If Jimmie Johnson's body of work on track to his 2006 NEXTEL Cup Series championship seemed impressive, his résumé so far in this year's Chase may be indescribable.

Johnson held off Matt Kenseth in the waning laps at Texas on Sunday to secure his third consecutive victory and his ninth of the season. The win, coupled with a seventh-place finish for former points leader Jeff Gordon, gives the defending NEXTEL Cup champion a 30-point lead over his teammate with just two races remaining in the 2007 season.

What could be more impressive than Johnson's triple trophy take late in the Chase could be his average finish of 5.25 in the postseason's first eight races. Each of Johnson's finishes has been in the top 15.

Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch finished in third and fourth, and Ryan Newman took fifth. Jeff Burton finished just ahead of Gordon in sixth, and they were followed by Kurt Busch, Jamie McMurray, Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart, and Elliott Sadler.

The remaining Chase contenders finished in the following positions: Clint Bowyer, 19th; Carl Edwards, 26th; Denny Hamlin, 29th.

Bowyer falls back to 181 points behind the Chase lead, and only six competitors remain in the hunt for the Chase title.

Here are the standings of the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup with two races remaining in the 2007 season, the next of which will be the Checker Auto Parts 500 Presented by Pennzoil on Sunday at PIR:

Point Standings (through 34 of 36 races)

Tickets still remain for all of the high-speed NASCAR action at PIR this weekend, including NEXTEL Cup Series Bud Pole Qualifying at 3:40 p.m. on Friday and the Semi-Final Showdown in the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup - the Checker Auto Parts 500 Presented by Pennzoil - at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Get your tickets today! Call 1-866-408-RACE (7223) or visit www.racetickets.com!