certainly our thoughts are with them.’’

Gordon earned his 86th career victory, winning for the first time since September 2011 at Atlanta Motor Speedway to thrust himself into wild-card contention in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

Johnson inadvertently gave his Hendrick Motorsports teammate the help he needed. Johnson’s No. 48 had a flat tire off a restart and slammed Matt Kenseth into the wall. Kenseth slid down the track and took out Denny Hamlin and three other cars.

With an unexpected opening triggered by the accident, Gordon zagged and zipped the No. 24 through holes like an All-Pro running back, splashing his way to victory.

‘‘When I saw the opening to get inside, I was taking it,’’ Gordon said. The race was called with 98 of the 160 scheduled laps completed.