Loop Data shows Johnson setting up for four-peat

Jimmie Johnson is doing what he has done since his dynasty started three years ago: quietly excelling during the regular season.

That fact is terrible news for those looking to dethrone the three-time defending Cup Series champion. His statistics are as strong -- and in many cases stronger -- this season as in his three championship winning seasons. And for Johnson, this is the calm before the storm. In the previous three Chases, Johnson has averaged a Driver Rating of 113.0 and a finish of 7.2.

Below are Johnson's statistics through 18 races this season and at the same juncture of each of his championship winning campaigns:

Johnson's statistics far surpass last season's in every key category, including Driver Rating where he has improved by 9.3 points. His 2009 laps led total -- 887 -- is 283 more than last season and 206 more than his second-best total of 681 in 2007.

His numbers will likely improve this weekend at the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway. Johnson is strong at superspeedways, posting a series-high Driver Rating of 116.5 at such tracks this season:

Johnson has finished in the top five in five of his seven Chicagoland races, including a runner-up finish last season (he also has six top-10s in the seven races). His lone blemish was a 37th-place finish in 2007, though the result was a bit misleading. In that race, he led 82 laps and had a Driver Rating of 111.0. Only a late-race accident kept him from contending for a victory.

Chicagoland remains as one of six active tracks at which Johnson has yet to win. As his statistics suggest, it's the only stat category left empty.

Below is Johnson's driver log at Chicagoland since the inception of Loop Data in 2005: