Gordon, Johnson remain best of friends, competitors

CONCORD, N.C. -- Their social scenes may be a bit divergent these days -- having a baby will do that -- but Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are hardly strangers. They still go to dinner, still keep part-time residences in New York, still maintain the friendship they've had since they became teammates at Hendrick Motorsports in 2002. Then their relationship was one of mentor and protégé, their conversations often an exchange of questions and advice. That's not as much the case today, when both drivers are champions on the racetrack and near equals off it.

Perhaps no two drivers in the garage are as close personally and professionally as Gordon and Johnson, the two clear leaders in the Chase for the Nextel Cup entering Saturday night's event at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Gordon was the one who helped Johnson land the ride at Hendrick, who convinced Lowe's to come aboard as primary sponsor of the No. 48 car, who is the listed owner of his teammate's vehicle. Johnson met his wife, Chandra, through a former girlfriend of Gordon's. They've been on vacation together. Four-time champion Gordon even served in Johnson's wedding party.

By any standard, it's a tight relationship. And it's one that could very well be tested during the final stages of this Chase, which with every passing race shapes up more and more as a battle between the Hendrick teammates. Coming to Charlotte, Gordon leads Johnson by a mere nine points. The next closest driver, third-place Clint Bowyer, is 54 further back. Everyone else faces a deficit of 145 points or more, and just six starts to make up the difference.

"If things continue on the way they are, it's definitely going to push the limits of it and put it to the test," Gordon said. "We both want it so bad. We both want to win. We both want to win the championship. I know Jimmie well enough to know that friendship is as important to him as it is to me. But we're racecar drivers, and we want that championship."

It's a situation not without precedent. Gordon battled former Hendrick teammate Terry Labonte for the 1996 title, losing the crown by just 37 points. He and Johnson were each in the hunt for the 2004 championship eventually claimed by Kurt Busch. In each case, the teammates pulled no punches, but relationships still survived intact.

"It's something that I think we've been dealing with for a long time," Johnson said. "We understand that on the track, we're competitors. We try to help each other, work with each other the best that we can. But at the end of the day, I know he's trying to win races same as I am, and that goes for the championship race as well. I'm not saying it's a piece of cake, especially if we get to Homestead and it's Jeff and I fighting for the championship. It's going to be very challenging. But through it all and through the years and with all the competitive moments we've had, we've always had a lot of respect for one another, and I don't see that changing."

It didn't in 2004. Johnson said he finished that season with even more respect for Gordon's ability and the camaraderie in the shop shared by the No. 24 and 48 teams, designed to function as complementary pieces as well as separate units. Labonte's title in 1996 served as a motivating factor for Gordon, who went on to win the next two NASCAR crowns. (Continued)