Knaus says competition stiff, refutes favorite's role 

In seven more races, you might be able to call driver Jimmie Johnson, crew chief Chad Knaus and their No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team two-time Nextel Cup champions.

But for right now, just three events into the 10-race Chase for the Nextel Cup -- and on the eve of what's sure to be one of the Chase's wilder outings, Sunday's UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega Superspeedway -- Knaus won't take the favorite's role.

"Absolutely not," Knaus said. "There isn't a favorite right now."

This, despite the fact that after two of the crazier Chase races in the event's four-year history, Johnson -- who last year won the title by 56 points over Matt Kenseth -- has a six-point lead over Hendrick teammate Jeff Gordon and a 14-point edge over third-place Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet driver Clint Bowyer.

And the fact that the next driver in the 12-man field is former two-time Cup champion Tony Stewart, who's 117 points behind. Maybe it's because after last year's Talladega event, Johnson actually gained points on the leader despite getting spun out of second place on the last lap and finishing 24th, one lap down.

And after that he made the greatest comeback in the Chase's short history to win.

Despite Knaus' hesitation, so far in the 2007 Chase, Johnson's made a pretty stout case for consideration as a favorite to defend, which hasn't been done since Gordon did it in the pre-Chase era of 1997-98.

After opening the Chase with a typical sixth-place finish at New Hampshire International Speedway, Johnson went to Dover, got a flat tire early that cost him two laps to the leaders and was never able to make up the deficit. But after a major backstretch pig-pile late in the race, Johnson held on to finish 14th.

"Jimmie's awesome -- just a phenomenal racecar driver," Knaus said. "He's more mature than he's ever been, obviously, and he knows how to drive a racecar and keep it within his limits."

Last weekend at Kansas, Johnson started shotgun on the field after wrecking his Bud Pole-winning primary car in practice and then pitted before a rain shower and was locked deep in the field, a lap down -- as were many of the Chase contenders. But the race resumed and Johnson finished third.

It gave him and his team a chance to take a deep breath, but that's about it.

"It's been crazy, that's for sure," Knaus said. "The competition is really tough right now and everybody, when they go out on the racetrack is going for blood. That's kind of what the Chase was put out there for.

"Obviously it stirs a lot of interest with the fans and the media and everything else. So it's crazy."

But what's been stable in all the hysteria is the Hendrick Motorsports ensemble, and they proved it at Kansas, particularly Johnson. (Continued)