Nascar Race Today

Our experts weigh in on four of the biggest questions in NASCAR this week:

Terry Blount, ESPN.com: It has been a confidence-building year for Joey, no question. But I'm not sure he's a top-three guy. He might get there, but he isn't on par yet with Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart (if Tony returns healthy), Kevin Harvick or Kyle Busch. Ask me again when he is 28. If you want my answer now, it's a no.

Ryan McGee, ESPN The Magazine: The key here is that second sentence. I think, when we look back, JoLo will be the final chapter of the Young Gun craze when we saw so many teenagers getting moved up too fast and having their confidence torched before they could reach their potential. Since Chicago, he has been outscored by only four guys and he's one of only six Chase participants with three or more top-5s. I think he has established that he's a legit Chaser, and there's no reason to believe he can't make that next step up at some point.

It's been a back-and-forth season between Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth, but JJ showed at Texas why he's the top man in Ryan McGee's Power Rankings. Rankings

David Newton, ESPN.com: He has succeeded at every other level, so I don't see why not. The move to Penske Racing and having the opportunity to work with Brad Keselowski has been good for him. Keselowski truly treats Logano like an equal, something he didn't always have at Joe Gibbs Racing with Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin. He was thrust into the limelight a year or two earlier than planned at JGR when Tony Stewart left unexpectedly, so he never had a chance to grow. As mentioned, he's only 23. With talent and a strong team, he still has the potential for a bright future.

Marty Smith, ESPN Insider: Yes. As Logano matures emotionally, he'll gain confidence. All of us do. When a man learns who he really is and what he's really all about, he's willing to champion those things. He won't be especially apt to back down off what he believes. There's great solace that accompanies that realization. Logano in 2013 has shown the promise that made Mark Martin -- and, in turn, the rest of us -- so intrigued by him from the moment he burst onto the scene. He believes in his team, and it believes in him. I'm not certain that was the dynamic at Joe Gibbs Racing. Sometimes change is bad. Sometimes it's good. For Logano, the move to Penske was very good.

Blount: I don't think so. Matt's just not that type of guy, but it might get to his crew a little bit. Matt's still in this, but he needs to hope Johnson doesn't dominate at Phoenix this weekend. If Matt just stays close, he has a decent shot of outrunning JJ in Homestead.

McGee: No. I'm not sure he has the ability to feel a whole lot of pressure, which I think makes him the perfect opponent for Johnson because he's impervious to the head games the 48 crew likes to play down the stretch. If you're a Kenseth fan, you need to be glad the pit road speeding penalty happened at Texas, a place where he could make up that ground. If you make that same mistake at Phoenix, you're toast.

Mark Garrow has the story from Texas, where Jimmie Johnson dominated to win and now leads Matt Kenseth by seven points. Jeff Gordon crashed to end his title hopes.

Newton: Nope. He simply made a mistake. Johnson's team made a couple last season after Texas and cost the five-time champion the title. It happens every week to teams. It just gets magnified in the Chase. But Kenseth has been around too long and is too cool under pressure to make a mistake simply because he's in a championship run.

Smith: No. Not even. He told me personally Sunday night after the race that he's as confident as he's ever been. I asked him about the beatdown Johnson put on the field, and how that affected his personal confidence. He didn't blink. His team is excellent, probably the best he's ever had. He knows when they perform to capability, he can win anywhere. He told me this: If I win the final two races, the points work out in my favor. That's his focus.

Blount: He'll do OK, but he won't contend for the title, not that he was going to do that at Michael Waltrip Racing, either. If Kurt Busch, a much better driver than Truex, can't win at FRR, I don't see Truex setting the world on fire there, no matter how many other changes they make.

McGee: I don't think he'll struggle for long stretches like we saw the team do when it had Regan Smith and was still in its infancy. And I don't think we'll see him be as consistent as the team has been with Kurt Busch. So let's say he'll be somewhere in the middle, contending for wins at the racetracks where we've seen Truex run well throughout his career and fighting for the last Chase spot, but not a weekly top-5 ride. The wild card in this is his relationship with Ryan Newman, with whom he's pretty close. That might further grease the rails of the already solid cooperation between FRR and RCR.

