Johnson turns Chase into runaway

Remember that engraver who's always doing his work as the British Open golf tournament starts winding down? He's an older, grizzled gent likely called Pappy or Mac, and is best known for prematurely chiseling Jean Van de Velde's name on the Claret Jug at Carnoustie in 1999 while the Frenchman was authoring one of the greatest collapses ever in sports.It doesn't seem like the people engraving NASCAR's championship trophy have much to worry about.Just like he did this time last year, Jimmie Johnson is turning in anything but a Van de Veldean performance -- at just the right moment. His best driving and his Chad Knaus-led team's best work is paying off as 11 other Chase drivers prove week-to-week that they are not his equal.In fact, only Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle and Jeff Burton have raced well enough in this Chase to give Johnson any real competition. Favorite Kyle Busch fell by the wayside right away, while Biffle faded after two quick wins. Burton became a player after winning at Charlotte, but his home track of Martinsville did little to help him last Sunday.Only Edwards has hung in entirely through six races, but now he rides in fourth, 198 points out of the lead spot. The distant though not completely out of it presence of Biffle (-149) and Burton (-152) should make NASCAR's inscriber a little tentative and somewhat nervous about possibly getting started on assessing ownership to the Sprint Cup Series trophy.Despite the trophy's revolving door name, Johnson wants it, and he used a checklist at Martinsville to nearly seal the deal on his present title hopes. Start up front and lead a lap -- check (though a rainout in qualifying put him on the pole). Lead the most laps -- check (339 of 504). Hold off teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. and not let a win slip away -- check.Now he turns to Atlanta, where he's a three-time winner. Then it's off to Texas and Phoenix, where he's the defending race winner of both events. If he finds any kind of success at those three or Biffle and Burton slip up like everyone else has done, Homestead won't matter. We'll be sitting there wondering who will win the race -- just the 400-miler, not the championship race.The NASCAR trophy engravers just need to remember a few things and not resort to "Wheel of Fortune" tactics -- you know, where contestants rely on R,S,T,L,N, and E to get them through that final puzzle. He'll have to have at least a pair of J's, M's and I's nearby.And don't forget, it's Jimmie with an -ie and not a -y, lest the racing Johnson be confused with the former football coach Johnson, who wouldn't dare don a racing helmet over his hair helmet and blatantly break the "Only one helmet per head" rule. And Hendrick doesn't have an S on the end, another common error.But why am I offering advice to NASCAR's engravers? They've had plenty of practice spelling Johnson's name right over the last few years.(Bill Whitehead covers NASCAR for Scripps Treasure Coast (Fla.) Newspapers, The Stuart News, Fort Pierce Tribune and Vero Beach Press Journal. E-mail him at wwhitehe@ircc.net.)