Team owner Rick Hendrick has fielded 2,239 entries in 22 years of Nextel Cup Series competition.

He has 149 Cup wins and five series championships.

Even with all that success, Hendrick still has the opportunity to break new ground in the sport should Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson clinch his first series title in Sunday’s season finale at Homestead, Fla.

Johnson’s championship would make Hendrick the first owner in series history to win Cup titles with three different drivers.

The list of owners with a pair of drivers winning titles is impressive – Hendrick, Joe Gibbs, Junior Johnson, Petty Enterprises, Carl Kiekhaefer and Jack Roush.

Jeff Gordon gave Hendrick his first Cup title in 1995. Veteran Terry Labonte added the second in 1996. Since then, Gordon has won three more times, most recently in the 2001 season.

The milestone speaks volumes about Hendrick’s eye for talent and his organization. It also says a lot about the drivers themselves, as each came from a different background. Johnson developed in off-road racing, Gordon open-wheel and Labonte in Late Models.

“We’ve been very fortunate to have guys and an organization that has learned how to run for championships,” Hendrick said. “It would be really nice to see Jimmie (win). He’s just been so good the past three years.

“When Terry Labonte came on he helped us a lot with his general nature and the sharing of information. Jeff has just been so good, and won those championships and he in turn has helped Jimmie.”

The hardest part of maintaining such a stout organization lies on Hendrick’s shoulders. In an increasingly competitive sport, he works tirelessly trying to keep other teams from luring away some of his best employees.

“I think just trying to keep people around and keep them together and coming back each year having the core of the company intact is hard,” he said. “You have to have talent, though. If you don’t have the right talent in the car you aren’t going to be able to do it.

“I’m real proud of my organization. We have done a good job of getting prepared.”

Johnson in particular has been in this position before – the past two seasons in fact.

In 2004 – the first season NASCAR used the Chase for the Nextel Cup to determine the champion of its biggest series – Johnson finished second in the season finale, but still lost the title by eight points to Kurt Busch.

Last year, Johnson entered the Homestead race trailing

Tony Stewart by 52 points. But he qualified poorly (32nd) and struggled on the track before a flat tire led to a wreck. He ended up fifth in points.

This year, Johnson enters as the leader, holding a 63-point advantage over Matt Kenseth entering Sunday’s Ford 400.

“We’ve been in this position before certainly,” Hendrick said. “I’d rather be 63 ahead, that’s for sure. It’s the same old deal – you can’t have any problems.

“Last year hurt and so did the year before. You come so close leading (the points) all year. This Chase is all about being there in the top five every week, and Jimmie’s been doing that here lately.

“They are more mature, more relaxed and going about each week like it’s another race. Of course, you say that and in the back of your mind you always thinking about what you need to do to win the championship.”

Hendrick said he saw a perfect example of that in last Sunday’s race at Phoenix, where Johnson was trying to pass Kevin Harvick in the final laps for the win, but eventually backed off and settled for second.

“Nobody is going to remember whether we finished first or second at Phoenix,” he said. “They will remember if we win the championship. That’s what we’re after.”