Nascar Race Today

As he tested at Texas Motor Speedway last week, Jimmie Johnson couldn't help but think about the 2007 race there when he won a furious battle with Matt Kenseth for the win.

Johnson entered the race trailing Jeff Gordon by nine points in the 2007 Chase. Having run well all day, and with Gordon laboring in seventh place, he could have taken the points lead by finishing second.

But he refused to settle for second and he and Kenseth engaged in a thrilling door-to-door battle in which they raced side-by-side for several laps before Johnson finally pulled ahead with two laps to go.

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Johnson couldn't help remember that race while he and Kenseth tested at Texas last week. Five years later, the two are deadlocked at the top of the Chase standings going into this weekend's race at Texas.

"I think about it (but) I don't necessarily talk to Matt about it," Johnson said. "I'm not sure he's thrilled with the results of how it turned out.

"We put on a heck of a show. I was inside of him for many laps. Both of us are sideways and just driving the wheels off the cars. From my standpoint I think it was an amazing race.

"I'm sure Matt would agree on most levels, but the results I think he would want differently. I just remember knowing that second would be okay, but that is just not in my DNA. We had an opportunity to win and I also had confidence in Matt that we would race. It wouldn't cross that line and (we were) able to push and put on a great show."

Johnson won the race that day to take the points lead and launch him to his second straight Sprint Cup title.

Having swapped the points lead twice in the past two races, he and Kenseth could be headed for another epic battle on Sunday.

With just three races remaining, neither appears to have a big advantage at Texas, a fast 1.5-mile track.

Kenseth has two wins, 12 top-five and 15 top-10 finishes in 22 starts, for an average finish of 8.5 at Texas. Johnson has two wins, nine top-fives and 15 top-10s in 20 starts for an average finish of 9.1.

Johnson won the Chase race there last year, while Kenseth's last win there came in 2011. Johnson finished sixth there in the spring, Kenseth 12th.

If anyone has a perceived advantage, it might be Kenseth, who has four wins this year on 1.5-mile tracks and five on intermediate layouts. Johnson's wins have come at Daytona (twice), Pocono, Dover and Martinsville.

If one of them wins this weekend, it would be a huge, giving them the points lead with just two races remaining.

Matt Kenseth - Kenseth stepped up big-time last week, finishing second at Martinsville to erase Johnson's points lead on his best track. Now he is brimming with confidence going into a track where he should excel. If Kenseth can continue his prowess on 1.5-mile tracks, he could win his second Cup championship.

Jimmie Johnson - Johnson also has a habit of stepping up in crucial situations, like he did in 2007 and again last year, when he won the Chase race at Texas to hold the points lead over Brad Keselowski. Johnson finished first and second in the two Texas races last year, leading a total of 324 laps.

Kyle Busch - At 36 points behind, Busch is not completely out of the race. He won the April race at Texas and could get back into championship contention with another victory.

Greg Biffle - Texas is one of Biffle's best tracks. He won the spring race there last year and finished fourth in April.

Brad Keselowski - He's been running much better lately and finished second in this race last year, leading 75 laps. The defending champ will be looking to play the role of spoiler again.

Bob Pockrass : Jimmie Johnson. He won this race last year. He arguably should have won the last 1.5-mile race at Charlotte. He is tied atop the standings with Kenseth and typically Johnson and his Hendrick Motorsports team are clutch in these situations late in the year. So give the edge to Johnson.

Jeff Owens : Matt Kenseth. Last week's runnerup finish at Martinsville - Johnson's best track - was huge for Kenseth, giving him a huge boost of confidence. It carries over into another dominant run at Texas.