CONCORD (NASCAR.com) -- Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson has been in charge at Lowe's Motor Speedway, considering his past success at the track.

Therefore, last weekend's sixth-place finish at the "house that Jimmie built" was not acceptable for the driver with six victories at the North Carolina track.

After Saturday night's Bank of America 500, Johnson was visibly upset as he walked into the post-race news conference with a bowed head and morose tone.

"The first two-thirds was good for us, then we were junk at the end," said Johnson, who led twice for a race-high 67 laps -- accumulating 10 bonus points toward his lead in the race for the Sprint Cup points championship.

Johnson's No. 48 team -- chasing its third straight championship -- has maintained the points lead for three straight weeks over Roush-Fenway Racing drivers Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle. But now Jeff Burton, who won Saturday's race, also is hot on Johnson's tail.

"We took a lot of risks trying to get as many points as I could on (Biffle) and trying to hang with (Burton) and get by him," Johnson said. "Damn near threw it away a couple times. Just hate the last third of the race. We got out in left field and couldn't get it back."

Burton and Johnson raced side-by-side for the lead Saturday nearing the final laps when the No. 48 Chevrolet took fresh right-side tires on the last round of pit stops.

"That's what put me on pace with him," Johnson recalled of the tires. "The old characteristics showed back up in the car, what we were dealing with. But, for sure, it's frustrating not being able to complete the pass."

"I thought I was going to clean us both out. Fortunately, that didn't happen. But I was certainly frustrated slipping back through the field. You don't know how important those points are going to be until the end of the year."

This season, few of Johnson's five victories have come down to side-by-side finishes. At Auto Club Speedway in August, Johnson led 228 of the 250 laps, and thst has been a victory trend he is comfortable with.

"I had to take a lot of chances (Saturday) to get the results we did," Johnson said. "I don't like putting myself in that situation. I almost lost the car a handful of times.

"That frustration of being on pins and needles out there, trying to run as hard as you can, watching positions slip by. . . I've got a good hour of being upset in me. It will take a little while to get it out of my system."

Looking at the point standings, Burton and Biffle -- who finished third Saturday -- are less than 100 points back of Johnson. Edwards is 168 points behind in fourth.

Despite his tumultuous night, Johnson said the championship chase may have narrowed to the top three drivers.

"It's such a relative situation," he said. "If we have problems, those guys are right back in it.

"As we get down to fewer races on the schedule, I think that margin becomes more comfortable. That's a decent margin. But it took other guys having problems to let me into it."

Heading to Martinsville Speedway next week, Johnson remains optimistic. He has four Sprint Cup Series wins at the short track.

"Right now, I'm pissed about (Saturday)," Johnson said last weekend. "But, you know, tomorrow, Tuesday, whatever it is, I think we'll be real good over there.

"(Martinsville) has been a great track to us."

Labels: Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Hendrick Motorsports, Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon Jimmie Johnson, Lowe's Motor Speedway, Martinsvile, Sprint Cup