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Six races later, Johnson is a serious threat for the title and could join an elite list of drivers who have won the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard and the NASCAR season title in the same year.

Johnson entered the Chase in second behind Matt Kenseth but sunk to ninth in the opening race on Sept. 17 at New Hampshire after finishing 39^th. He followed that with three consecutive finishes outside of the top 10 and was eighth in the Chase points after four races.

Since then, Johnson has made a rapid run back toward the top with a victory at Martinsville and second-place finishes at Lowe's and Atlanta. He is second in the Chase points, just 26 points behind Kenseth, entering the race Nov. 5 at Texas.

"I feel great about it," Johnson said. "But I'm sure every team feels that way, though. I don't think anybody is really worried about not performing. It's just going to come down to luck and maybe who can outscore one another on the track."

There was nothing lucky about Johnson's rousing victory in the 13^th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on Aug. 6 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He overcame several early-race hurdles in the Lowe's Chevrolet, including a dead battery, flat tire and pit fire, to earn a coveted trip to Victory Lane at the Brickyard.

If Johnson passes Kenseth over the last three races of the season and wins the title, it will be the fifth time in the last 13 years that the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard winner also wins the NEXTEL Cup in the same season. Jeff Gordon completed the feat in 1998 and 2001, Dale Jarrett in 1999, Bobby Labonte in 2000 and Tony Stewart in 2005.

"We typically are slow in August, for whatever reason, and this year we were able to win the Brickyard," Johnson said. "I felt like we were more competitive in that month or two in the summer than in other years. I don't know why. Maybe it's just tracks that don't fit me, or the team.

"As we get into the final 10 races, these are all good tracks for me," Johnson said. "That would have more to do with it than anything. We, as a team, don't pick certain parts of the season to try to perform better. Obviously, if we can hold onto anything we want to save it for the final 10. But making the final 10 is a challenge all its own. I think it's more about the tracks and our style than anything."