news-record.com

DOVER, Del. — This is looking all too familiar. Two races into NASCAR's Sprint Cup Chase and Jimmie Johnson is stalking the points leader. Again.

This time, it's Mark Martin. He leads Johnson by 10 points after Sunday's race at Dover International Speedway. This is the third consecutive year Johnson has been 10 points or closer to the lead after the fall Dover race. He won the title the other two years, part of his streak of three consecutive crowns.

So knowing Johnson's past success in the Chase, is the title run over?

Some fans might think so or even say so. Competitors, though, disagree. Juan Pablo Montoya, 65 points behind Martin in third, says Martin actually has the tougher team. Even so, that's still a Hendrick Motorsports car.

What could be most discouraging to other Chase teams, though, is the schedule. The series heads to Kansas, a 1.5-mile speedway where Johnson won last year, then to Auto Club Speedway in California, a two-mile track. Horsepower and aerodynamics are key at both places, and Hendrick cars excel in those areas. That could make it difficult to catch Johnson and Martin.

"I think we have a really good plan in place," Johnson says of the upcoming tracks. "I just think we might be a little bit more organized this year and in a better place. I've been saying it through the summer months, and I know our results didn't show it, but our car's been much faster this year, start to finish than the last three years where we've been able to win the championship."

No, the Chase isn't over, but it won't be easy for someone other than Johnson to win. Then again, shouldn't winning the championship be a challenge?

SHOWING WHAT HE CAN DO: Juan Pablo Montoya is showing what he can do when he's got good equipment. He was fast all weekend at New Hampshire before finishing third there and was among the fastest all weekend at Dover before placing fourth.

"To have two top-fives in two Chase races is huge, but I guess it's not enough," Montoya said. "At least we're running good. I wasn't sure how good we were going to be (at Dover). It's nice to run this well."

Montoya has been running well for a while. He has finished 12th or better in 12 of the last 15 races.

His team's performance is a big turnaround from about a year ago, when there were questions about what might become of Chip Ganassi Racing before its merger with Dale Earnhardt Inc.

HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION: Roush Fenway Racing has not been impressive in the Chase, even with Matt Kenseth's third-place finish at Dover. Of course, Kenseth missed the Chase for the first time. Crew chief Drew Blickensderfer isn't about to declare that the team has turned things around after Dover.

"We definitely need to put a couple of these together to make sure ... we're headed in the right direction," he said. "One third-place finish at a race track Matt is excellent at and Roush has been excellent at, probably doesn't set the tone for the rest of the year."

HAMLIN NEEDS STRONG EFFORT: Denny Hamlin has said his team has been stronger on the bigger tracks than on the short tracks this season. He'll need a strong effort this weekend at Kansas. He struggled Sunday and finished 22nd, dropping three spots to sixth in the standings. He's 108 points behind Martin. There's still time to reach the top, but with the strength of Martin and Johnson, Hamlin can't afford to fall too far behind.

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