CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jimmie Johnson was languishing in the Busch Series, facing possible sponsor problems, when he had the good fortune to be seated next to Jeff Gordon during a drivers meeting.

He needed advice, so he gathered up the nerve to ask Gordon for help. It led to a chat that grew into a solid friendship as Gordon made Johnson his hand-picked protege and helped him land his ride at Hendrick Motorsports.

That was more than seven years ago, and that friendship is being tested on the racetrack as they battle each other for the Nextel Cup title.

"If things continue on the way they are, it's definitely going to push the limits of it and put it to the test," Gordon said last week. "We both want it so bad. We both want to win. We both want to win the championship. I know Jimmie well enough to know that friendship is as important to him as it is to me.

"But we're race car drivers, and we want that championship."

Gordon already has four titles, and Johnson earned his first last season. With 12 wins between them this season, they have been on a crash-course toward another championship all year.

The two went to Lowe's Motor Speedway last weekend locked in an intense battle, with Gordon leading Johnson in the standings by a mere nine points that he earned with a last-lap pass of his teammate to steal a win at Talladega. With it shaping up to be a two-man race to the title, their competitors moved closer to conceding.

"I know it probably won't happen, but it would be nice if Jimmie and Jeff quit sharing notes, started to hate each other and wrecked each other on the racetrack," contender Carl Edwards said. "It would really help the rest of us out."

Then Johnson had an uncharacteristic spin at Lowe's that took him out of contention for the win. The error pretty much handed the victory to Gordon, who won for the second consecutive week to open up breathing room in the standings.

Johnson, who worked his way back to the front after the spin, had a pickup problem on the final restart that contributed to a 14th-place finish.

He now trails Gordon by 68 points as they head into Martinsville Speedway, where the two staged a classic duel in April.

The two ran nose-to-tail for the final 53 laps as Gordon frantically tried to bump his teammate out of the lead. Gordon tried everything short of wrecking Johnson, and never could make the pass.

"That was probably the hardest driving I've ever done," Johnson said after holding Gordon off for the win by 0.065 seconds.

Gordon, who handed over his notes before the race to help Johnson make his car more competitive, was upset after the finish.

"The only way I could get by him was to wreck him, but he's my teammate and I tell you what, there's going to be some interesting racing going forward because he blocked me really bad," Gordon said.

The two have made good on that promise by turning up the heat on each other as they race for the title.

Johnson was frustrated when he allowed Gordon to pass him at Talladega for the win, and he was disappointed when his mental lapse opened the door for Gordon at Charlotte.

He's always aware when Gordon is around him on the track, and the passes aren't as easy as they were before the Martinsville finish in April.

"Our racing has intensified since then," Johnson said. "He's gotten pretty aggressive around me, and I race people how they race me. That happens all the time. ..."