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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Johnson owns Concord

Associated Press The Spokesman-Review

CONCORD, N.C. – Crew chief Chad Knaus stepped out of his hauler with a thick black binder tucked under his arm Thursday, turned and tauntingly waved it at Matt Kenseth.

Inside the notebook were the secrets that 42 other teams are desperate to find out: How to win at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, where Knaus and driver Jimmie Johnson have teamed for seven victories in the last 10 races.

Asked why the team has been close to unbeatable since 2003, Kenseth shrugged and pointed at Knaus.

“Ask him, he knows,” Kenseth said. “I don’t know. Nobody’s beat him in three years or something.”

Johnson heads into Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 as the overwhelming favorite to win it for the fourth consecutive year. He’s coming off another victory here in last week’s All-Star race, when he he overcame a speeding on pit road penalty and other diversions to claim the $1 million prize.

He also had a great qualifying run Thursday night. Although Scott Riggs won the pole and Jeremy Mayfield was second, Johnson qualified third.

Riggs, who went out midway through qualifying, put himself on the pole with a lap of 187.865 mph.

Johnson just missed bumping him off the pole, then Riggs only had his teammate to worry about. Mayfield was the final driver to qualify, and his first lap of 187.292 was good enough for second place.

It’s left the competition puzzled, wondering what it will take to dethrone Johnson.

“He may not be there until 20 laps to go, but he’ll be there at the end of the 600,” Kasey Kahne said. “That’s just the way it is. He gets it done every time he comes here.”

Johnson doesn’t seem concerned with any of the variables.

“Once the sun goes down and the grip is in the race track, we end up working our way to the front,” he said. “I’m not sure it is the right line when the sun is out, but at night time, when the checkered flag is just around the corner, we always seem to come alive.”