Here we go again. That had to be what Matt Kenseth was thinking after he finished fourth at Texas and still lost ground in the Chase to five-time champion Jimmie Johnson, writes Brant James.

Newton: No offense to Truex, but he's simply not as talented as Kurt Busch when it comes to what he can do behind the wheel. Busch did things in the No. 78 that Smith couldn't do before him. It'll be tough to make the Chase, but this still could be a top-15 team.

Smith: I think he'll be competitively comparable to what he's been at Michael Waltrip Racing -- on the cusp of Chase contention each year with a chance to qualify. The cars are fast. Some of that, of course, is Kurt Busch's insane talent. Busch carries that car a lot. Crew chief Todd Berrier told me that himself. But Truex will have something Busch didn't -- his pit crew. The fact that the entire 56 crew is moving to the 78 is big news for Truex.

Blount: I don't know, but wouldn't it be something if one of them actually won one of the last two races? I know, I know. Might as well ask for world peace. Dillon is winless, and Hornish's only victory was back in March. I'm sure the Cup bullies will show us how it's done, as they always do in their little practice playground of meaningless victories.

McGee: The good news for Hornish is that he is solid at Phoenix, including his career-changing win there in 2011. The bad news for Hornish is that Dillon is one of the few drivers who have outpointed him at PIR over the past two years. I think Dillon will protect his lead, but it will still be plenty close enough that we'll have a genuine title fight when we get to Homestead. Sadly, they both likely will have to concede the win to a Cup moonlighter, so let's count points ... yay.

Newton: They're both solid here, but I'll go with Hornish. He has won at Phoenix, and the track really fits his style. In six races there, he has three top-10s. Dillon has three top-10s there, as well, but never has finished better than fourth.

Smith: Dillon.

This week, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads back to Phoenix International Raceway for the AdvoCare 500.

Phoenix has been a tricky race track since it was repaved in 2011. The dogleg on the backstretch leading into Turn 3 is where most of the wrecks occur. Teams who can set their cars up to navigate Turn 3 will have an advantage in the race.

The last race at Phoenix was dominated by Carl Edwards. He started the race 15th and led 122 of the 316 laps on his way to Victory Lane. A lot has happened since the second race of the season, so do not select your drivers this week based upon the last race here.

Since the NASCAR Sprint Cup season is coming to an end, it is becoming more difficult to find drivers for your fantasy NASCAR team. For those who play the Yahoo! Fantasy Auto Racing game, selecting your teams is more about allocations than it is about who will win the race.

Since most fantasy NASCAR teams are running low on the number of starts on the good drivers, I am ranking the drivers in Group A, Group B and Group C in Yahoo! Fantasy Auto Racing to help you determine who would be the best driver for your team.

Here are my selections for the race Sunday at Phoenix.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Group A is where the winner of the race should come from. As the race for the Chase comes to the end, the drivers who are fighting for the championship run at the front of the pack. That means Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth should be popular fantasy picks this week.

Jimmie Johnson has four career wins at Phoenix. He finished second in the March race and will easily be in the top five again this week.

Phoenix is not one of Kenseth's best race tracks, but he does have one career win and he has finished the last two races at Phoenix in the top 10. Kenseth will receive the best equipment Joe Gibbs Racing has to help him finish up front.

Clint Bowyer no longer has a chance to win the championship, but he should be a popular pick this week. Bowyer is very good on the short race tracks and he finished sixth in the last race at Phoenix. If your team is out of allocations with Johnson, Gordon would be a great pick.

Denny Hamlin is my sleeper pick for Group A. He has had a horrible season, but his career stats at Phoenix are comparable to any driver in the field. This is a good week to take a chance with Hamlin. Below are my rankings for Group A. It will be hard to go wrong with any of these drivers this week.

