DOVER, Del. (AP) — Go ahead. Count out Jimmie Johnson.
He’s having an atypical-Johnson season.
He has only one victory, is off to a slow start in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, and hasn’t been as dominant as previous years.
Tony Stewart has stolen the spotlight with wins in the first two Chase races, but Johnson is still in the mix for his six straight championship. Johnson can make a serious move in the standings at one of his favorite tracks, Dover International Speedway. He has six career victories on the Monster Mile and won the race here last September.
Johnson is lurking in 10th place, an unfamiliar position for one of NASCAR’s all-time great champions. But he’s only 29 points behind Stewart. That gap is far from insurmountable for a driver like Johnson.
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Dan Gelston can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/apgelston
