Notes: Johnson refocusing after recent trend of DNFs (cont'd)

Owner's mark
Pocono marks only the second time this season -- and the first since the season-opening Daytona 500 -- where all three Michael Waltrip Racing Toyotas qualified for an oval race. Six Camrys made the event, which is an oval-high for the manufacturer that has seven full-time teams.

"Our goal each week has been to get all three cars in the race and I think we have been faced with more challenges this season than what we thought and what we told our sponsors," Waltrip said. "It's nice to see that we're gaining on our goals and it's better to be able to come to the track and prove that by getting all of our cars in the race.

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"We need to finish all three of them in the top 20 on Sunday if possible in order to keep gaining points and it's important to me to get the No. 55 car ahead of the No. 49 car in owner points so we would be locked into the field in case of rain."

He's happy
Color Juan Montoya relatively happy to be at Pocono Raceway this weekend, a racetrack where he finished 20th in his debut a month ago. Montoya was 11th in the opening practice Friday, qualified ninth -- only his fifth top-10 start in 21 races this season -- then was 11th and 16th in Saturday's two practices.

"Normally when you do well you like the place, and when you do bad you hate it -- that's the way I look at it," Montoya said. "My first time I came here it was OK [and] now we're running good so it's nice. That's the way it works."

In the last five races Montoya has risen from a season-low 23rd in the standings to 18th, with at least minimal hopes of getting into the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

"The momentum we've got at the moment I think is the strength No. 1," Montoya said of his Ganassi Racing team, "and how the whole team is just working together."

Junior proceeding
Even while he attempts to maintain his hold on 12th in the standings, Dale Earnhardt Jr. continues to prepare for his move in 2008 to Hendrick Motorsports, including a recent visit to owner Rick Hendrick's shop complex.

"I went over and looked at the carbon fiber seats they use [to determine] whether or not I want to use them or not," Earnhardt said. "I like the seats that I have but [Hendrick] would like me to use the carbon fiber so I went over there and we talked about that and we're working with those guys on that stuff."

Earnhardt said there was no question, though, where his focus was.

"I've got business to take care of here and I'm focusing on this No. 8 car," Earnhardt said. "I'm not going to be wandering around Rick's place every day of the week because there's plenty of time to do that down the road. I got to stay focused on trying to run every lap I can run here and be fast, trying to do a good job for my guys. I don't want to get over there and get too caught up in planning and working on what's happening next year. We've got time for that. There's no rush.

"I'm not really looking in that direction quite yet [because I've] still got things to do here. I've got my integrity and my team's integrity on the line to be able to run hard all year long and finish well."