Chuck Burton / AP

Jimmie Johnson celebrates after winning his fourth consecutive NASCAR title Sunday.

Johnson grabbed four of his wins in the Chase and played it safe only once, at Talladega when he ran near the back of the field most of the day to avoid the trouble at the Alabama track.

Only the joke was on him when his problems popped up a week later, at Texas, where he was wrecked on the third lap and lost 111 points from his cushion over Martin. It still left him with a cozy 78-point margin headed into last weekend’s race at Phoenix, where he probably could have laid back and protected his lead.

Instead, he pounced and earned a dominating victory that set the stage for an easy Sunday.

Of course, he instead went hard. After several tense laps chasing Gordon for fifth place — Johnson at one point complained over his radio “I let him go, now why won’t he just go somewhere!” — he asked Knaus if he had enough time to catch Hamlin and the leaders.

Johnson didn’t like being told no by his crew chief.

“Is that a dare?” he asked Knaus.

“No. That is a fact,” Knaus replied.

So is Johnson’s place in history, which seems to be undervalued despite 47 victories since 2002. He’s never finished lower than fifth in the final standings and actually had a shot at winning the championship in 2004 and 2005 — only to fall short in the finale.

“Jimmie is an incredible, incredible talent. He is the most underrated driver in this garage,” Knaus said. “That guy can do things in a race car that I’ve never seen before. I hope this proves it to everybody.”

His competitors insist time will take care of Johnson’s legacy, but they continue to marvel at his success.

“If you would have told me four years ago that someone would win four championships in a row, I would have told you you were crazy,” said Jeff Burton, who finished second in Sunday’s race.

Even Gordon, who won four quick titles early in his career but has been shut out since 2001, is impressed.

“As a competitor, that Johnson ticks me off. As a friend, teammate, fellow car owner, they’re amazing,” Gordon said. “I never thought in my career, in my lifetime, I’d see somebody win four in a row. To see it happening right in front of your eyes makes it even more extraordinary.”