Gordon: we've got to step it up

Gordon has been the points leader for most of the season, but last week at Texas a seventh place finish and the ninth victory of the year for Johnson put Gordon second in the title race, 30 points behind the reigning champion.

"It's definitely been a heck of a battle," said Gordon. "Jimmie and those guys have done a fantastic job the last three weeks, there's no doubt about that. The wins speak for themselves. We've got to step it up. There's no hiding that, and I hope we can pull that off right here in Phoenix.

"We have to do what works for us. We can't get outside the limits of that or we're going to find ourselves further behind, not making ground up or getting ahead. But what we got to do is really make sure that we hit the setups. We missed a setup last week."

The four-time Nextel Cup champion has commended Johnson and his team for their achievements in the last three races, which they dominated with key strategic calls and consistently good pace.

"You got to give Jimmie and (crew chief) Chad (Knaus) and those guys credit," Gordon added. "They've won some races they probably shouldn't have, but then they've won races where they really did a great job - like Martinsville and last week.

"They did a great job performing and then they were in the right position to make the right call at Atlanta. So you got to give them credit for those things and those are the things we've got to make happen for ourselves as well."

Phoenix and Homestead, the two races remaining in the Chase for the Nextel Cup, had not been won yet by either Gordon or Johnson up until last year. However, Gordon took his first ever victory at Phoenix in April of this year, something that gives him confidence going into Sunday's race.

"It definitely helps with the situation that we're in now, being 30 points back, the fact that we came here and ran well and won this race," he said. "It was a night race so it changes it a little bit but it definitely gives us the confidence that we need at this point being 30 points behind or where ever we'd be.

"Just being in the battle for this championship to know that we can come here and run well and win this race and hopefully make up some of the points we lost."

Gordon will start third on Sunday's race at Phoenix, while Johnson will be taking the green flag from the outside of the third row of the grid.