Jimmie Johnson hears the chatter in the garage and knows that some of his fellow drivers have grown weary of seeing him win races and championships.

And why not?

He has won 23 races in the past three seasons, and claimed the points championship each year, too, becoming the only driver other than Cale Yarborough to win three in a row.

And he's probably not done. Johnson takes a 90-point lead over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Mark Martin into a race today on the paper clip-shaped oval of Martinsville Speedway in Virginia, where Johnson does some of his best work. He has won five of the past six races at the track, including the previous three in the fall in NASCAR's 10-race playoffs.

"I pick that up from time to time with the guys," he said of a feeling they have grown frustrated by his relentless success, "but in the end I'm really just trying to focus on trying to do my job and not spend time worrying about what other people are thinking."

What some of them are thinking, though, is pretty impressive.

Martin has referred to Johnson as Superman and said he thinks Johnson would have fared well in stock car racing's rough-and-tumble days.

"Had he been here with me when I was racing Dale Earnhardt in the early '90s for the title, I think Jimmie would have held his ground," Martin said, adding that while Earnhardt just got in the car and drove it, Johnson takes notes on technical matters after races.

Johnson will start 15th in the race today, and while there is an undeniable sense that he's making his move toward a record fourth consecutive title, Martin isn't conceding with five races remaining.

"I'm going to race him for it," Martin said. "I'm not giving up, not one bit."

Nor is Jeff Gordon, Hendrick's other Chase driver. Gordon, a four-time Sprint Cup champion ,is in third 45 points behind Martin.

Though he toed the company line about being happy to see three Hendrick teams at the top of the points standings, he also admitted to being conflicted at times.

Gordon won his most recent championship in 2001, the season before Johnson came to Hendrick full time. Gordon has beaten Johnson in the final standings just once since then, and has watched Johnson replace him as NASCAR'S dominant star.

He and Johnson are friends, but might be better friends in 15 or 20 years when Gordon is no longer trying to beat Johnson on the track and being frustrated by not doing it.

"Yeah, there's definitely been some challenging moments and days," he said. "It gets harder to go to victory lane and congratulate them when you want it as badly for yourself."

Brad Keselowski held off points leader Kyle Busch on the final lap to win the Kroger On Track For the Cure 250 in a green-white-checker finish in a Nationwide Series race yesterday at Memphis Motorsports Park in Tennessee.

Keselowski was leading when a caution came out with two laps to go because Stephen Wallace spun after tangling with Matt Kenseth. Wallace banged into Kenseth's car after the race and the two had words on pit road.

Keselowski held onto the lead through the overtime segment. Busch finished second and leads Carl Edwards by 215 points in the standings Edwards was sixth.

Busch was on Keselowski's rear bumper coming out of the final turn. Keselowski got loose but held on for his fourth Nationwide win of the year. Jason Leffler finished third, while Mike Bliss and Brendan Gaughan completed the top five.

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