USA TODAY International Edition
Johnson closes in on No. 6
AVONDALE, ARIZ. Jimmie Johnson says clinching won’t be a layup, but a sixth Sprint Cup championship for the Hendrick Motorsports driver seems to be a slam dunk with one race left.
Johnson will take a 28- point lead over Matt Kenseth into Sunday’s season finale at Homestead- Miami Speedway after finishing third in the AdvoCare 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. With a 23rd- place finish ( or a 24th or 25th, depending on laps led), he can clinch a title that would leave him one short of the record seven held by Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty.
In the first nine races of the Chase for the Sprint Cup, Johnson has averaged a finish of 4.7 ( on pace for a record mark in the 10- race title run).
“Even with a nice points lead, I’m not going to take any week any differently,” said Johnson, who started from the pole position in a race that was won by Kevin Harvick. “There’s still a lot of pressure to get the job done, and it’s no layup at all.”
Homestead hasn’t been so kind to Johnson, whose No. 48 Chevrolet has finished 32nd and 36th the last two years, but he often has played it safe there in clinching all five of his titles at the 1.5- mile track, which is one of five he hasn’t conquered in NASCAR’s premier series.
“I would love to win the race and the championship, but we’ll just have to see how things develop in the race and where we are relative to ( Kenseth),” he said. “The big prize is what we’re focused on; it’s not so much that individual win.”
Said crew chief Chad Knaus: “Man, there’s no cushions right now. It’s going to be a battle next week.”
Kenseth, though, seemed as if he were ready to concede after failing to lead for the first time during the Chase. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver, who trailed Johnson by seven points entering Phoenix, struggled to a 23rd that was his worst finish in three months.
“I’m disappointed,” Kenseth said. “On the other hand, I’m really proud of my team. It’s a special group of guys. We’ve had just an amazing, incredible season. We’ve still got one week left. Hopefully we can go to Homestead and contend for a win.”