Jimmie Johnson
- Jimmie Johnson
- 48
- Chevrolet
- Height: 5-11
- Weight: 175
- Born: Sep 17, 1975, El Cajon, CA
News and Notes
Nov 4
This week: Johnson has lapped the field -- he leads by more points than any driver can earn in a single race. That means Johnson could skip this week's race at Texas, sit at home and twiddle his thumbs and still be the points leader next week at Phoenix. Johnson's 184-point lead with three races to go is the largest any driver has had since the Chase format began in 2004. He will clinch a record fourth straight Cup championship if he finishes 10th or better in each of the final three races. He has a decent record at Texas -- one victory (November 2007), six top-five finishes and nine top-10s in 12 starts -- but has a stunning record in the last six races -- a victory and three second-place finishes. He was second here in April. "Texas Motor Speedway does a great job taking care of all of us and making us feel comfortable and at home," he said. "The track is aging and doing well, so we have a nice wide groove to race on."
Last week: After running at the rear of the field for most of the race, Johnson's strategy of "not racing" paid off as he finished sixth at Talladega in a race where his closest pursuers were gobbled up in a 13-car pileup on the frontstretch heading to the white flag in a green-white-checkered finish. Johnson never led a lap in the race. "This wasn't Halloween; this was an early Christmas present," Johnson said. "I feel good about things. I'm very, very happy. I hate to see so many tore-up race cars. For us, we were conservative all day long. We took fuel and other guys didn't, and then guys started to run out of fuel. I was far enough ahead to not be caught up in the wreck. The guys right behind me were cleaned out, too, but we got a good top-10 finish out of it."
Etc.: Johnson promised not to let his guard down with such a big lead in the final three races. "Really, I'm just treating these races as if they were other races, any other race," Johnson said. "I know it sounds stupid and corny and almost predictable, but it's the truth. I mean, the way we have prepared to this point has led to the points lead that we have and the race wins that we've accumulated over the year, and we need to do more of the same. From my standpoint, studying my notes from the previous races, working with the engineers, understanding the setup that we're taking, understanding what we're trying to qualify and what we're going to try and race trim, and being up to speed on all those potential changes that we can work on and understanding what we're hoping that they will do, that's all part of it, and I think this weekend will be a lot easier for me than Talladega because I'm going to be working on things that actually make a difference. At Talladega there was a lot of free time for my mind to worry because the rules are so specific and there's not a lot you can think about from a driver's standpoint. But this weekend it should go fast. As soon as we get in the car, be focused on how the car is handling and adjustments that we need to make right on through the race. I'll just try to fall into all of that and just live and breathe the race car as much as possible so that my mind doesn't think about outside things."
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