Current top 12 looks very familiar to last season's

Newsflash: Jimmie Johnson didn't run out of gas last Saturday night during the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, and he certainly is not out of gas in his run to defend his back-to-back Sprint Cup championships.

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Despite panic attacks to the contrary earlier -- much more so on the general public and media side than on the inside of the No. 48 car's operations at Hendrick Motorsports -- Johnson's latest title defense remains in pretty good shape.

You want the hard evidence? It's right there in the current points standings. Last year after finishing fourth in the same race at Phoenix, Johnson owned a series-high three victories but was fourth in points.

This year -- after the same first eight races as last year -- Johnson also sits in fourth in the points standings. So while Saturday marked his first victory of the season, it's not like he had been barely treading water earlier. He had registered second-place finishes at California and Texas, as well as a fourth at Martinsville.

There may be other tough days ahead this season for Johnson, just like every team experiences some difficult times. But you can bet on his consistency being good enough that he's right in it at the end again, both at the end of the 26-race regular season and more than likely throughout another Chase to the Sprint Cup championship.

Here is a closer look at the current points positions held by drivers this year vs. which drivers were in the same position a year ago:

Jeff Burton

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1. Jeff Burton -- With 1,215 points, Burton holds an 80-point advantage on his closer competitor. He won the Food City 500 at Bristol on March 16 and has been, as usual, remarkably consistent. Last year's points leader was Jeff Gordon, Johnson's teammate. He won the race at Phoenix to begin a stretch that included two wins in a row and three in the next four races, causing many to conclude that it was going to be "his year." They were wrong, as the year ultimately belonged to Johnson.

2. Kyle Busch -- Now in his first season driving a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, Busch has been nothing short of spectacular when his early-season body of work is examined over NASCAR's top three series. It has been pretty amazing on the Cup side by itself, with a victory at Las Vegas and runs near the front just about everywhere else. Last year at this point in the season, while still driving Chevrolets for Hendrick Motorsports, Busch was sixth in the standings. Burton was second, but with more points then (1,252) than he has now in first.

3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- His winless streak in points races has stretched to 70, but he's consistently running near the front in his first season with Hendrick. It seems only a matter of time until he wins again -- but then again, it seems we've all been saying that for a long time now. Meanwhile, third in the points standings is impressive. Last year at this point, he was not in the top 12 and ultimately failed to make the Chase. Matt Kenseth, currently mired in 15th and the victim of a whole lot of bad luck more than anything else, was third at this juncture in 2007.

4. Jimmie Johnson -- For all those who had hoped he was going to disappear in their rear-view mirror, he's still there.

Kevin Harvick

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5. Kevin Harvick -- Last year at this point, Harvick was hanging on in 11th despite having won the season-opening Daytona 500 and nearly capturing the second race of the season as well at California. This year he has been more solid through the first eight, even though he had a potential top-five finish ruined in Phoenix when his No. 29 Richard Childress Racing Chevy stalled on pit road after taking on fuel on his final stop, relegating him to 19th. Denny Hamlin was fifth in points last season after finishing third at Phoenix.

6. Tony Stewart -- As the weather gets hotter, usually so does the No. 20 team of Stewart. He was seventh with no wins last year, so he's lurking in just about the same spot. But you have to wonder when he's going to start winning races in the Toyota he drives for Joe Gibbs Racing. Last year the aforementioned Kyle Busch was sixth.

7. Denny Hamlin -- So he's two spots lower than he was at this point a year ago, but still solidly in the top 12 that would qualify for the Chase. He also has something he didn't have at this point last season: a victory, which he secured in the Goody's Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville on March 30. His teammate, Stewart, was in seventh last year.

8. Clint Bowyer -- The third and sometimes overlooked driver at Richard Childress Racing, this kid is proving he has the kind of talent to make a splash over the long haul -- not just of a 36-race season, but of a long career. Like Johnson, he gambled on fuel at Phoenix and it paid off big, earning him a second-place finish. Last year he was ninth in points at this point and Carl Edwards was eighth; this year they are reversed.

9. Carl Edwards -- By now it has been beaten to death that he would be second in points if not for a 100-point penalty assessed for having a loose oil-tank lid after his victory at Las Vegas. Get over it. Those points aren't coming back. The fact is that, really, no one has been more dominant overall this season than Edwards, who has earned three victories for Roush Fenway Racing in his No. 99 Ford and might have had a fourth in Atlanta if not for a late blown engine.

Greg Biffle

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10. Greg Biffle -- You figured last year that he was too good to be left out of the Chase again, but back-to-back poor finishes at Texas and Phoenix have dropped him like a rock from third to 10th in points. He needs to stop the bleeding in the next race at Talladega on April 27. Last year Mark Martin, who contended for Saturday's latest win at Phoenix, was still 10th in points despite having begun his part-time journey through the schedule.

11. Kasey Kahne -- Another who missed the Chase last year, Kahne still needs to get better at coaxing the best finishes possible out of his No. 9 Dodge when the team is perhaps not experiencing its best overall days. In great equipment, there is no denying that he can be great; but in a 36-race points battle, sometimes it's how well you manage the sub-par days that can in the end make a huge difference. Harvick was 11th last year.

12. Ryan Newman -- The 2008 Daytona 500 winner has experienced an up-and-down start to the season. He was the pole winner at Phoenix, but his engine blew up on Lap 133 and relegated him to a last-place finish. Newman and Penske Racing teammate Kurt Busch, currently in 16th, both figured to be solid Chase contenders this season -- but something seems to be off. Speaking of something being off, last year Jamie McMurray was sitting in 12th; this year he floated dangerously outside of the top 35 before rallying to at least move up to 26th following his 17th-place finish at Phoenix.

Conspicuously missing from this season's current top 12, in addition to the aforementioned Gordon, are perennial Chase contenders and past champions Kenseth and Kurt Busch. Also missing is 2007 Chaser Martin Truex Jr., who currently sits in 14th, one spot behind Gordon and one ahead of Kenseth.

None of them should lose hope. It's too early. And while it's true that there traditionally isn't much movement within the top 12 after the first eight races, it's worth noting that last year neither Martin nor McMurray made the Chase (Martin being a given because he insisted on sticking to his pre-determined part-time schedule). Kurt Busch and Truex Jr. ultimately crashed the Chase party in their places.

This year, despite his monumental early struggles, the guess is that at the very least Gordon will bump somebody from the top 12 before Race 26 at Richmond is concluded on Sept. 6. Kahne seems the most vulnerable to making the dreaded move downward, along with the inconsistent Newman.

In the end, consistency and dogged determination even on bad days or during bad stretches are what allow the best teams to finish up front in the final standings of a long season. Don't count out any of the Hendrick Motorsports teams just yet (OK, well, maybe Casey Mears, who is 25th), despite the appearance of early dominance by others.

Johnson's latest win was a reminder of that.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.