NEXTEL CUP Johnson shaping up as the 'wheel deal' in circuit's points race

Dale Earnhardt Jr. still leads the standings, but Johnson is only 58 behind.
LONG POND, Pa. (AP) -- Jimmie Johnson likes his chances for his first career Nextel Cup championship.
He's been one of the most dominant drivers this year -- he has three wins, including Sunday's victory at Pocono Raceway -- and will end the season on tracks where he has had some of his best finishes. Not even a NASCAR mistake that dropped him back in the field Sunday could slow him down for long.
Johnson just may be the driver to beat when the points title race heats up at the 27th race. Following the 26th race of the season, the top 10 drivers plus any within 400 points of the leader will be broken out for a 10-race showdown called "Chase for the Championship."
On their minds
"I feel that based on our races this year at those tracks and what we did last year, we should be one of the teams competing for a championship," Johnson said. "It's something on the forefront of all of our minds."
Johnson trails leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. by 58 points. Earnhardt won't be easy to beat -- he's won three races and finished sixth at Pocono -- but Johnson seemingly has been the car to watch every week.
"We're real lucky to come out of here leading the points," Earnhardt said. "Every Hendrick car out there was a half-second faster than anybody else. They really got their cars figured out. We've got to figure out our own and get there with them."
Johnson's win Sunday was his second in three weeks, his third this year and ninth of his career. He also has two second-place finishes in his last five starts and has led 820 miles in the last three races.
Johnson had one of the most dominating performances ever in the Coca-Cola 600 when he led 334 laps and lost the top spot only during pit stops.
"I have 100 percent confidence in my car, my team, my abilities," Johnson said. "That all plays off one another and allows us to bounce back even if we have a bad week."
He gets back to work Friday at Michigan, where he finished 16th last year. This year, he has another return trip to Pocono Raceway, and stops in Darlington and Charlotte where he's won already.
Forecast encouraging
There's also a race at New Hampshire where he won last year.
The communication and chemistry between Johnson and Knaus has been perfect all year, and Knaus credits Hendrick Motorsports and their sponsors for doing what's needed to win.
"They allow us to go to them and say, 'This is what we need,"' Knaus said. "That's something a lot of teams don't get. If we don't put the pieces together, it's our fault."
Now they're hoping to pieces come together to form a championship.