By George Diaz

Orlando Sentinel

TALLADEGA, Ala. — The question came up Friday, suggesting Jimmie Johnson was in the throes of a horrible slump because he hadn’t won a Sprint Cup race this season, all of seven races.

“I took that big trophy home again last year, so I’m not too concerned and we’ll keep racing,” he said.

The slump is over. Everybody can start worrying again about the five-time defending Cup champion. Jimmie Johnson is King again.

Johnson, with the help of Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., made a surge on the final lap of the Aaron’s 499 on Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, edging Clint Bowyer by .002 seconds to tie the NASCAR record for closest margin of victory.

Pole-sitter Jeff Gordon finished third, followed by Earnhardt and Kevin Harvick.

It was textbook tandem racing — an evolving science and strategy based on the aerodynamics and superspeedway surfaces that demand drivers pair up or fall behind into irrelevance.

Johnson and Earnhardt hung back — staying out of trouble from the usual carnage of cars — until it was time to go.

“I was talking to Junior — low, low, low! — and off we went,” Johnson said.

Johnson pushed ahead. The pusher stayed behind.

“You have to make some sacrifices,” Earnhardt said, “just like a relationship.”

Earnhardt snagged a nice parting gift for his unselfish efforts: the checkered victory flag.

Critics — including some drivers — will continue to rip this style of racing, but don’t expect to see anything different when the restrictor plates are strapped on again at Daytona in July and Talladega in October.

The time spent in between hasn’t been terribly exciting at times — despite 88 lead changes that tied a NASCAR Cup record and 26 leaders — but it’s the fabulous finish fans will remember.

Trevor Bayne held off veteran Carl Edwards to win the Daytona 500 in January.

And Sunday, a group of veterans bunched at the front jockeyed for the top spot until Johnson made Bowyer the unhappiest man on the planet.

“The only thing that bums me out about that is that is those guys lagged back all day long,” Bowyer said.

“That’s what makes it tough.”

Bowyer and the rest of the gang can complain all they want, at the risk of getting squashed by the smarter love bugs.

As Earnhardt noted, it’s all about relationships and making nice.

The Hendrick guys — Gordon and Mark Martin, Johnson and Earnhardt — decided to stay together all day, through the six cautions, pit stops and whatever came their way.

“Today we had our Jedi senses in order,” Johnson said.

“Let’s be honest,” Gordon said, “Talladega has always been a 15-, 25-lap race, and the rest is just trying to get to the end. And that’s basically what we have now.”

“I enjoyed working with my teammate,” Earnhardt said.

“I had a lot of fun. But it is very difficult.”