NASCAR officials were hoping their media-created Chase for the Championship would keep sports fans from watching professional and college football on fall weekends.

The truth of the matter is NASCAR can’t compete with the NFL on any given Sunday and watching the Chase this year is about as exciting as watching a Colorado family trying to land a reality television contract with a hoax. Ratings are down from last year for every Chase race this year, and the numbers are likely to continue to slide before there is any turnaround.

Internet posters following the race on the Jayski Web site were posting comments like “NASCAR sucks and the racing is boring.”

That’s been the case ever since the Car of Tomorrow (Today) was introduced. Cookie cutter cars on cookie cutter race tracks. The 1.5-mile tracks have no character, no uniqueness that will draw fans’ interest.

Granted there are still five races remaining before NASCAR crowns a champion, but the reality is the hunt for the title could all be over when the checkered flag waves at Martinsville.

Jimmie Johnson has won three of the first five Chase races and has opened up a 90-point lead over teammate Mark Martin. Another Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon is third, 135 points back.

Johnson has won two races in a row and now heads to Martinsville, where he has visited the winner’s circle five times in the past six races.

If Johnson leaves Martinsville with a third consecutive win, the fat lady better start tuning up her pipes because the championship will all but be decided.

Five races into the Chase and the field of 12 championship contenders has been whittled down to six drivers with no chance of hoisting the trophy and three pretenders in the Chase.

It certainly seems logical at this point that the champion will be a driver with Hendrick Motorsports, either Johnson, Martin or Gordon. Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch can still be considered long shots, but both teams have to turn things up more than a notch or two.

Fans and media have to recognize that when it comes to the Chase, Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus have it figured out.

Consistency is the name of the game and winning three races sure does wonders for your average finish.

The only real stumbling block for Johnson is Talladega. After that comes three more cookie cutter 1.5-mile tracks that the team has mastered.

Juan Pablo Montoya, who took a hit at Charlotte over the weekend, was finishing in the top and still falling further behind the Lowe’s Chevrolet every week.

NASCAR recently announced the first five inductees into its Hall of Fame. It had better be leaving a spot for Johnson, who is cruising to a fourth consecutive title.