The Hot Pass: Deal puts Johnson on path to history

HOMESTEAD, Fla.

Little did Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon know when they proposed Jimmie Johnson to Lowe's as the next great driver in NASCAR, that's precisely what he would become. Since Johnson's first full year on the Sprint Cup tour in 2002, he's won 47 races and qualified for the top five in the point standings all eight seasons. The No. 48 Lowe's team won the last three titles and appears poised for a fourth on Sunday. It's no surprise that as Johnson remains at the pinnacle of the sport, Lowe's opted to continue its sponsorship for the next three seasons. Hendrick Motorsports also re-signed Johnson through 2015. "Lowe's took a chance on us back in 2001, and it's not a stretch to say this whole thing would never have been possible without them," Hendrick said. "When you have a partner put that much faith in you, it's incredibly rewarding to see them be successful. "Jimmie is charting new territory in our sport, and that's due to a combination of natural talent and unsurpassed work ethic. How he's committed himself is just incredible, and it shows in everything that he does — not just on the racetrack. There's no question that he's one of the great champions in all of sports, and he's not done yet." Through Lowe's commitment and the support of Hendrick Motorsports, the No. 48 will have the necessary funding to continue at this pace for at least the next three years. Hendrick would not comment on the status of crew chief Chad Knaus' contract other than to say he "has a multi-year deal" and he and Knaus "have talked about retiring together." "I think our goal — and everybody's on the same page — is keeping this thing together for the foreseeable future," Hendrick added. Certainly, Johnson's support coupled with the depth of personnel and tremendous sense of solidarity that permeates throughout HMS, the competition will need to reload considering that no other team has been able to loosen the stranglehold of the No. 48 crew. Ryan Newman, who has access to the same resources as Johnson at Stewart-Haas Racing, which has an alliance with HMS, joked the only way to beat the No. 48 team was "dynamite." Johnson says the ability to keep the core group together from the start has allowed the No. 48 team to build on their relationships and continue its success. "At the track you may see some different faces year to year, but those key players, even guys that I started this team with, they're still at HMS," Johnson said. "They're still in that race job. That culture comes from Rick. "People have left and have worked at other places to get experience, try to increase their possibilities. In most cases, they've all come back, come back on great terms and really contribute to the company." And with the new contract, Johnson will be locked up for a long time — long enough to not only tie the record of seven Cup championships held by Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, but to surpass that mark. "I've wanted my whole life to be able to be a champion, to compete against the best drivers in the world," Johnson said. "With what we have going on in our sport, the competition, I don't see where else there is to race. You know, this is it. This is home. Hendrick Motorsports is home."

In your dreams

Before the season started, many pundits selected Carl Edwards and the No. 99 team to throw Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team off their perch. However, following a harrowing wreck at Talladega in April, a broken foot in September and mediocre equipment all season, Edwards finds himself mired in 11th place. Although Edwards qualified for the Chase, he's 44 points behind 10th-place Kasey Kahne — the 10th and final position in points which will be acknowledged during the awards banquet in Las Vegas. Fortunately, Homestead is a track where Edwards has excelled in the past. Although he has just one win on the 1.5-miler, his average finish of 6.4 is the best in the Sprint Cup Series. "This is our last shot to get a win this season, so we couldn't come to a better race track," Edwards said. "Roush Fenway does really well here. Our Fords run well. Last year was a good race in the Nationwide Series and the Cup Series. Hopefully, we can have a good run. "I want to be in that top 10 really badly, so we've got to make up 44 points on Kasey. I had a dream last night that it all worked out, but then I woke up this morning and realized we still have to go do it."

Waiting room

Kasey Kahne certainly has a stake in what happens with Richard Petty Motorsports between now and next season. As the flagship driver of the No. 9 Budweiser Dodge, Kahne is as interested as everyone else to find out when he'll officially switch over to the Ford camp. But a final deal with Yates Racing has yet to be completed. "It's definitely different because things aren't done. Because we don't have a 'for sure' yet," Kahne said. "I think the season needs to get over with for the management side of things and just figure out exactly what we're doing; get us pointed in the right direction so that the teams can start working and preparing for 2010. "As far as the 9 team, I think we've done a pretty good job throughout the year. I don't feel like I need to be done racing for the year. I'm still pretty excited at where we're at right now. I think the company needs to be done. (The company) needs be able to focus on getting things straightened out and pointed in the right direction. There are too many unknowns." Kahne has relied on stability of his team and crew chief Kenny Francis. Despite the turmoil behind the scenes, Kahne has won two races and remains in the top 10 in the point standings. Kahne was clear that attempting to "stay in the loop" with RPM management is futile because many forecasts he's been presented with simply haven't panned out. However, Kahne insists he'll do "the best job" for RPM in his final year as his contract dictates. But he made no bones that his options are open for 2011. "All I can do is make myself better at driving race cars and communicating with Kenny Francis," Kahne said. "If I do that, I'll be happy next season."

Déjà vu

Rookie Scott Speed is starting from the same position at Homestead as he did in 2008 — second. The difference? Beside him is Jimmie Johnson on the pole, vying for Title IV. So what is Speed's strategy? "Race car drivers don't typically make plans," Speed said. "I'll be honest with you, you certainly don't want to be the guy who takes out the 48. That doesn't look good on your resume." Speed will lose his rookie stripe following this weekend. In his freshman year, the Formula One transplant posted a career-best fifth-place finish at Talladega and is currently 35th in the point standings.

Numbers game

Jimmie Johnson scored his second pole at Homestead on Friday. If he leads the first laps, the magic number of where J.J. has to finish to claim his fourth-straight Cup championship drops to 27th. In eight starts at Homestead, Johnson has led just 47 laps out of the 2,141 circuits he's completed. His average finish is 13.6.

Mighty Hendrick Motorsports has a record of 39 Homestead starts with no wins and an average finish of 18.2 among its drivers.

Say what?

Dale Earnhardt Jr. referring to his previous tabloid appearance prior to the Nov. 9th hype in the National Enquirer: The hot tub story was kind of true ... when we filled it up with beer? Filling it up with beer? Well, who hasn't done that? Even when you were in college? Holy s---!