Johnson ready to move on; Martin approach the same

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- To call it a duel in the desert may seem trite, but it has the gritty feel of one.

A week ago, this not only did not seem probable but was dismissed in most quarters as downright impossible. Yet heading into this Sunday's Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, a mere 73 points separate Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

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The margin was 184 only a week earlier, before disaster struck three-time defending champion Johnson in the form of Sam Hornish Jr.'s car on Lap 3 at Texas last Sunday. That led to Johnson's 38th-place finish, his worst of the season.

Coupled with Martin's solid fourth-place finish, 111 points quickly disappeared from Johnson's comfortable and seemingly insurmountable lead -- suddenly making the Phoenix race a whole lot more interesting.

"I can't wait to get on track so I can start thinking about something else," Johnson said Friday at PIR before qualifying third for Sunday's race. "All I can think about is three laps of Texas right now. That's all I've thought about for the whole week. I'm ready to get that out of the brain."

Martin, on the other hand, said the entire key to his surprising season at age 50 has been to keep his brain on an even keel no matter what the situation. If he's coming off a bad finish, no matter; the approach the following race is the same. If he's coming off a good finish, same deal.

"Every time I strap in that race car, I'm going after it," Martin said. "Every time I strap in that race car, I'm going to the extreme limits. I've raced that way all season. Every time I strap in the 5 car, it's the same. It's everything I got, points or no points."

Martin said that applies even to qualifying and practice runs.

"If it's just practice, I like being on top of the scoreboard even in practice," said Martin, who was eighth-fastest in Friday's only practice while Johnson was one spot higher on the speed charts (speeds). "You know, we're digging as hard as we can go."

Johnson figures to do the same this Sunday at a track where he was won three of the past four races, including the past two fall events. The driver who broke his streak of three consecutive wins at PIR this past spring? Why, none other than Mark Martin.

All of which has placed Johnson in an unusual position heading into this Phoenix race, the next-to-last in the 10-race Chase and the 36-race season. (Continued)