Edwards hoping for dramatic finale

The Roush Fenway racer arrives with a 141-point deficit to Johnson in the Chase, which means he has to rely on the reigning champion hitting trouble to have a shot at the title.

Johnson only has to finish 36th or better to clinch his third consecutive crown, regardless of Edwards' finishing position.

Despite that, Edwards says the drama of the F1 season finale in Brazil has made him think that the title is still possible for him. He hopes Sunday's title-decider turns out to be just as spectacular as the race at Interlagos two weeks ago.

"That Formula One last lap was one of the most exciting things I've seen in motorsport," Edwards said. "To see Massa's exultation and pure joy and then have that crushed by what Hamilton did, that was wild.

"Everybody is writing it off that Jimmie's won the championship, but this thing could come down to something like that.

"In my mind I can visualise Jimmie's car limping around with a fender ripped off and him trying to pick up every place he can and us fighting for whatever position it takes for us to win it.

"I hope for us and for the sport that it comes down to something exciting like that."

Johnson remembers how he lost the title in 2004 after failing to overtake Greg Biffle on the last lap of the finale. However, he doubts this year's showdown will be as dramatic as it was back then, or two weeks ago at Interlagos, even if he feels prepared to deal with such a situation if he has to.

"I doubt it but that could be the case," Johnson said. "I lost (the championship) to Kurt (Busch) that way in 2004. If I could have passed Greg Biffle in front of me, I could have been champion. So I've been there and I'm trying to go through my mind and be prepared for anything and everything.

"I think we've had a lot success in the Chase that has helped us, and also trying to overcome Texas and overcoming Atlanta and things like that have helped us to get prepared as much as we can."

Following the disappointment of 2004, Johnson had to face further frustration when he lost his title hopes in 2005 after crashing out of the race and being classified 40th, his worst result ever at Homestead.