DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Last November, Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet) made track history by becoming the first driver to win three consecutive races at Phoenix International Raceway.

On Saturday, the three-time and defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion will attempt to extend that history with a fourth consecutive Phoenix victory — this time in the SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500.

“There’s not really anything I can put my finger on,” Johnson said. “I know that’s a popular question, wanting to know why a driver does well at a certain track. I think something just clicks with certain drivers at certain places. We’ve just been able to get the car comfortable for me and I’ve just been able to get around the track. During a race there’s a lot that can go on at a short track like Phoenix and having a good pit stall and good pit stops is important too.”

He has three wins, six top fives, nine top 10s and one pole in 11 series starts at Phoenix. No shock, then, that Johnson leads five pre-race NASCAR Loop Data categories for Phoenix — Driver Rating (122.0), Average Running Position (4.992), Fastest Laps Run (266), Average Green Flag Speed (123.719 mph) and Laps in the Top 15 (2,383 or 95.4%). He also boasts an average finish of 5.5.

If Johnson requires more motivation, he need only look inward. The last driver to win four consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup races was … Jimmie Johnson. He did from 2004-’05 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Chasing history and another Phoenix victory is a must for Johnson, who trails only Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) in the series standings. The top-ranked Gordon leads the second-place Johnson by 162 points and is the series’ most recent winner, two weeks ago at Texas Motor Speedway. Johnson finished second in that event, and knows he must keep pace to slice Gordon’s lead.

“I don’t really go into a race thinking about stats,” Johnson said. “It is pretty cool that we’ve had some good runs lately at Phoenix. The last win gave us some good momentum going into (the 2008 season-finale) at Homestead. Don’t get me wrong, a win is always a big deal and never easy and winning four in a row somewhere like Phoenix would certainly be special, but it’s not something that I’m really thinking about a lot.”