Atop the Chase standings for the second time in 2013, Jimmie Johnson has been “the closer” in four of the five seasons (2006-09) he’s been the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points leader with two races remaining. In 2012, he couldn’t hold a seven-point lead – identical to this year’s margin – after tire failure and a 32nd-place finish at Phoenix International Raceway opened the door for Brad Keselowski. Johnson, a four-time Phoenix winner, finished second in this March’s race at the one-mile oval.