With two races left in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Jimmie Johnson leads the standings by 73 points over second-place Mark Martin and 112 points over third-place Jeff Gordon.
With the standings tight as the season comes to a close, everyone wants to know what Johnson has to do to clinch the title.
For Johnson to clinch at Phoenix International Raceway, he will need to lead by 195 points after the race. Currently up 73 points, he’ll need to gain 122 points by the race’s end. If he does that, he will clinch no matter what any other driver does.
For Johnson to clinch at Homestead-Miami Speedway, he will need to average a fourth-place finish over the final two races, or fifth and a lap led in each of the final two races, or sixth and the most laps led in each of the final two races. If he does that, he will clinch no matter what any other driver does.
“Yeah, it’s an exciting time for sure,” Johnson said. “There’s still a lot of racing left, and things can go wrong. But I’m really trying to keep my head down and keep this team focused on doing the job the next two weeks.”
“What got us in this position was racing hard and going for every point, and until it’s mathematically locked up, we’re going to keep that mindset and try to get every point that we can.”
If Johnson does win the title, he will make NASCAR history by becoming the first driver in 61 years of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition to win four consecutive championships. Chad Knaus also will become the first crew chief to win four consecutive titles. Auto Racing Daily
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