Despite sealing his fourth consecutive NASCAR Nextel Cup triumph in the Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway at the weekend, points' leader Jimmie Johnson insists nothing is done and dusted just yet.
The reigning Nextel Cup king is now just one race away from successfully defending his hard-fought crown, after opening up an 86-point advantage over Hendrick Motorsports team-mate and sole title challenger Jeff Gordon courtesy of his maiden NASCAR victory in Arizona.
I think we had a third place car most of the day, stressed the 32-year-old, after clinching the 33rd success of his Nextel Cup career and tenth of 2007. I think the #17 and #1 were probably the best two cars, but everything just came together for us. We finally figured out what our car wanted to roll the centre a little bit better without sacrificing corner exit so we were just coming into our groove, circumstances on tyres worked out and off we went.
The lead we have is a nice, comfortable position to be in, but we've got to go down there (Homestead) and run 400 miles. That's the bottom line if we don't run the full distance of the race, we're in trouble. I don't want to act like it's our championship yet.
Not yet, perhaps, but for Hendrick Motorsports there is certainly reason to celebrate, having triumphed in almost half of the Nextel Cup races held in 2007 and helping to secure in Arizona Chevrolet's 26th trip to victory lane of the campaign breaking the marque's previous record of 25 set back in 1958.
What's more, Johnson became only the eighth driver in the last 36 years and the first since Gordon nine years ago to win four successive races, and that means all he now requires is an 18th-placed finish in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway this coming weekend to wrap up the honours. He is resolutely refusing, however, to take anything for granted.
![Jimmie Johnson celebrates his Allstate 400 victory. [Pic Credit IMS Media/Dana Garrett]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/252486.jpg)
