Rewind | Stewart's the mellow one now?

In the mirror

Where do they go from here?

The scariest thing about Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus – for their rivals – is that they show no sign of slowing down.

Mark Martin says the No. 48 team's performance means he has to work harder, next week and next season.

Johnson is about to wrap up his fourth straight title. He has been a championship contender every year he has been in the series.

Looking at what's accomplished, one wonders what's still ahead?

An atta-boy from a former teammate

Richard Childress Racing has been written off most of this season, in large part because none of its four teams qualified for the Chase.

But in recent weeks, the organization has been putting up some strong results, although not across the board.

On Sunday, Jeff Burton finished second and Clint Bowyer seventh.

Martin was so impressed with Burton's run that he went over to congratulate him on pit road after the race.

Ah, yes, when the race was the deal

There's not a lot of uncertainty heading to the championship weekend.

The Truck series title is decided, Kyle Busch needs only to start the Nationwide race to claim that title and Johnson is in solid position to win the Cup title.

Perhaps it’s time to rethink strategy, or go back to what promoters used to do – promote the individual race each weekend rather than sell a championship battle.

The Chasers' race

1. Jimmie Johnson

Last weekend may have been a downer for Johnson, wrecking on Lap 3 and finishing 38th. But Sunday’s win erased those bad memories fast.

“We could have easily been beat down and certainly there were some dark moments over the last week worrying about the points lead and what we lost. These guys can bounce back,” Johnson said.

“We’ve always been good at it. To come, bounce back and qualify strong, run well in practice, great stops all day long, dominate this race so I’m very proud of these guys.”

2. Mark Martin (-108)

Championship or not, Martin relishes his return to fulltime racing and more importantly, his return to competing on a sustained, high level.

“I’m pretty proud of what we’ve done this season,” he said. “That’s really all I’ve got to say about it.”

3. Jeff Gordon (-169)

Once Johnson starts the race at Homestead, Gordon becomes eliminated from any title hopes but Gordon is already looking ahead.

“We want to beat the No. 48 team,” he said. “So, it inspires us over the off-season to try to get better and we’ll look at doing that.”

4. Kurt Busch (-211)

Although out of the championship hunt, Busch still believes he can catch Jeff Gordon and is looking to end the season with a win.

“We’re bringing back the car we with at Texas,” Busch said. “Our team has an upbeat feel. We’ve had a long year.”

5. Tony Stewart (-285)

No post-race comments from Stewart, but he had plenty to say on his radio after getting caught up in a wreck on Lap 171 started when Dale Earnhardt Jr. spun out.

Stewart slammed his hands inside the car and called Earnhardt a “no talent (expletive).”

6. Juan Pablo Montoya (-289)

Montoya said he fought a bad-handling car but still managed to finish eighth.

“I was fighting a tight car in the center all day long,” he said. “Still to walk away with a top-10 doesn’t make for a terrible day.”

7. Greg Biffle (-321)

Biffle ran mid-pack most of the day and wasn’t very upbeat about things getting better soon.

“It’s been that way all year,” he said. “There was no light at the end of the tunnel. Just keep after it.”

8. Denny Hamlin (-352)

Hamlin ran well and did not get in any on-track incidents with Brad Keselowski, which seemed possible after their run-in during Saturday’s Nationwide race.

9. Ryan Newman (-411)

Newman was none-too-pleased with his pit crew’s work on Sunday. Newman finished 20th and got some damage from the Lap 171 wreck.

“Had a bad points day, had a bad day and a terrible pit road day,” he said. “The focus next week is to try to have a good run but we’ve got to do something on pit road.”

10. Kasey Kahne (-476)

Long green-flag runs didn’t bode well for Kahne, who needed pit stops to make handling adjustments to his car. He finished 15th.

11. Carl Edwards (-520)

At one point during the race, Edwards fell two laps down. He rallied late and got back on the lead lap, and finished 16th.

12. Brian Vickers (-666)

The Chase has not been kind to Vickers, who was caught up in the nine-car wreck on Lap 171.

Key moments

Lap 53

Jimmie Johnson leads his first lap of the race, picking up another five bonus points.

Lap 90

Johnson passes Kurt Busch for the third time in the race. This time, it’s nearly for good. He will lead 215 of the final 219 laps of the race.

Lap 120

The first wreck of the race involves nine cars on the frontstretch but doesn’t collect any championship contenders.

Lap 171

Dale Earnhardt Jr. spins out and starts a nine-car wreck coming off Turn 4. Among those collected are Tony Stewart and Brian Vickers.

Lap 312

Johnson easily holds off Jeff Burton by 1.033 seconds for his seventh victory of the season and fourth in the Chase.

Next race

Ford 400

Where: Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead, Fla.

When: 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

TV: ABC.

Radio: Motor Racing Network.

Last year’s winner: Carl Edwards.

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