So, is there really any argument now?

Since the start of the Chase (and before), many have said that no matter what happens, Jeff Gordon deserves the championship because he’s been the most consistent driver in the series all season long.

But, after Jimmie Johnson expanded his lead to 86 points after his fourth straight win, capturing Sunday’s Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix, his hopes for a fifth series title look bleak.

It’s impossible to say that Gordon isn’t deserving, because he has statistically had one of the best seasons in series history, and with a top-10 finish at Homestead, will have an astounding 30 top-10 finishes. That’s the kind of consistency that any driver would love to have, and, in many years, would be more than enough to win the championship.

But, it may prove to not be enough, as Johnson’s 10 victories are the most in the series since 1998, when a still-young Gordon won 13 races and ran away with his third championship by 364 points over Mark Martin.

And, he is the first driver since Gordon in 1998 to win four races in a row (Gordon did it at Pocono, Indianapolis, Watkins Glen, and Michigan).

Even if Johnson somehow loses the championship on Sunday, while Gordon could rightfully and deservedly celebrate the title, you’d have to feel bad for Johnson, who has soundly whipped everyone lately, including his teammate and friend.

There wouldn’t be any discussion about who, if anyone, was more deserving of the championship, if Gordon’s car hadn’t decided to start turning on him in the last few races.

While Johnson has raced towards wins, Gordon has had to battle just to finish well, with an ill-handling car and one issue after another that has rendered him anything but a serious contender towards the end as of late.

And, as unfortunate as it is, he’ll have to settle for second-best if a miracle doesn’t happen on Sunday. It’s not out of the question, but in the previous three years, the champion has finished no worse than 15th (Tony Stewart, 2005). In 2003, the last year before the Chase, that year’s series champion, Matt Kenseth, finished 43rd at Homestead, but he had already wrapped up the title in the previous race, at Rockingham.

But, no matter what happens, both deserve immense praise for how well they’ve raced this season, and even though only one can lift the trophy, neither one has a reason to hang their heads.