1. Jimmie Johnson2. Matt Kenseth3. Clint Bowyer4. Brad Keselowski5. Denny Hamlin6. Jeff Gordon7. Kevin Harvick8. Kasey Kahne

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

There are some good picks in Group B this week, but the problem is that most fantasy teams do not have any starts left with the drivers at the top of the list.

Although Phoenix is not one of Kyle Busch 's best race tracks, he will still be a good option for Group B. Busch is still mathematically a contender for the championship and typically the contenders race up front at the end of the season. Busch will finish in the top 10 this week.

Carl Edwards does not have a chance to will the championship, but his results at Phoenix are good. He has two wins, including the last race in March and he is also a threat to win the pole. If you have any starts left with Edwards, this is the week to use it.

My sleeper pick in Group B is Ryan Newman. He finished 40th in the March race as a result of an accident. Take away that race and Newman has finished five of the last six races at Phoenix in the top five.

Below are my rankings for Group B. The top eight drivers on this list are all good choices this week.

1. Kyle Busch2. Carl Edwards3. Ryan Newman4. Kurt Busch5. Greg Biffle6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 7. Joey Logano8. Juan Pablo Montoya9. Martin Truex Jr. 10. Jeff Burton11. Jamie McMurray12. Aric Almirola13. Mark Martin14. Paul Menard15. Marcos Ambrose16. Bobby Labonte

Douglas Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Last week, Group C was loaded with decent choices for the race. Austin Dillon, Trevor Bayne and Kyle Larson all filled spots in cars which normally do not compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. That will not be the case this week.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. remains the best choice in Group C, but most fantasy players do not have any allocations left with him. If you can use Stenhouse this week, I recommend using him. He is better at Phoenix than he is at Miami.

Elliott Sadler should be on every team for the remainder of the season. He has performed well as he has filled in for Brian Vickers in the No. 55 car. He will be a popular pick once again this week.

My sleeper pick in Group C is Justin Allgaier. He will be driving the No. 51 car for Phoenix Racing. Next season he will be a full-time driver in this car, so the team will be looking to gain some experience for next year.

Below are my rankings for Group C. The top-five drivers on this list are all good choices this week.

1. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 2. Elliott Sadler3. David Ragan4. Justin Allgaier5. Casey Mears6. Danica Patrick7. David Reutimann8. Cole Whitt9. Dave Blaney10. David Gilliland

Fantasy NASCAR Selections

Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Group A: Matt Kenseth, Jeff GordonGroup B: Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch Group C: Elliott Sadler, David Ragan

*My team is out of starts with Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., unless I would have them in my lineup.

Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Elliott Sadler, Justin Allgaier

If you need any further advice with your team, look for me on Twitter @MrFantasyNASCAR. If you like Fantasy NASCAR, "Like" my Fantasy NASCAR Tips page on Facebook.

Keep Reading

@JimmieJohnson thinks fans need to grow beards if he's going to win the current Sprint Cup Chase. And as they tweet him pictures of themselves in fake beards, they often hear back in real time. Other fans think @KaseyKahne needs a lucky penny, and they tweet him pictures of coins.

Nascar, America's largest spectator sport, is not only a powerful brand in its own right; it also serves as a convergence point for some of the country's largest marketers. Ogilvy & Mather's current work pulls together the Nascar brand, teams, drivers, fans and sponsors to cheer on their favorite cars and drivers through the use of #whatdriversneed across all their social sites. Individual drivers also get hashtags, such as Johnson's #what48needs. The campaign's focus is Twitter and Instagram, with support on Nascar.com, Facebook, TV, radio and in print.

"This is our first big digital push, but every year going forward will have a digital focus," said Kim Brink, vp, marketing at Nascar. "We've created an ecosystem where everyone is codependent in a good way."

It's an important turning point for Nascar, which wants to attract a new generation of younger and multicultural fans. Nascar sold its digital rights to Turner Sports in 2001 and only this year regained them.

