CONCORD, N.C. -- It may have been a familiar car up front in Saturday's Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but it was hardly just another hum-drum NASCAR championship effort. Jimmie Johnson finished third behind winner Jamie McMurray and the night's most dominant driver, Kyle Busch, and still extended his NASCAR Sprint Cup championship lead to 41 points over second place Denny Hamlin. Most disconcerting to his competition is the fact the four-time defending series champ scored the finish despite an early race spin, pit road collision and uncharacteristic pit stop bobble.
"Ah, Superman; he woke up,'' Busch said at one point midway through the race while exchanging the lead with Johnson, who had just overcome a series of early race setbacks.
With five races remaining in NASCAR's 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup playoffs, Johnson has clearly established himself as the odds-on favorite, man-to-beat for an unprecedented and unthinkable fifth consecutive title.
"We've had a little more drama in this situation than we would have wanted to,'' Johnson's crew chief Chad Knaus offered Saturday night. Yet somehow, even nights like this haven't derailed his title hopes in the least.
The other 11 Sprint Cup playoff drivers must be asking themselves, 'What's it going to take?' Even when Johnson has bad luck or makes mistakes, the team still manages to prevail.
"The finish was great, but the first half of the race was a disaster for us,'' said Johnson, who drives the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet. "I'm so relieved to be sitting here in third spot and still leading the points.
"It's amazing what goes through your mind when you're sliding around on the back straightaway. I saw all my hard work for the year and all the dreams of being a five-time champion go away. Fortunately, my car turned away from the wall and, at that point, scared me straight.
"We kept our composure. In the summer months, the issues with the car, the spin, our frustrations would have gotten the best of us and we would have taken ourselves out of contention. But tonight the team stayed in it, Chad did, I did, (spotter) Earl (Barban) kept us calm. I hope we look back at it and say, 'Tonight was a good night.'''
"The finish was great, but the first half of the race was a disaster for us. I'm so relieved to be sitting here in third spot and still leading the points."
-- Jimmie Johnson
Not so much for many of Johnson's key challengers. The race had dramatic effects on the championship standings -- clearly separating Johnson, Hamlin and third place Kevin Harvick from the other chasers. Harvick is 77 points behind Johnson, thanks to an eighth-place finish Saturday night.
Many of the other Chase contenders experienced bad luck and mechanical problems. Unlike Johnson, they weren't able to salvage the night.
Johnson's Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon entered the night ranked fourth trailing Johnson by 85 points. He remained in fourth place, but is now 156 points back thanks to a 23rd-place finish Saturday, his No. 24 DuPont Chevy hampered with electrical problems.
Similarly, Tony Stewart retained his fifth-place ranking, but instead of being 107 points out, he's now 177 points behind Johnson. Like Johnson, the two-time champ Stewart also had contact with another car, a pit road problem and issues getting his No. 14 Old Spice/Old Depot Chevy running to his liking. He, however, wasn't able to overcome the problems and finished 21st in the race.
Busch's runner-up effort placed him in a tie with Stewart, 177 points behind Johnson with five races remaining to settle the championship.
"Tonight is a night that reminds me of the last four years and what made this team champions,'' Johnson said. "I hope tonight's performance leads us to a championship. I hope we look back and say, Charlotte was a key point for us in the championship battle.''
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