Jimmie Johnson Leads the Chase

The champ is back... Could this year be another record in the making for four-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson? To early to tell, but by the looks of it, he's off for a pretty good run for hos fifth championship.

Johnson finished second the in Price Chopper 400 race held Sunday at the Kansas Speedway, behind Greg Biffle, but this didn't stop him from climbing once again back at the top of the Chase standings.

Of course, as soon as the race ended, the champion was assaulted with questions regarding his soon to be fifth championship win. He dismissed all those questions, saying it's way to early to talk about a new page of the NASCAR history book.

“It’s a great position to be in, but it’s way too early to think about it, to worry about defending,” Johnson was quoted as saying by KansasCity.com. “After Talladega (on Oct. 31), teams and drivers can work on a strategy of protecting or taking chances. We have to get deeper into the Chase to be concerned about who the points leader is.”

Of course, Johnson's climb back to the top worries the other drivers who, although keeping their confidence up, can help from wondering “what if?”That's even more true for Denny Hamlin, who is now 8 points behind the champion with seven races to go.

“We need to have a shot at it going into those last five races, so the next two weeks now is just about making sure we’re still in the hunt,” Hamlin said.