Jimmie Johnson on the verge of making record-tying 7th championship a reality

Winning a seventh Sprint Cup title is generally a topic Jimmie Johnson avoids. Something he only wanted to discuss when it became a distinct possibility, not part of a hypothetical of what it would mean to tie Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt with the most championships in NASCAR history.

That moment has arrived. For the first time since capturing a sixth series crown in 2013, Johnson will head into the final race of the season with a shot to cement his name alongside Petty and Earnhardt, after winning the opening race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup playoff semifinal round Sunday at Martinsville Speedway.

Regardless of what happens the next two weeks, Johnson’s semifinal victory assures him of being one of four championship-eligible drivers entering the Nov. 20 finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. And with the realistic scenario that a seventh title could be in the offing, he acknowledges sidestepping questions is no longer an option.

“I’ve been trying to ignore this conversation about seven, but now I can’t,” Johnson said “We’re locked in.

“I’d love to do it. Honestly, just thrilled to have a shot at it. That’s all you can hope for, is just have a shot at it.”

That Johnson won Sunday certainly cannot be classified as a surprise. From the moment he went to victory lane in the second-round opener at Charlotte Motor Speedway to guarantee his advancement to the third segment, it was obvious just how well the semifinal round set up to his advantage. Martinsville, Texas Motor Speedway, and Phoenix International Raceway are among his very best tracks, and the odds favored Johnson either winning or pointing his way through to the championship bracket.

Delivering as expected allows Johnson and mastermind crew chief Chad Knaus to focus exclusively on preparing for Homestead. The 1.5-mile speedway is one of just four tracks where the No. 48 team is winless, though that does come with a caveat.

Most years when Johnson came into the last race of the season with a championship on the line, he needed only a respectable finish requiring him to just keep the wheels on the car. Never before has he been in the title picture where a victory was all but required on the South Florida track -- like what he’ll experience in three weeks.

“The issues we’ve had in Miami in the past -- look, at the end of a stressful, long season, situations arise, just things that are outside of your control,” Knaus said. “There’s been a lot of weird things that have happened there.

“We’re a competitive team, the 48 team is strong. We just want to go in there and race our hearts out.”

Despite a lack of past success in the season finale, don’t discount Johnson’s chances of winning a seventh championship. Although no definitive plans have been made, Knaus said Hendrick Motorsports may rearrange its inventory and bring to Homestead the car Johnson was to drive next weekend at Texas. That chassis is among the best in the No. 48 team’s fleet, but with a good result now not necessary at Texas, it does free the car up to be used at Homestead.

“If I’ve got to race for the win at a track like that, then I’d put my money on him,” team owner Rick Hendrick said. “With Jimmie, when all the chips are down, it’s for the seventh championship, I think he’s going to ratchet it up a notch.”

Johnson won’t make similar declarative statements; that’s not his nature. He believes any of the four finalists possess a chance to win and to say otherwise would be presumptuous.

Instead Johnson and Knaus will concentrate on the things within their control, with an emphasis on whatever race is upcoming. That means focusing first on winning at Texas and Phoenix, then the championship at Homestead.

“It’s not about the numbers,” Knaus said. “It’s not about seven. It’s not about tying Dale. It’s not about tying Richard.

“We want to go win Texas. We want to go win Homestead. We want to go win Phoenix. ... That’s the way we approach every single race. It’s not about what we’re eclipsing.”

Such a mindset is why Johnson and the No. 48 team find themselves on the brink of a seventh championship.