Johnson opens Chase seeking 7th title

It’s been 11 weeks since Jimmie Johnson’s last victory, and he suffered through his typical summer swoon.

But as the defending NASCAR champion prepares for the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, he feels as confident as ever that he’ll once again be hoisting the prize at the end of the year. Johnson goes into the Chase opener Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway attempting to kick off a record-tying seventh title run. Only Hall of Famers Richard Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt have won seven.

“I feel good. We’ve come through some tracks that historically aren’t good for us with top-10, top-five runs,” he said. “I feel like we’ve gotten rid of the bad luck; we’re running where we should. We’re getting to the finish line and coming into seven or eight of my best tracks. We’re definitely going in the right direction.

“I honestly feel better about our chances this year than I did last year on this same day.”

Johnson, who won three races this season and is tied for the second seed in the Chase, stumbled through July with consecutive 42nd-place finishes at Daytona and New Hampshire and was 39th at Pocono and 28th at Watkins Glen.

He’s since rebounded with four consecutive top-10 finishes, including eighth place last week at Richmond, where he had to be treated for dehydration after the race because of a problem with his helmet cooling system.