Johnson's peaking at the right time, other lessons from California

Jimmie Johnson could become the first driver to win three straight Cup titles since Cale Yarborough in 1976-78. AP

Here are five things we learned under the lights on Sunday night at California Speedway:

1. Jimmie Johnson performed like, well, Jimmie Johnson.

In the 59-year history of NASCAR, only one driver has ever won three straight championships. In 1976, '77, and '78, Cale Yarborough stormed to the Cup title. But if you ask drivers from Yarborough's generation if they think it's harder to win a championship today as compared to Yarborough's time, nine out of 10 will tell you that the degree of difficulty is far higher in '08 than it was in '78. Why? Two reasons: There's more parity today in NASCAR than ever before (When was the last time only a handful of cars finished on the lead lap, which was commonplace in Yarborough's day?); and there's more talent today in NASCAR than ever before -- a reflection of the fact that the Cup series is now considered Shangri-la of racing in America (Sorry, IndyCar).

All of which should make us appreciate what Jimmie Johnson is now trying to do. After being quiet for most of the season, Johnson -- the two-time defending champ -- is once again starting to come on when it matters most. On Sunday he led 227 of the 250 laps at California Speedway to win his third race of the season. Johnson drove the same car at Fontana that he piloted to victory at Indianapolis earlier this season, and all indications suggest that this team is starting to peak -- surprise, surprise -- at the perfect time.

"Jimmie is switched on right now," said Chad Knaus, Johnson's crew chief.

"We're doing the right things," said Johnson.

Yes they are. For the last two years the M.O. of this team has been to come on in the last days of summer and then flourish in the fall. So this was a scary night for the rest of the teams in the Cup Series, because, all of the sudden, it's starting to look like 2006 and 2007 all over again. All of the sudden, it looks like Johnson is back.

2. Carl Edwards got the best of Kyle Busch -- again.

For the fifth time in the last six weeks, Edwards finished ahead of Busch. On Sunday Edwards came in sixth while Busch wound up seventh. These have clearly been the top two drivers of 2008, which is reflected in the standings, where Busch is first and Edwards is second. Busch still has more victories (eight) than Edwards (six), but the recent results betray a larger truth: Edwards is now the favorite to win the championship.

3. Denny Hamlin has learned the lesson of humility.

When Hamlin blew an engine at Michigan two weeks ago and finished 39th, he blasted his Chase chances and his team, telling every microphone he could find that he and his crew didn't deserve to make the Chase. This was Hamlin in the heat of the moment, and his blood was a-boil. But Hamlin's sour reaction was also one of the biggest no-no's a driver can commit, because it emitted the whiff of giving up.

Suffice to say, several heavyweights at Joe Gibbs Racing have talked to Hamlin since his meltdown at Michigan, and he was a completely different driver over the radio at California Speedway. Instead of complaining how bad his car was, which Hamlin often does, he was a cheerleader, frequently complimenting his crew on the quality of their work during pit stops. This is one of those things that means a lot in NASCAR. With a near flawless crew backing him, the newly positive Hamlin finished third on Sunday night and now looks like a rock-solid bet to make the Chase. He's in 11th place in the standings and has a 93-point cushion between himself and the 13th place driver, David Ragan, heading into Richmond, which is Hamlin's home track and where his average finish is 10.0 in five career starts. Go ahead and pencil Hamlin into the Chase.

4. Red Bull should sign A.J. Allmendinger to a multi-year deal. Now.

All week long Allmendinger, who's in his second year in the Cup series, has been waiting for his cell phone to ring. He's been hoping to secure a ride with his team, Red Bull Racing, for 2009 and beyond, but so far his phone has remained silent. Well, it should be ringing soon, because Allmendinger showed again on Sunday that he's one of the top up-and-coming drivers in the Cup series.

After starting second, Allmendinger stayed in the top 10 for much of the night and finished a solid 14th. The 26-year-old Allmendinger comes from an open-wheel background. He finished third in the 2006 Champ Car series, as he won three races that season. He didn't make his first start with Red Bull until the ninth race of the '08 season, at Talladega, but over the last few weeks he's shown he's got what it takes to succeed on the Cup circuit. Though his equipment has been far from superior, Allmendinger finished 13th at Chicago earlier this summer, 11th at Indy and 11th at Watkins Glen. This may not sound like much, but when you're driving for a team not named Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing or Roush Fenway Racing, these are stellar results.

I spent some time with Allmendinger at a cocktail party back in February before the Daytona 500. At the time he was sniffing around for a Cup ride with a power team, and we talked at length about what it takes to make it at the Cup level. On that night I was struck by Allmendinger's absolutely unshakeable belief that he could produce if given a chance; it was as if, in his mind, it was pre-ordained. But Allmendinger is now backing that up. It's too early to know if he's the kind of special driver you can build an organization around, but he very well might be, which is why Red Bull should lock him up immediately.

5. Clint Bowyer is hanging on.

Aside from monitoring how the Big Three -- Busch, Edwards, and Johnson -- will do next Saturday night at Richmond, the other intriguing storyline will be Bowyer. He finished 10th at California to remain in 12th in the standings, which amounted to a solid night. He now holds a 15-point lead over David Ragan and a 44-point advantage over Kasey Kahne for the final spot that advances to the Chase.

Will Bowyer make it in? At this point you've got to like his chances. After all, he won at Richmond earlier this season, and this is a track where drivers from Richard Childress Racing normally flourish. Bowyer continues to surprise me -- I admit, I thought his quest to win a championship in the Nationwide Series would be such a distraction that he'd miss the Chase -- but now it looks like he'll make into the NASCAR playoff. All he has to do is rip off a top-15 run on Saturday and he'll be chasing a championship.