Johnson has first view from the top of Chase field

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Racing for the Nextel Cup title is an annual event for Jimmie Johnson, one of only two drivers who have participated in all four years of the Chase for the championship.
But he's never had a view from the top, at least not at the start of the Chase.

The reigning Nextel Cup champion kicks off his title defense Sunday in New Hampshire as the top seed in the Chase, the first time he's starting the 10-race showcase first in the standings.

This new positioning hasn't changed his approach - Johnson didn't even realize anything was different until his wife pointed it out.

"Channy reminded me of that the other night, and I couldn't believe it," Johnson said. "I guess that goes to show that I won't be changing much, and you really can't because we're still learning a lot about the Chase. I just don't know how important these bonus points are going to be."

NASCAR changed the seeding format this season, awarding 10-point bonuses for every "regular season" victory. Johnson won the last two races - giving him a series-best six on the season - to break a tie with teammate Jeff Gordon and earn the top seed in the Chase.

He's up 20 points on Gordon, 30 on two-time champion Tony Stewart, and 60 on Clint Bowyer, the 12th driver in the Chase.

Although he's been the most consistent regular-season driver since 2004, Johnson always coughed up his points lead before the start of the Chase. He dropped to second the inaugural year, fourth in 2005 and second last season.

Compounding the problem has been slow starts to the Chase that made Johnson play catch-up the rest of the way. None was as bad as last season, though, when he wrecked in New Hampshire to finish 39th and plummet to ninth in the standings.

He recovered, though, to win his first Nextel Cup title.

But he can't bank on last year's model. Although one bad race didn't cripple his chances, there's no guarantee any driver will have that cushion again. Johnson knows that from 2004, when Kurt Busch was flawless en route to his title and no one could catch him.

"Last year we got lucky in that after the tough start, everybody else had some bad luck as well," he said. "But I look back at when Kurt Busch won it in '04, there weren't a lot of mulligans that year. He was so consistent that it became really difficult for anyone else to overcome a bad race."

So how will Johnson and his Hendrick Motorsports team approach the Chase this year?

"We're just out to rack up as many top 10s as possible," he said. "Top fives would obviously be better, and wins, of course we'd take them, too."

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Article Number: 000108