CONCORD, N.C. -- Finally, the great equalizer has arrived. Competitors and spectators who have withered under the dominance of Jimmie Johnson at last have that one thing they can cling to, an unpredictable element they hope will cloud his mind, distract his focus, and bring the four-time consecutive champion of NASCAR's premier division back to the pack.

They're betting on the baby.

“

We have found a rhythm that works, an approach, a confidence, a style, whatever it is, that works.

”

-- JIMMIE JOHNSON

At that prospect, Chad Knaus throws his head back and laughs. "I think they're screwed," the crew chief said.

No question, it will keep him up nights, it will soften his hard edges, it will at times reduce him to a quivering, emotional mess. But Johnson's impending fatherhood -- he and wife Chandra are expecting their first child in July -- is about as likely to impact his bid for a fifth consecutive title as a landslide on the moon, and not just because he's compensated well enough to employ an armada of nannies to help him with dirty diapers and 2 a.m. feedings. After eight years and four titles together, Johnson and Knaus have this thing down to such a science that they could truck the No. 48 car down to Daytona International Speedway and put it on cruise control.

Here's the thing about Johnson -- the more he wins, the more some of these traditionalists tired of seeing this polished Californian win everything shift uncomfortably in their grandstand seats. And yet, the more he wins, the more comfortable he becomes with the historical ramifications of his accomplishments. The more he wins, the more he and Knaus are able to go back to the same well again and again to find people and practices that work. The more he wins, the better he gets.

"We have found a rhythm that works, an approach, a confidence, a style, whatever it is, that works," Johnson said Wednesday, when the preseason media tour visited his Hendrick Motorsports shop. "[The] 2006 [season] was tough, because we weren't sure we could win one. We won one, we were off the hook. [The] 2007 [season] went more smoothly, we felt good about things. But 2008, we were really comfortable creating our own destiny, running these races, watching the year go by, living the year. It was that way again last year. So I have a good idea of how I think I can do it." (Continued)