"We were behind in the technology space. That's what spurred them into taking the rights back," said Andrew Campagnone, senior managing partner, Sports Marketing Consultants, which reps companies coming into Nascar.

For Ogilvy & Mather New York president Adam Tucker, using social is a no-brainer: "Nascar has such a cult fan base who are more engaged than in other sports."

The campaign was a factor in driving digital growth. After five weeks, Nascar has added 25,000 Facebook fans, 20,000 Twitter followers, 46,000 YouTube subscribers and 1,000 Instagram followers. There have been 3,000 Twitter posts and 10 million impressions. Brink joined Nascar in 2011 from General Motors, where she got to know top owners and drivers through Chevrolet's Nascar brand partnerships. Aside from creating a more ambitious social and digital strategy, she is looking to elevate drivers' profiles with help from the likes of ESPN, which is airing spots featuring Nascar hashtags. Ogilvy and ESPN agency Wieden + Kennedy coordinated their work.

Calle Sjönell, Ogilvy New York CCO, said the drivers in commercials easily sell Nascar. "They are the most approachable of sports superstars and are close to fans. They're helping redefine Nascar for a new generation," he said.

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A co-leader for the Chase lead entering Sunday, Jimmie Johnson took a firm grasp on the campaign for his sixth Sprint Cup championship with a victory at NASCAR's AAA Texas 500.

In the win, Johnson distanced himself from Matt Kenseth, who stayed on his heels throughout the race and finished in fourth. NASCAR summed up the finish:

.@JimmieJohnson with a statement win at @TXMotorSpeedway! He leads 255 laps and takes the points lead! #NASCAR

Johnson leads Kenseth by seven points, and the heat is certainly on with two races left:

Johnson has a seven point lead over @mattkenseth with two races left. Cancel your plans the next couple weekends. #NASCAR

With his sixth win of the season, Johnson is in control and will decide his own fate down the stretch.

NASCAR

ESPN

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Starting in third place, Johnson hung around the front of the pack all race long, but he trailed pole-sitter Carl Edwards-who led 38 laps-in the early goings.

The showdown between Johnson and Matt Kenseth-the co-leaders in the Chase standings-was hyped ad nauseam heading into Sunday and unfolded on the Texas track.

Kenseth didn't enjoy the same sort of success as Johnson early. He was penalized for pit-road speeding just about midway through the race, as ESPN's Ryan McGee noted:

Pit road speeding by Kenseth. Wow. #NASCAR

Edwards then ran into some trouble with a busted engine and found his way to the garage. He would not return-the latest of many disappointing finishes for Edwards in the Chase.

The pit from Edwards' engine issues served as a springboard for Kenseth. ESPN NASCAR summed up how it allowed him into 12th, and he would soon make a further push inside the top 10:

Caution for oil on the backstretch as Edwards pits; this is a break for Kenseth, who is up to 12th.

The penalty dropped Kenseth down as far as 18th, but he gained a head of steam and got right back into the thick of things. Not long after, he was threatening inside the first five slots.

But it was Johnson who controlled down the stretch, even through his pit stop that dropped him out of the leading spot for a few laps before getting right back to his rightful spot.

The next and final time he pitted, he was firmly in the lead:

Smooth final pit stop for @JimmieJohnson, he's on track for his 3rd @TXMotorSpeedway win #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/xebu2pnMXy

From start to finish, Sunday was one of Johnson's most dominant performances in recent memory. Leading 255 laps on the afternoon, it's hard to remember a more impressive day from any driver.

With the event at Texas Motor Speedway determining who would get a leg up in the final two races, Johnson showed his clutch gene in a major way.

Kenseth competed about as hard as he possibly could have on Sunday, but even his best was no match for Johnson's car, which was much quicker than the rest of the field in Fort Worth.

Two races are left, and Kenseth is still very alive in the Chase. Whatever happens, the postseason finale is sure to be an exciting one.

1. (3) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 334 laps, 150 rating, 48 points.

2. (7) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 334, 115, 42.

