Denny Hamlin was already at home when Jimmie Johnson crossed the finish line for his third victory in five championship races.

Juan Pablo Montoya didn’t have a great view of the victory celebration, he was four laps behind the action.

And Mark Martin? Well, the one guy most people believed could keep pace with Johnson was mired back in traffic.

With the closest contenders out of his way, Johnson cruised into control of the points standings with Saturday night’s win at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

He did have his hands full late with Chase for the Sprint Cup drivers Kasey Kahne and Jeff Gordon, but neither could beat him on a series of late restarts, and Johnson ultimately made it look easy.

Only it wasn’t, he insisted, and the cushy 90-point lead he’ll take into Martinsville next week isn’t nearly enough breathing room for a team determined to win a NASCARrecord fourth consecutive championship.

“Not to sound like a broken record, but you just don’t know what’s going to happen,” Johnson insisted after celebrating his sixth Cup victory at the suburban Charlotte track. “If somebody spins out, you get caught up in it. Contact with another car and there’s a tire rub. Whatever it is, those elements are still out there.

“If we don’t have any problems, I feel that we’ve got a very good chance to win the championship, racing for it. But the unknowns is what we can’t control.”