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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
CAR DRIVER MAKE SPONSOR 0 David Reutimann Toyota Aaron's Dream Machine 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet Kellogg's / Carquest 6 David Ragan Ford UPS 7 Robby Gordon Toyota Jim Beam 7 Casey Mears Chevrolet Jack Daniel's 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Budweiser 9 David Gilliland Chevrolet Miccosukee Resort & Gaming 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Ground 12 Brad Keselowski Dodge Penske Racing 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Old Spice / Office Depot 16 Greg Biffle Ford 3M 17 Matt Kenseth Ford USG 18 Kyle Busch Toyota Pedigree 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge Insignia 20 Joey Logano* Toyota Home Depot 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont 26 Jamie McMurray Ford Irwin Marathon Saw Blades 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Caterpillar / Cat Financial 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Cheerios / Hamburger Helper 34 John Andretti Chevrolet Taco Bell 36 Michael McDowell Toyota Wave Energy Drink 37 Tony Raines Chevrolet Long John Silver's 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet U.S. Army 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet Target 43 Reed Sorenson Dodge Paralyzed Veterans of America 44 A.J. Allmendinger Ford Ford. Drive one. 47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota Little Debbie / Kingsford / Clorox 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe's 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota NAPA Auto Parts 66 Dave Blaney Toyota Prism Motorsports 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge Mobil 1 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet Furniture Row Companies 82 Scott Speed* Toyota Red Bull 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Amp Energy / National Guard 96 Erik Darnell Ford Valvoline 98 Paul Menard Ford Johns Manville / Menards 99 Carl Edwards Ford Aflac 102 Brandon Ash Dodge Efusjon Energy Club 113 Max Papis* Toyota GEICO 170 Kevin Conway Chevrolet Extenze 171 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet TRG Motorsports 187 Joe Nemechek Toyota NEMCO Motorsports
