Johnson likely to make statement at Dover

Johnson likely to make statement at Dover

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

To a trucker, the “rocking chair” is a comfortable place to ride between the lead truck in a convoy and the 18-wheeler bringing up the rear.

Figuratively speaking, that’s where six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson has been running for the past two weeks.

In relative terms, Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet has been invisible in the first two Chase races. Why? Because Johnson has avoided the problems that have beset the majority of his Chase rivals.

Johnson ran an inconspicuous 12th at Chicago. At the Magic Mile on Sunday, he finished fifth. Those two results combined have him in a comfortable position—fourth in the Chase standings—approaching next Sunday’s elimination race at Dover.

As nondescript as Johnson’s recent results have been, so has the chatter of a potential record-tying seventh championship subsided to a murmur.

Perhaps that’s the way Johnson prefers it. When it comes to tying a monumental record shared by icons Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, perhaps it’s best to fly beneath the radar for as long as possible.

Dover, however, is likely to be the phone booth that facilitates Johnson’s transformation from Clark Kent to Superman, whether he likes it or not. He has nine career wins at the Monster Mile, including the two most recent races.

As much as he might like to remain incognito until crunch time in the Chase, Johnson may find it difficult to resist the urge to turn the rocking chair into a rocket ship on the high-banked concrete cliffs of Dover.