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FORT WORTH, Texas -- With three races left in the season, Kyle Busch provides a cautionary tale for Jimmie Johnson.

It was Busch who seemed "invincible'' entering the Chase, as teammate Denny Hamlin called him, only to see his title hopes crash in an unimaginable three-race stretch of mistakes and malfunctions.

If it can happen to Busch, then maybe it will happen to Johnson -- at least anyone not wanting Johnson to win a third consecutive title thinks. The odds, though, that two of NASCAR's top teams would have such a meltdown seem rare.

This is what the Chase has become: Looking at any possibility, no matter how remote, that keeps Johnson from winning. Fans, media and even competitors have suggested different points systems in recent weeks to tighten Johnson's 183-point lead on Carl Edwards.

Texas Motor Speedway could play a role if Johnson has problems. This 1.5-mile speedway is known for some bizarre situations. This is one of the two tracks on the schedule where pole-sitter Jeff Gordon has never won a Cup race. Saturday, Tony Stewart blew a right rear tire and shredded the back of his car, forcing him to go to a backup car, a rarity for him.

Although Johnson won this race last year, beating Matt Kenseth in a thrilling duel in the final laps, he knows trouble could loom. Just as it did for Busch in September.

"I face that reality every time I get in the car,'' says Johnson, who starts today's race seventh. "That's why we race as hard as we do and why we've always said we need to go out and focus on winning races, because you don't know when or if the wheels are going to fall off and &ellipses; how many points you really will need to be the champion.''

Johnson needs to finish ninth in each of the remaining races to claim his title. He's scored a top-10 finish in 21 of the last 23 Chase races.

Greg Biffle, who trails Johnson by 185 points, says a similar Busch collapse from Johnson is needed to close the gap.

"We've seen it happen and maybe you get comfortable and kind of relaxed and stuff jumps out and bites you,'' Biffle said. "That can happen.

"That's why were not going to walk away with our tail between our legs yet. After Phoenix, if he's got enough of a margin to clinch the title, then we will walk away with our tail between our legs.''

NATIONWIDE: Busch overpowered the field Saturday, winning in the second-tier for a record-tying 10th time this season.

Busch, whose first victory this season came on the same 1.5-mile oval in April, matched Sam Ard's season record set in 1983. He held off a charging Carl Edwards in the final laps of the O'Reilly Challenge.

Combined with Clint Bowyer's sixth-place finish, Edwards moved within 91 points of the series leader with two races remaining.

PIT STOPS: Edwards was the fastest in Saturday's final practice session with a lap of 182.082 mph. Kyle Busch was second at 181.397 mph. Jimmie Johnson was 12th at 179.892 mph, and pole-sitter Jeff Gordon was 33rd at 175.718 mph. &ellipses; Robby Gordon, who crashed, will join Tony Stewart in driving backups and starting at the rear of the field today. &ellipses; NASCAR is talking to teams about adjusting the proposed testing policy for next year. The original plan was for teams to have 24 days of testing at tracks that host Cup races. Now, that figure is likely to be cut in half to help teams save money.

Contact Dustin Long at 373-7062 or dustin.long@news-record.com

The Associated Press contributed to this report