Kenseth, Johnson might make it a two-man Chase

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- What looked to be a wide-open Chase for the championship last week might actually only be a two-man race to the title.

It would be fitting if it indeed comes down to a race between Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson, because they were the best of the field during the regular season. The two combined to hold down the top spot in the standings for the entire 26 weeks before the Chase started.

Now they head into the final three races of the year with just 26 points separating Kenseth from second-place Johnson. Although Denny Hamlin, Jeff Burton and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are all within striking distance, the Nextel Cup is more than likely Kenseth's or Johnson's to lose.

And, for the first time, Johnson likes his chances.

"I had a great dream about being a champion. That's the first time for me in my championship battles ... I had the sensation of being a champion," he said. "I didn't have the full visual of standing on the stage or anything, [but] every thought I have about it fills me up with excitement and happiness, where in the past, I almost had nightmares."

Kenseth, who won the 2003 championship under NASCAR's old system, isn't as wild about his chances as Johnson.

After putting together a late-summer surge that cemented him as the driver to beat, Kenseth has been frustrated with his team's performance through the first part of the Chase.

He refused to celebrate when he moved into the points lead two weeks ago, accepting that his top spot in the standings was the result of the failure of others. But a fourth-place run last week in Atlanta buoyed his spirits, and Kenseth isn't as pessimistic about his chances as just a few weeks ago.

"We finally showed that we can run with the leaders again, and that was encouraging," Kenseth said. "There's three more to go, and if we can continue to work like we did in Atlanta, then we'll have a shot. But we've got be on our game because [Johnson] is very good."