Jimmie Johnson says he wants this week to be normal, but that may be hard to do. Credit: Autostock

Johnson hopes ordinary week turns extraordinary

Points leader says his goal is to approach Homestead like others

MIAMI -- For Chase for the Nextel Cup leader Jimmie Johnson, his hopes to win the fifth championship of his racing career this week -- but his first in stock cars -- hinges on normalcy, and plenty of it.

Thursday at a news conference featuring the five championship contenders at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa, Johnson's demeanor proved that, at least on the eve of the Nextel Cup garage's opening Friday morning at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the plan was working.

Since a last-lap crash at Talladega, Jimmie Johnson has not finished worse than second. Credit: Autostock

Inside the Numbers Jimmie Johnson in the Chase Race Start Finish Rank Loudon 7 39 9 Dover 18 13 8 Kansas 3 14 8 Talladega 3 24 8 Charlotte 10 2 7 Martinsville 9 1 3 Atlanta 3 2 2 Texas 5 2 1 Phoenix 29 2 1 CHAMPIONSHIP ADVICE •   Stewart gives Johnson advice for championship week •   Nextel Cup title Johnson's to lose after recent good runs NASCAR TodayTop Chase contenders discuss the season finale at Miami Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

"I think our goal is to come down and to try to keep this weekend as similar to other weekends in the Chase or to other weekends in the season," Johnson said. "And to focus on getting the best car in practice, and to be a contender for the pole and a contender for the win.

"So we're going to try really hard to keep that mindset. Where that puts us, I'm not really sure, but I have a lot of confidence in the package that we've been bringing to the mile-and-a-half and 2-mile tracks lately, so if we're in a position to win, great. If we're not, the goal is to be a champion, and we want to do the right things to be a champion.

"I don't think it would be smart to take any risks if I don't need to, so it's just one of those things that we'll have to play it by ear during the race, see how the race develops and what we need to do in the race.

"There's no telling what spot I'll need to be in to be the champion."

Johnson knows how not to win titles in Cup.

He's experienced plenty of heartache, frustration and disappointment in four full years in the Cup Series, as he's finished runner-up in the championship twice -- including an eight-point loss to Kurt Busch in 2004 -- and fifth twice with his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

But this season, Johnson is in perhaps the best position of his career to cash the big prize, worth well over $5 million in bonus awards. After staging his second major comeback in three editions of the Chase, he carries a 63-point lead over second-place Matt Kenseth heading into Sunday's Ford 400 (2 p.m. ET, NBC).

He also carries plenty of optimism.

"We feel good," Johnson said. "We feel like on the mile-and-a-half and 2-mile tracks we've had in the Chase we've been up there competing for wins in each of them.

"This track [Homestead] shows some similarities to other tracks we've been to, so we feel comfortable with the package that we're bringing and the car that we're bringing and hopefully we can have a clean race on Sunday."

Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. round out the top five, who were also in light-hearted mindsets Thursday considering that Johnson, with another standard run, can win going away.

Chase for the Nextel Cup Before Homestead (10th of 10 races) Pos. +/- Driver Behind 1. -- J. Johnson Leader 2. -- M. Kenseth -63 3. +2 K. Harvick -90 4. -- D. Hamlin -90 5. -2 Earnhardt Jr. -115 6. -- J. Gordon -167 7. -- J. Burton -225 8. +1 M. Martin -273 9. +1 K. Kahne -319 10. -2 Ky. Busch -359 • Complete standings, click here NASCAR TodayKenseth talks about what his team needs to do Fantasy ReportNikki Alexander and Duane Cross predict who will win in Miami Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

But the limited pressure of knowing that all he has to do is finish 12th or better and the championship is his, isn't weighing on Johnson.

"The anxiety and butterflies are always going to be there," said Johnson, who has a league-leading 23 top-10 finishes. "But I have a very good outlook for the way the cars are going to drive, and I think as a team we're a lot stronger this year and we have a better mindset than we've ever had in the four years we've been in the sport.

"There have just been a lot of things going in the right direction, I'm excited to go to the racetrack and excited to drive these racecars so if we can keep that momentum and mindset going through this weekend, there's definitely no doubt as the race draws near and certainly in some parts of the race, I think all of our minds will wander.

"It's just one of those things that takes place, with the pressure that comes with it -- and I think that's what makes everybody special and different up there, is that we're all able to deal with the pressure and deal with those things."

Johnson's week has been so ordinary it's almost humdrum. From taking his usual personal day on Monday, on which he played golf, to going out to dinner Thursday evening with the winners of a Levi Strauss Signature sweepstakes, Johnson's gone for the norm.

He's done that, he said, because he'll become all business on Friday.

"I really think, as everyone else has pointed out, that we're all in different situations competing for this championship, but we all know we need to go out and do the same job that we've done all year long because that's what's put all of us in that position.

"So [Friday] we're going to do everything that we can to just make it a normal day of qualifying and practice."

And on Sunday, hope that he can return to the form that saw him score a runner-up finish two years ago and two other top-10s in 2002 and 2004.