3. (12) Joey Logano, Ford, 334, 117.7, 42.

4. (6) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 334, 119.4, 41.

5. (11) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 334, 105.1, 39.

6. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 334, 112.5, 39.

7. (14) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 334, 93.7, 37.

8. (19) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 334, 98.7, 36.

9. (13) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 334, 89.4, 36.

10. (26) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 334, 96.6, 34.

11. (33) Mark Martin, Chevrolet, 334, 86.7, 33.

12. (18) Greg Biffle, Ford, 334, 86.1, 33.

13. (5) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 334, 102.3, 32.

14. (15) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 334, 90.2, 30.

15. (4) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 333, 80.4, 29.

16. (9) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 332, 78.1, 28.

17. (31) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 332, 70.5, 27.

18. (23) Parker Kligerman, Toyota, 332, 61.8, 0.

19. (25) Elliott Sadler, Toyota, 331, 63.5, 0.

20. (16) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 331, 71.5, 24.

21. (10) Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 331, 71, 23.

22. (21) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 331, 62.4, 0.

23. (36) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 331, 58.5, 0.

24. (20) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 331, 61.5, 20.

25. (30) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 331, 49.2, 19.

26. (28) David Gilliland, Ford, 330, 52, 18.

27. (17) Aric Almirola, Ford, 330, 63, 17.

28. (39) David Reutimann, Toyota, 330, 45.8, 16.

29. (32) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 330, 53, 0.

30. (43) J.J. Yeley, Chevrolet, 329, 38.4, 14.

31. (24) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 329, 58.9, 13.

32. (38) Travis Kvapil, Toyota, 329, 38.6, 12.

33. (27) Casey Mears, Ford, 328, 39.5, 11.

34. (37) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 328, 36.9, 0.

35. (42) Dave Blaney, Chevrolet, 326, 32.5, 9.

36. (41) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, rear gear, 190, 27.8, 0.

37. (1) Carl Edwards, Ford, engine, 187, 88, 8.

38. (8) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 147, 62.7, 6.

39. (34) Josh Wise, Ford, vibration, 145, 29.4, 0.

40. (22) Bobby Labonte, Toyota, engine, 144, 42.1, 4.

41. (40) Timmy Hill, Ford, engine, 125, 27.9, 3.

42. (29) David Ragan, Ford, engine, 81, 42.2, 3.

43. (35) Michael McDowell, Ford, vibration, 27, 27.5, 2.

---

Average Speed of Race Winner: 151.754 mph.

Time of Race: 3 hours, 18 minutes, 5 seconds.

Margin of Victory: 4.390 seconds.

Caution Flags: 5 for 26 laps.

Lead Changes: 28 among 10 drivers.

Lap Leaders: C.Edwards 1-9; J.Johnson 10-15; C.Edwards 16; M.McDowell 17; C.Edwards 18-32; J.Johnson 33-57; Ky.Busch 58; D.Ragan 59; C.Edwards 60-70; J.Johnson 71-74; C.Edwards 75; B.Keselowski 76-79; C.Edwards 80; B.Keselowski 81-91; J.Johnson 92-124; M.Kenseth 125-126; J.Johnson 127-171; M.Kenseth 172; J.Johnson 173-189; Ky.Busch 190; J.Johnson 191-239; R.Newman 240-241; B.Keselowski 242-255; J.Johnson 256; B.Keselowski 257; J.Johnson 258-298; J.Logano 299; G.Biffle 300; J.Johnson 301-334.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Led, Laps Led): J.Johnson, 10 times for 255 laps; C.Edwards, 6 times for 38 laps; B.Keselowski, 4 times for 30 laps; M.Kenseth, 2 times for 3 laps; R.Newman, 1 time for 2 laps; Ky.Busch, 2 times for 2 laps; J.Logano, 1 time for 1 lap; G.Biffle, 1 time for 1 lap; D.Ragan, 1 time for 1 lap; M.McDowell, 1 time for 1 lap.

