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FONTANA, Calif. Everything required for Jimmie Johnson to win his third consecutive Cup series championship was on display during Sunday night's Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway.

If he and his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team can come anywhere near replicating this performance on a consistent basis during the Chase, Johnson might be able to hoist his own "Mission Accomplished" banner at the season finale at Homestead, Fla.

Johnson blistered the field, leading 228 of 250 laps on his way to this third victory of the season and 36th of his career.

How strong was he? Twice during the final 90 laps, Johnson restarted after a caution in sixth place and in each instance retook the lead from Greg Biffle in less than three laps.

"To win this Chase, you're going to have to fight for wins every week, and every pit stop is going to count, because you're going to have at least (Kyle Busch) and (Carl Edwards) to have to deal with, and I would expect a few others to have their stuff in order," Johnson said.

"I think (it) was a really good night for our guys to feel that pressure and to go through that. And for myself inside the car, it's been a while since I've been in a situation to blow it or throw it away. To really work on that mental toughness in those situations is important."

The performance by Johnson and his team is remarkably similar to last season, when he used wins in this race and the next week at Richmond, Va., to launch another strong run in the Chase that produced his second consecutive championship.

"I'm happy to win and win on a big track, because the bulk of the races (in the Chase) are on these big downforce tracks," Johnson said. "I feel like we're doing the right things to have a fighting chance at the championship, and that's really all we can ask."

Johnson cemented his spot in the Chase with his win. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (11th) and Jeff Burton (17th) also are locked in, joining Sprint Cup points leader Kyle Busch and second-place Carl Edwards.

Biffle (second) and Kevin Harvick need only to start the Richmond race to secure their spots in the Chase.

Hendrick Motorsports looks like it will have three drivers in the 12-driver Chase with Gordon likely to join Earnhardt Jr. and Johnson . Gordon struggled again Sunday though- he finished 15th.