Jimmie Johnson took command of the Nextel Cup championship Sunday, winning at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz., to open a daunting lead over teammate Jeff Gordon in the race to the title.
Johnson, the defending Nextel Cup champ, heads to next week’s season finale in Homestead, Fla., with a comfortable 86-point lead over Gordon. He needs to finish 18th or better to become the first driver since Gordon in 1997 and 1998 to win consecutive titles.
“It’s over. It’s over,” conceded Gordon, the four-time series champion. “Even if we win it, it’s because they have problems. While we’ll accept it, we don’t want to do it that way.
“Those guys have flat-out killed everybody. And you’ve got to give credit where credit is due.”
Johnson was subdued in Victory Lane, and refused to claim the title.
“Homestead is going to be a stressful weekend. We’ve got seven more days, I’m just going to try to keep my mind clear and focus on the things we need to do,” Johnson said. “This is kind of where we were last year. We just have to go down there and be smart, and see how it shakes out.”
Gordon was off all day. He had a tire rub after making contact with Kevin Harvick, and finished a disappointing 10th.
It was a crushing performance on a day when Johnson raced to his fourth consecutive victory and 10th of the season. He became the first driver to win four straight in a season since Gordon did the feat in 1998, and his season victory total is the most since Gordon won 13 races that same year.
“They are as good as any group I’ve seen, including Jeff in his heyday when he was winning 10 races a year,” said 2003 champion Matt Kenseth.
