Monday, March 14, 2005 | 9:56 a.m.
As if last year's Chase for the Nextel Cup never ended, Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch are still trading first and second place in this year's points standings.
Busch edged Johnson by a NASCAR cup series-record eight points for last year's championship, and the two have scored top-5 finishes in each of this year's three points races.
The script played out again Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, as Johnson won and Busch finished third.
Johnson took a 15-point lead ahead of Busch in this year's regular season standings, pending any penalties for the Lowe's Chevrolet measuring too low in post-race inspection.
It also marked a continuation of the battle between Roush Racing and Hendrick Motorsports, which have accounted for 15 of the past 23 Nextel Cup race winners.
"It's going to be a fun battle all the way to the end," Busch said. "That's what it was last year with me and Roush Racing trying to beat two Hendrick cars."
Johnson, who in four previous NASCAR Cup series seasons has finished second in points twice, said he's not surprised that two teams seem to be running so well at the same time.
"In our sport, you'll have a team or two that sorts it out or has everything figured out for a five- to eight-race span," he said. "And then the other guys that didn't run so good are going to go home, going to test, going to Kentucky or go test at the next track that we're racing at and try to find something. It's just a cycle that takes place. The whole crucial part of this is to time it for the final 10 and make sure that your cycle comes around on that final 10 so you can be the champion."
Johnson's comments mark a contrast from last season, when drivers and teams took more of a wait-and-see approach to the 10-race championship run. This year, everyone has a theory and plan for taking their shot at the Nextel Cup.
Greg Biffle, a Roush driver who won at California two weeks ago and led for 52 laps and finished sixth on Sunday at Las Vegas, talked about his early focus on the autumn races.
"We're trying to make the chase and we know what we've got to do," he said. "We've got to keep our head on straight and just have good runs."
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