The folly of fretting about Jimmie Johnson in NASCAR’s Chase

We’re only one race into NASCAR’s 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup title playoff and already there’s a lot of hand-wringing about Jimmie Johnson.

Johnson, who turned 39 on Wednesday, is the reigning Cup champion who’s seeking a seventh title, which would tie him for the all-time record with Richard Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt.

Johnson has three victories this year and easily qualified for the 16-driver Chase. But his last win came back in June, at Michigan, and he’s finished in the top five only twice in the 12 races since then.

In the first Chase race last weekend at Chicagoland Speedway, the El Cajon, Calif., native finished 12th in his No. 48 Chevrolet prepared by Hendrick Motorsports.

Under the new, knockout-style Chase format this year, four drivers will be dropped after every three races so that only four will remain to decide the title at the season finale at Florida’s Homestead-Miami Speedway.

A win in each three-race stage guarantees a driver a spot in the next round. The others moving on will be determined by points. Johnson is eighth in points after Chicagoland, so he’s looking strong to at least reach the Chase’s 12-driver second round.

But he’s also a favorite to advance with a win because Johnson has a combined 12 victories at the next two Chase tracks: New Hampshire Motor Speedway this Sunday, and Dover (Del.) International Speedway a week later.

Johnson is a three-time winner at New Hampshire and a record nine-time winner at Dover, where his victories included the June 1 race this year.

“Last week wasn’t a good start for us at Chicago, but I have a great feeling about the tracks we have coming up,” Johnson said in notes released by his team. “We are usually strong closers, so every week counts from here on out.”

One more thing: Johnson has arguably the best crew chief in the business, Chad Knaus, along with the best race cars money can buy with Hendrick’s equipment.

Add it up and it’s too early -- at least two races too early -- to fret about whether Johnson won’t be able to stand alongside Petty and Earnhardt in the record books this year.

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