Yarborough: Johnson will tie my record

Despite not winning as many titles as Richard Petty or the late Dale Earnhardt, Yarborough remains the only driver to win three in a row, a feat he achieved between 1976 and 1978 while driving for Junior Johnson.

The 69-year-old believes that mark will be tied by Johnson this year, following his sixth win of the season last Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, one that allowed him to nearly double his advantage over his closest pursuer in the points.

"Of course, the first part of the season wasn't looking too good for Jimmie," said Yarborough. "But he always comes on strong in the end.

"The handwriting's on the wall now, it's going to happen. And if it happens, I understand that I was Jimmie's hero when he was growing up, so if he does it, more power to him.

"That doesn't mean I'm pulling for him now. But if he does it, I'll be in good company. I hope he feels the same way."

Yarborough considers that the Chase format has made things somehow easier for Johnson, although he still considers winning three championships in a row as a remarkable achievement. He says he is surprised that his record has remained unequalled for nearly 30 years.

"Well, it's an awful difficult thing to do," he said. "I think it may have been harder to win them back then than it is today because you had to compete against everybody back then.

"As far as it lasting 30 years, I just wonder how come it took so long for somebody to win three in a row. That was a long streak, 30 years is a long time, but I was happy to hold it."

Although Yarborough competed in Cup events for nearly 30 years from 1957, he only raced a full season for the first time in 1973, winning his first title three years later. He carried on racing full-time until 1980, before running only a limited schedule until his retirement in 1988 at Atlanta.

Johnson has competed full-time since 2002, claiming his first title in his fifth season with Hendrick Motorsports.