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."

So forget about babies. Johnson could sprout an Octomom's worth of little ones, and comments would still strike directly to the heart of the competition. His final victory margin last year on teammate Mark Martin, a robust 141 points, was the largest of any of his championship campaigns. Without even trying, he gets into other drivers' heads. Innocuous things like Johnson being selected to participate in a tire test, or Knaus nudging as close as he can to the mathematical tolerances allowed on the current Cup car, just drive people batty.

Martin has competed against plenty of great drivers in his career, and has never seen anything like it.

“

I can tell you, if you're not winning races and you're not winning championships, you're afraid for your job. That's the way this sport is. This is a very, very mean sport.

”

-- CHAD KNAUS

"I'll be honest with you, I don't recall anybody quite putting a whooping on the competition like Jimmie has, I really don't," said the veteran, who began NASCAR racing in 1981, when Johnson was 5. "Rusty [Wallace] won 10 races one year. [Dale] Earnhardt won championships, probably didn't win 10 races real often. Bill Elliott won 10 or 12 races, Darrell [Waltrip] won 13 or something one year. I don't think anybody put the kind of whooping that we've seen. I think he's probably in their head more."

For all its perceived stability, the No. 48 team does not sit still. Knaus calls his group a "very offensive" organization, like a finely-tuned college football program lighting up the scoreboard by running the spread. He likes to change a few people every year, just to keep his crew sharp. This offseason he's tinkered with the pit crew, and handed some engineers some more responsibility, all in the name of building depth. It's not uncommon for one of his people to move into management at Hendrick, or take on a leadership position with one of its affiliated teams. When that happens, Knaus wants people ready and able to step in.

The results speak for themselves. The No. 48 team carries with it a confidence level that's unmatched in the garage area, and shows on the race track.

"I think it helps us tremendously," Knaus said. "If we have a bad week, we know it's not going to reflect solely on us. We have the opportunity to bounce back. I think we've done a good job of, when we do have things go awry, we show the competition and [Rick] Hendrick and our sponsors that we can come back and be competitive next week. Look at, for instance, Texas [last fall], where two laps in we crashed and everybody wrote us off. Then we went to Phoenix and won the race. I think we do a really good job of bouncing back from adversity."

Winning certainly helps. There are really two kinds of people working in the Cup garage -- those trying to win championships, and those trying to keep their jobs. There's a truism in racing that wrecks put a team behind, because they force organizations to spend more time fixing crashed cars, and less time making intact cars better. There are a lot of teams out there chasing the No. 48 team, doing the big-picture equivalent of fixing wrecked cars. Meanwhile, Knaus has his in one piece, and humming. He's already excited about the big setup swings he's taking at the Daytona 500, a luxury afforded by success.

"We're established to a degree," he said. "You're not in constant fear of losing your job, you don't have that hanging over your head. I can tell you, if you're not winning races and you're not winning championships, you're afraid for your job. That's the way this sport is. This is a very, very mean sport, let's just say it like that. Look at Steve Addington last year. Here the guy is, they won four races [with Kyle Busch] and he lost his job. Seriously, it's ridiculous. This is a very difficult sport. I think right now that we're in a very good position where we don't have to worry about that -- at least for a year."

Likely for more than that. On any kind of team, in any kind of sport, a culture of winning often takes on a momentum unto itself, requiring successful organizations to make only small corrections to remain on top. That's where the No. 48 is now, in the midst of a self-sustaining dynasty that takes more than just faith in the law of averages to bring down. No question, there are some unusual variables presenting themselves this season -- like the expected, gradual switch from a wing to a spoiler on the rear of the Cup car -- that will certainly pose new hurdles for Johnson's squad.

But Johnson has won titles in the old car, in the current car, and in a season that featured a combination of both. Knaus' engineers had spoiler-outfitted cars in a wind tunnel days before the NASCAR competition bulletin informing teams of the change arrived on the crew chief's desk. And the driver himself now slides into his established role of champion with the effortlessness of settling into an old easy chair.

"As the years go by and I'm able to accomplish more stuff, fortunately, I've become much more comfortable in my own skin, with my place in the sport, my voice in the sport, how I interact with NASCAR, the fans," Johnson said. "It's such a big stage that NASCAR drivers are thrust onto, it's tough to do it all right and be comfortable and handle it well and be personable and all those things. I am becoming more much confident and comfortable with where I fit into this sport on a lot of levels."

As for baby preparations? "I've read a book. That's about it so far," Johnson said. Understandable, given that the new addition doesn't arrive until summer, and the Daytona 500 looms in three weeks. Those yearning to see Johnson fall back to the field are going to have to place their hope in something else.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.