(DAYTONA BEACH, FL) -- Defending NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson may have the top seed in the 10-race Chase For The Championship, but it only means he is 20 points ahead of teammate Jeff Gordon, 40 points ahead of Tony Stewart and on down the line. "I'm not sure how helpful that's going to be," said Johnson. "I'm hoping that works in the right direction and helps us out and helps us win a championship."

"I really don't have a clear cut strategy. It's more about gettin' in my own head, gettin' in my own world and putting together the best 10 races that I can and that my team can."

He is ready to get the Chase started. "I'm excited about what we have going on at Hendrick Motorsports, the cars that we're bringing to the race tracks. The race tracks that we have coming up on the schedule are great tracks for me." Johnson admits that the upcoming tracks are also good for Gordon and Stewart.