Can Johnson make Gordon's statement come true?

OK, so Jimmie Johnson takes over the Chase lead and teammate Jeff Gordon suggest this Chase could be over _ even though it's not hit the halfway point _ if Johnson's team doesn't make any mistakes.

Mark Martin's got to love hearing that, sitting 12 points behind Johnson.

Let's be clear here. This thing isn't over (no, someone from NASCAR is not standing over my shoulder as I write this). That said, it's not going to be easy to beat Johnson. He's strong at Lowe's Motor Speedway and Martinsville, the next two races. This could be an opportunity to pull a bit further head of the cometition.

However, with Talladega looming in three weeks, that will be the key race in the Chase. If Johnson leaves there with a hefty points lead, then you can start thinking about engraving the Cup trophy a fourth consecutive time with his name on it. Until then? Let's not get carried away.

That said, Gordon is right when he says about Johnson's team: "They're going to be hard to beat.  Unless they make a mistake, I don't see how they lose it.''

One thing that was intriguing about Johnson's win Sunday was how his pit crew was off a bit. Twice he entered the pits with the lead and exited third (both times he lost one spot to Denny Hamlin, who was in the first pit stall -- a distinct advantage. Still, it showed an area the 48 team can be better). Another time Johnson lost six spots on a pit stop.

It didn't matter as much Sunday because his car was like the Batmobile against everyone else. Yes, Juan Pablo Montoya was fast. So was Jeff Gordon and Martin but Johnson clearly had the best car. The best car doesn't always win. This time it did. It got better as a fuel run went on. And, when the sun came out, it shined brightest on him. Normally, when the sun is out, Johnson's car isn't as strong, he noted. Not this time. Credit Chad Knaus and the team for that.

Johnson's Chase success, though, is nothing new. Consider:

# He's won 2 of 4 Chase races this year

# He's won 5 of the last 12 Chase races

# As the only driver to be in every Chase race, Johnson has won 16 of the 54 Chase races won.

That's dominance.

ON TO OTHER ASPECTS OF THE RACE:

# Mark Martin lost the points lead and while he'll take a fourth-place finish, he wasn't thrilled that there were so many restarts at the end.

"I wish we didn't have to have so many restarts at the end of these races,'' he said. "When you have one with 15 or 20 to go, you're going to have five, four. It's just too bad. It's winners and losers. On the next-to-last restart I went from fourth to third and that's where I was going to finish. On the last restart, I went from third to fourth and almost fifth. You've got to race your guts out. That's what it is. It's exciting for the fans and that's what the racing has come to today. We have to do that to sustain the hugeness of this sport. You've got to take the good with the bad.''

# Kasey Kahne was not happy at the end. A debris caution from laps 236-238 bunched the field. Then Kahne and Greg Biffle wrecked just after the restart. They both come back and Kahne is involved in the eight-car crash a few laps later after the racing resumes.

After that, Kahne chided NASCAR, saying on ABC's coverage: "NASCAR threw a debris caution for no debris. That was a caution to put a show on for fans. Sometimes, it ruins people's days. Today, it was ours.''

Kahne no doubt was frustrated, seeing a good run end with a 34th-place finish. As for seeing debris, Juan Pablo Montoya was asked if he sees the debris and he said: "I never pay attention unless they tell me there's a door or a freaking bumper in the middle of the road.''

# One bad race and one mistake. That's what will cost you a championship. Four races in and Denny Hamlin has had both. That's why he's ninth in the standings, 217 points behind Jimmie Johnson. No championship this year for Hamlin.

His back was against the wall after finishing 22nd at Dover. Then while leading Sunday, he came down to block Montoya just as Johnson gave Montoya an aerodynamic push. Montoya surged forward. Hamlin and Montoya hit as Hamlin came down and Hamlin wrecked. He finished 37th.

"It was just a dumb mistake,'' Hamlin said. "We'd just gotten the lead on pit road. Not a smart move.''

# Kudos to Tony Stewart for finsihing fifth after being caught for speeding on pit road. He's fourth in the standings, 84 points behind Johnson. Stewart will also be one to watch the next couple of weeks. Recall, he won the All-Star race at Charlotte, so you know he's good there. And he's good at Martinsville. He could make things interesting the next couple of weeks.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

SHORT TAKES

# RCR had three cars in the top 11 with Clint Bowyer 9th, Kevin Harvick 10th and Casey Mears 11th. Jeff Burton placed 30th.

# Matt Kenseth, who won the February race here, finished 13th.

# Top six finishers were Chase drivers. Seven of the Top 10 were Chase drivers. Every Chase race so far has had at least 7 Chase drivers in the top 10.

# Juan Pablo Montoya is the only Chase driver to finish in the top five in each of the first four Chase races and he's further out of the Chase lead then when the Chase started and the points were reset.

# Michael Waltrip's 17th-place finish was his best since placing 17th at Pocono more than four months ago in early June.

# Jeff Gordon, who finished second, led six laps. They are the first laps he's led in the Chase this year.

# David Ragan's 7th-place finish was his first top-10 finish since placing 6th in the season-opening Daytona 500.

 OK, that will do for now. So what did you think? Is this Chase close to be over with Johnson winning again? Or do you think the best is yet to come? Are you going to keep watching or not?

COMMENTS ADVISORY: Users are solely responsible for opinions they post here; comments do not reflect the views of The Virginian-Pilot or its websites. Users must follow agreed-upon rules: Be civil, be clean, be on topic; don't attack private individuals, other users or classes of people. Read the full rules here.
- Comments are automatically checked for inappropriate language, but readers might find some comments offensive or inaccurate. If you believe a comment violates our rules, click the report violation link below it.