NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
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CUP: Chase History Favors Johnson
Jimmie Johnson has two-point edge over Brad Keselowski with three races remaining…
Mike Hembree  |  Posted November 01, 2012   Charlotte, NC
Jimmie Johnson is a five-time Sprint Cup Series champion. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
Although the point numbers are really close – Jimmie Johnson leads Brad Keselowski by only two entering Chase Race Eight Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, the history gives Johnson a little breathing room.

In the eight Chase competitions since the debut of the format in 2004, the driver leading the points with three races remaining has gone on to win the championship. Johnson made that history three times himself – in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Kurt Busch (2004) and Tony Stewart (2005) also scored titles with three-races-to-go leads.

If Johnson can hold serve, a sixth championship is his. But there are treacherous laps ahead, particularly at Sunday’s super-fast TMS course. Johnson’s history of been-there, done-that in the Chase should be helpful.

“Without a doubt, experience is so helpful,” Johnson said. “My friends, after we were able to win the first, second, so on and so forth, everybody would share with me through the season how stressed I was. I knew I was stressed, but I thought I was hiding it well.

“Year one, I wasn’t hiding it well. By year five, I found a way to enjoy myself down the stretch in the final race. That has led to this year. Last year, I didn’t enjoy myself because we weren’t performing like we wanted to. It’s hard to have fun when you don’t get the results you want. This year, we’ve been working hard, the results are there. It’s been even more fun and more relaxed, and I feel we’re doing a better job as a result.”

Johnson’s victory last Sunday at Martinsville marked his first in this year’s Chase. Although it’s the latest he’s ever scored his first Chase victory, the win was Johnson’s 21st in the playoffs, easily the record. In second is Tony Stewart with 11.

Johnson is the only driver who has won at least one race in all nine Chases.

At Texas, Johnson has won once, with eight top fives and 13 top 10s.

The TMS surface is weathered enough for good racing, Johnson said.

“It’s a little bit older, so we have a higher tire wear,” he said. “Most cases, I don’t want to say you’ll never take two, but four tires really makes a big difference there. We’ll race from the line to the wall, something we weren’t able to see at Kansas.

“This new asphalt we have at places like Charlotte, Michigan, Kansas, Phoenix, it doesn’t wear the tire, and the car gets really nervous. There’s a lot of grip. When you get close to the edge of traction, the car gets nervous and starts wandering around a little bit and then spins out on you.

“Texas doesn’t have that feeling. You can actually slide the car, drift it around. It’s really just the interaction between the tire and the surface itself. Texas, although it’s fast and plenty challenging, you can at least drift it a little bit and not get in trouble.”

Johnson will likely be among the favorites Sunday. His next Sprint Cup victory will be his 60th.

Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 30 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
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