Both Jimmie Johnson and his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon will be competing for the same thing in 2010, the chance to “Drive for Five.” While Gordon will be attempting the feat after eight years of trying, Johnson will be competing for an historic fifth championship in a row.

There is no question that both drivers are incredibly talented and able to achieve this quest.  Gordon, the mentor, “discovered” Johnson and recommended that Hendrick Motorsports hire the young driver, giving him the chance to develop his historic championship run.

“I was confident in Hendrick Motorsports and I did see something in Jimmie that I thought could be special,” Gordon said of his teammate.  “I had no idea he was going to take off and do what he’s done.”

The two drivers and teammates have much in common, including their winning ways.  Johnson’s most recent achievement with his fourth championship put him in the same company as his teammate Gordon, as well as Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, as the only drivers in NASCAR history to win more than three titles.

Both Johnson and Gordon also have another common denominator, that of great respect for their team owner Rick Hendrick.  The two drivers strive to make Hendrick proud, this season doing so by bringing home a 1-2-3 in the championship points standings, with Johnson leading the way, Mark Martin in second and Jeff Gordon hanging onto the third spot.

“I grew up and all I knew was racing and cars and working on cars,” Hendrick said.  You didn’t get paid to do it.  You did it because you loved it.  So to be able to look back and see what we’ve been able to accomplish, I’ve just been really fortunate being around a lot of great people.”

Hendrick counts Johnson and Gordon as two of those “great people” in his life.  In fact, he treats them both like favored sons, in the tradition of Hendrick Motorsports’ family atmosphere.

But the first-favored “son” Gordon has now been surpassed by the “younger son” Johnson as far as his most recent championship achievements.  While Gordon has only won championships in the “old” car and under the former points system, Johnson has won in both the “old” and current cars and has mastered the new points system, especially the Chase races where he excels.

Although dedication to winning, as well as to the team and boss “Mr. H”, are common to both Johnson and Gordon as they “drive for five”, there are also distinct differences between the two drivers and teammates as well.

Johnson and Gordon are most certainly at different stages in their lives, as well as their careers.  Gordon, at age 38 years, has a few more life experiences under his belt than Johnson, at age 35 years.

While the two drivers are married, both to models, Gordon has a young daughter, Ella Sofia and with wife Ingrid has become a devoted family man.  Johnson, on the other hand, remains childless and denies any plans to start a family soon with wife Chandra.

Gordon has also sustained a few more hard hits in his racing career than Johnson has, especially in the last few years, with a wicked crash this season at Watkins Glen.  Because of these recent wrecks, Gordon has been plagued with back problems, while Johnson seems in the prime of health in contrast.

One of the other major differences between these two drivers as they “drive for five” next year is simply the way they both approach the Chase format.  Gordon’s record shows that while he can make it into the Chase, the tracks within the Chase itself do not favor his driving style or record.

Johnson, on the other hand, seems to start the season slowly, doing well enough to get into the Chase.  And then in the final races, he seems to truly turn it up a notch, excelling at the tracks in the Chase which do indeed favor his particular driving style and record.

The drivers also have two very different crew chiefs, the focused and intense Chad Knaus for Johnson and the more laid-back Steve Letarte for Gordon.  Although both crew chiefs are incredibly, Knaus more than Letarte seems to have that extraordinary ability to not only come back from adversity during a tough race, but also to make his driver’s car better and better throughout each race.

Which driver will be the one to complete their “Drive for Five” attempt in the 2010 season?  Each driver seems to have a slightly different take on their chances.

"I don't know if we'll win another championship," Johnson said.  “I'd love to win more championships and more races than anybody has done, but I’m just not sure how realistic that is.''

“I want to be No. 1,” Gordon said.  “My team wants to be number one. We've got to try to figure out how to get that."

In spite of their similarities and differences, both Johnson and Gordon seem driven to achieve that fifth championship and win the “Drive for Five” competition.  And there is one person who believes in both of their chances.

"I don't know how good these two guys can get,'' Hendrick said.   "I really don't. But they're two of the best I've ever worked with and the best I've ever seen, at a time when this sport is probably more competitive than it has been at any time that I've been racing.”