Jimmie Johnson on playoff bubble in elimination race at Kansas

Jimmie Johnson, crew chief Chad Knaus and the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team are supposed to be unflappable. It’s been one of the defining traits that’s spurred Johnson to seven Monster Energy Cup Series championships.

But the No. 48 team has been uncharacteristically sloppy over the past two weeks, contributing to Johnson finding himself squarely on the playoff bubble entering the Round 2 playoff elimination race Sunday at Kansas Speedway (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN).

A slow pit stop due to unsecured lug nuts resulted in the loss of several positions during the Oct. 8 race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Last week, Johnson, through no fault of his own, was swept into a 16-car accident that placed the Alabama 500 under the red flag. But mistakenly thinking the red flag had been lifted, spotter Earl Barban told the team to begin making repairs. That’s a no-no, and NASCAR parked the No. 48 Chevrolet for the rest of the afternoon.

“Really all mistakes come from guys trying as hard as they can,” Johnson said. “I personally have sympathy for that. “The guys are just trying to do the best job they can and everybody makes mistakes.

“I mean, I make plenty of them. It’s hard for me to jump on somebody over that. What I ask of myself is to learn from those lessons and try not to repeat them.”

Although neither mistake cost Johnson a potential win, it did prevent him from scoring some additional points. And those lost points may prove critical, as he sits a mere seven points ahead of Kyle Busch and eight clear of Matt Kenseth for the final transfer position into the semi-finals.

Johnson doesn’t need to win the Hollywood Casino 400 on Sunday to advance, though his precarious situation means he must record a good finish. Or else.

“We are a team and a group that thrives on adversity,” Johnson said. “Whenever we have been backed into a corner we have always stepped up and have delivered. All the members of this No. 48 team love a challenge and we are not even close to losing that desire and that fight to be out there and compete and race for the win and race for the championship.”

Johnson is a three-time winner at Kansas and his 9.7 average is best among all drivers with more than one start on the mile-and-a-half oval. But the defending series champion appears to be at a disadvantage this weekend with Toyota, which powers both Busch and Kenseth, faster on intermediate sized tracks than Chevrolet and the dominant manufacturer throughout the season.

In many ways, the predicament facing Johnson is similar to what he encountered a year ago in the playoffs. The Toyota-supported teams were better, but using flawless execution and grit, Johnson earned a spot in the four-driver title race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. And when it was all said and done, he was holding the championship trophy for a record-tying seventh time.

“I keep telling myself, we have to make the final four,” Johnson said. “Then, in Homestead who knows what will happen in that race. Last year is proof of that.”