Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 Chevy have taken a turn for the worse. Credit: Getty Images/Chris Stanford

Johnson, No. 48 team limp into Chase playoffs

RICHMOND, Va. -- Jimmie Johnson led the Nextel Cup Series point standings for 16 of the 26 qualification weeks, including a span of 12 in a row between weeks four and 15.

Presently, that seems but a distant memory.

Johnson finished NASCAR's 26-race regular season fourth in the championship standings, 316 points behind leader Tony Stewart, leaving him with little momentum as the second Chase begins.

Jimmie Johnson finished out of the top 10 for the third consecutive race. Credit: Getty Images/Nick Laham

Results Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Pos. Driver Make 1. Kurt Busch Ford 2. Matt Kenseth Ford 3. Greg Biffle Ford 4. Kyle Busch Chevrolet 5. Rusty Wallace Dodge Complete results, click here Standings, click here The big "Mo"Johnson hopes to recapture momentum going into the Chase No drive for fiveJeff Gordon's ill-handling car gets knocked into the wall Victory LaneKurt Busch celebrates his win at Richmond Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

"The car was no good," Johnson said. "Thankfully we had a strong start to the season where this last month we really didn't have to race our way in."

Good thing. During the past month, Johnson averaged a 21st-place finish, dropping him two positions in the standings.

"It wouldn't have worked out for us," Johnson said. "We came out of the box strong, we've got to get things turned around. There is a lot of hard work going into it all. We just haven't found the combination yet and we're working hard to find it."

They didn't find it Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway. Johnson finished 25th in the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 on a rough night that included a run-in with teammate Brian Vickers.

When the caution flew on Lap 213 for Jeff Gordon's run-in with the outside wall, Johnson pitted with the leaders. On his way back around the track, Vickers dove low as if preparing to pit the No. 25 Chevrolet.

But at the last instant, Vickers was called off by his crew and shot back out onto the track, slamming Johnson in the left rear, spinning the No. 48 Chevy out and bursting the left-rear tire.

"That's pretty much how our night went," he said.

Despite the recent setbacks, Johnson isn't leaning on the panic button just yet. A solid test at The Milwaukee Mile adds solace heading into New Hampshire.

And then there's last year.

"If you're hitting your stride, you're all about the Chase starting, but if you're downhill fighting your way up, you'd want a couple of weeks before the Chase starts so you can sort out your own stuff," Johnson said.

"We didn't get off to a good start last year and almost won it, so we'll just have to work hard and see what happens."