Top 13 in Points: 1. J.Johnson, 2,342; 2. M.Kenseth, 2,335; 3. K.Harvick, 2,302; 4. Ky.Busch, 2,290; 5. D.Earnhardt Jr., 2,280; 6. J.Gordon, 2,273; 7. C.Bowyer, 2,273; 8. G.Biffle, 2,269; 9. J.Logano, 2,251; 10. Ku.Busch, 2,246; 11. C.Edwards, 2,226; 12. R.Newman, 2,224; 13. K.Kahne, 2,209.

---

A maximum of 150 points can be attained in a race.

The formula combines the following categories: Wins, Finishes, Top-15 Finishes, Average Running Position While on Lead Lap, Average Speed Under Green, Fastest Lap, Led Most Laps, Lead-Lap Finish.

Jimmie Johnson has taken a seven-point lead over his championship rival Matt Kenseth by winning Sunday's AAA Texas 500 with a dominating performance at Texas Motor Speedway.

World champion Sebastian Vettel is not finished with Formula One's record books just yet.

Jimmie Johnson led 255 of 334 laps for a dominating victory Sunday that put the five-time champion back in the Chase for the Sprint Cup lead with two races left in the season.

Commentary

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Matt Kenseth has lost some heartbreakers here, but he wouldn't change a thing about the way he lost. He raced fairly, cleanly.

Now, with more at stake at Texas Motor Speedway than ever, he won't change tactics in Sunday's AAA Texas 500 (3 p.m. ET, ESPN), not even if he and Jimmie Johnson are as neck-and-neck on the track as they are in the standings.

The two are tied for the Chase lead in points, but Kenseth is ahead on the tiebreaker, wins this season, with seven to Johnson's five.

But there will be no rough stuff if they can help it.

"You always try to race as hard as you can, but at the same time, you try to be as fair and clean as you can," Kenseth said Friday. "I think if you try to race people the way you want to be raced, it usually works both ways."

Johnson concurred.

"Matt and I have always had a very good respect for one another on the track," Johnson said. "We've been able to get to that line [between hard racing and rough driving] and respect each other on the track.

"Accidents happen, and stuff can happen," Johnson continued. "We're out there racing hard for a championship, and we'll see how things turn out."

Kenseth swept both Cup races at Texas -- in the disappointment category, that is -- in 2007. One of the losses was to Johnson.

"He was faster, ran us down," Kenseth recalled. "I think he was leading the points and we were pretty much out of the championship battle at the time ... so, man, I raced him as hard as I could, hoping he would be a little bit cautious and I would be able to win the race and hang on, but I couldn't."

"The other, Jeff Burton beat me on the last lap," Kenseth added, "and there's been a few of them."

And Johnson "beat me at Las Vegas one time, passed me on [Turn] 4 on the last lap. We led all day, and he beat me on that one. It still stings."

Yet he'll go about Sunday's race his way.

"The goal is to get your car running good where you can go pass and you can go outrun other guys and not worry about that [bumping and banging]," Kenseth said.

Five drivers are in position to win the 2013 Sprint Cup title, but when you talk to two of them, they say realistically it's down to Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson, writes Ed Hinton. Story

Kenseth hasn't won here since 2011, and Johnson won this race last fall. So Johnson has a slight edge in performance here in the Gen-6 car.

But Kenseth's unit of the Joe Gibbs Racing team has had a knack for vast improvements at some tracks during this Chase. Kenseth surprised himself with a win at New Hampshire and had such a spectacular run at Martinsville last week that he was disappointed with a second-place finish at one of his worst tracks historically.

"I think Martinsville is the best example," Johnson said. "You can't look at past history and say that you can count on a 15th-place average at Martinsville for Matt.

"I think the championship brings the very best out of people, and he and his people are bringing their best each and every weekend," Johnson continued. "I feel in order to win the championship you have to be up front racing for the win.

"I expect to see the No. 20 there each and every week."

Up front. Racing clean.

NASCAR

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.