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Jimmie Johnson has some bad news for people who think he's turning the Chase into a yawner for the third consecutive year. He doesn't care. "That's my goal," he said. "That's what I want to do. I don't care if people are getting bored or not. We're getting a chance to do a lot of great things, something that's been done only one time in the history of NASCAR. Every competitor wants to do this." Boredom might be a strong word for what Johnson's doing. The two-time defending series champion is carving up the field once again, taking a nearly insurmountable 149-point lead into today's Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. No driver has made up a deficit that large with four races remaining in the sport's history. If Johnson can win the title, he'll join his boyhood idol Cale Yarborough as the only drivers with three consecutive titles. Yarborough did it in 1976-78. "The handwriting's on the wall now," Yarborough said. "It's going to happen. And if it happens, I understand that I was Jimmie's hero when he was growing up. So if he does it, more power to him." Johnson isn't clearing room in his trophy case just yet, but he also knows that there are things working in his favor. He's posted top-nine finishes in the first six Chase for the Sprint Cup races, winning two. He's always done well in Atlanta (winning there three times). He won at Texas Motor Speedway in 2007. And he's won the past two races at Phoenix, the circuit's stop after TMS. The series finish at Homestead Speedway Nov. 16 figures to be a 400-mile coronation. Then, and only then, will Johnson get to reflect on what it means to join Yarborough. "When he was in the Hardees car, I was in California racing dirt bikes," said Johnson, who has talked with Yarborough briefly this year. "He was my guy. I remember traveling back from Oklahoma from an amateur race. It was the first Hardees I saw. I thought I was going to see Cale Yarborough but I didn't see a sign of him. At that point, I understood the marketing of NASCAR." Now Johnson is the sport's biggest star, and is using the experience he gained the last two years to fuel this title run. Not panicking early was key to that. This season got off to an awful start, with a 27th-place finish at Daytona, followed by finishes of 29th, 30th and 39th. By May, he was ninth in the points standings. But Johnson historically has picked up steam in the summer, which was the case this year. He won the two races leading into the Chase and hasn't slowed down, despite every team's best efforts to wrestle the title from him. "I've always felt it's much more difficult to defend," Johnson said. "We're more confident with the team, and it's all due to experience. We can defend today better than we have in our career. We're doing a better job now. I know the reality could be there for us. We need to stay focused and committed to our team." Johnson's success is having a far-reaching effect. With the economy in such bad shape, fewer media members are traveling to races. Homestead is normally a big draw because it's where the champion is crowned, but that might not be the case this year. TMS media guru Mike Zizzo said there hasn't been a drop-off in credential requests for next weekend's Dickies 500, with the thinking that Johnson could wrap up the title there. While that would be a cause for celebration for some, Johnson isn't buying into it. And least not yet. "I'm not one that focuses on the historical part," he said. "I'm just looking at the third championship and what we need to do to get it done. If it takes place, we'll celebrate like I wouldn't believe." Rest assured, there will be nothing boring about that.

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