HAMPTON, Ga. — Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson went at each other as though they were on a little dirt track, not a high-banked speedway.

Imagine the possibilities when they’re competing for a championship.

Over the last 10 laps of a rain-delayed race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, these two guys were sliding all over the track, yanking the wheel this way and that to keep from smashing into the wall, throwing caution to the wind as they raced for the checkered flag.

It was downright thrilling, the sort of white-knuckle racing that showed this sport at its very best. And at the end, it was Gordon crossing the line first Tuesday, his one-time protege about a half-second behind.

Wow!

“When you’re battling a guy as talented as Jimmie is and that team, as good as they are, definitely, it’s going to be significant,” Gordon said. “That’s the kind of race team we have right now. We’ve not been able to battle with those guys like we’ve been able to do this year.

“And that,” he added, “is what’s got me extremely excited.”

Everyone should be.

While there will be 10 other drivers in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, the thought of two teammates — Johnson, the defending five-time champion, dueling with Gordon, a four-time champion who’s won more Cup races than everyone but Richard Petty and David Pearson — is quite tantalizing.

Even Johnson, the guy who came in second, paused in front of a television to watch a replay of those final laps of the AdvoCare 500.

“To race that hard for a win is what we all wake up and are excited to do each and every time we get in a race car,” Johnson said. “Even if I did come in second, it’s OK. I’d much rather have won. But we left it all out there on the track.”

Gordon captured his third win of the year and his 85th overall, his career in a full-blown renaissance at age 40. He’s already won more races this season than he did the last three years combined. He’s certainly feeling good about his chances heading to the Chase, which begins after next weekend’s race at Richmond.

“I’ve been trying to step it up for 10 years,” Gordon said, referring to the decade he’s gone since the last of his titles, a period when he ceded dominance to Johnson.

He snapped a tie with Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip for third on the career victory list. Petty (200) and Pearson (105) are the only drivers with more wins than Gordon, who received a special plaque from NASCAR during the victory ceremony in front of the main grandstand.