Johnson thinking in 3s

Sure, this weekend marked the opening game for the NFL, but it was NASCAR that was in the forefront of my mind on Sunday. With the Chase for the Sprint Cup set to begin next weekend in New Hampshire, there is one driver who sticks out in my mind as the favorite to win the Cup, and you won’t find his name on a beer can. I’m talking about Jimmie Johnson.

I know Kyle Busch has basically dominated the field this season, and Carl Edwards has been a consistent winner, but I have a feeling Jimmie has no intention of giving up his title without a fight.

The two-time defending Cup champion has a great chance to make it three in a row with another win this season. He’d be the first to pull off such a feat since Cale Yarborough did it from 1976 to 1978.

Jimmie earned the checkered flag for the second consecutive race Sunday, passing Tony Stewart and Martin Truex Jr. for the lead with just 32 laps to go. He was then able to hold off a hard charge by Stewart to cruise to a victory that gives him some much-needed momentum going into the Chase.

Johnson will begin the Chase seeded third based on his four wins this season, behind Busch with eight wins and Edwards with six. The rest of the field consists of Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer.

During the past several weeks, it’s been obvious to me Johnson has had the best car. Crew chief Chad Knaus and the rest of the pit crew have done an excellent job preparing the No. 48 car to go fast down the stretch.

They aren’t afraid to take chances and are always one of the best crews in the pit, as they routinely replace all four tires, keeping Johnson’s Chevy the freshest car on the track.

I got a chance to see and interview Johnson at this year’s Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, and I could see a swagger about him that I don’t see with many other drivers. It’s not cockiness, but it’s as if he knows something you don’t.

He doesn’t carry the appearance of a good old boy like Dale Jr., and he didn’t have the “I really don’t care about this interview, and I haven’t slept in two days” look of Kyle Busch. It’s what I’d expect from a defending champion.

Through most of the season, many believed Johnson was flying under the radar. How did the driver feel about that?

“I hate it – ‘flying below the radar,’” he said with sarcasm. “I miss people throwing things at me.”

If he keeps on winning, the only thing he’ll have to worry about being thrown his way is confetti.