After a great start to the Chase last weekend in Chicago, Jimmie Johnson and the No.48 team are looking to make a statement in Loudon, N.H. Johnson, currently in the runner-up spot, wants to be sitting at the top of the points standings, and a win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway would certainly help.

Johnson has had success at New Hampshire, winning three times, but he has been inconsistent there during the Chase. He won his first championship in 2006 after finishing 39^th at New Hampshire. He finished 18^th last season, the first time since 2005 that he failed to win the Sprint Cup title. 

In the race this past July, Johnson had a fast Lowe’s Chevy but an ill-timed caution hurt his shot at a win. Could this be his chance to get winner number four?

 Here are Johnson's comments going into this weekend:

How important is it to qualify well at New Hampshire Motor Speedway?

“It’s really important. You go from qualifying to race strategy, meaning two tires when you take fuel, all to maintain track position. It is so tough to pass there, especially for the lead. We all know how important wins are. You can go from 20^th to 10^th and that is one thing, but when you get in the top-10, it’s a whole different game. In order to race for the win, you need to have solid qualifying, solid strategy and maintain track position all day long.”

What do you need at New Hampshire in order to have a solid run and a good finish?

“It’s tough because of the balance, when you have clean air and the whole racetrack to yourself, you need your racecar to drive a certain way. When you get in traffic, you need the car to turn a lot stronger to run a tighter radius and inside of someone. It’s tough to blend those two worlds. That’s the thing we fight so much. We work in practice running by ourselves. When you get in the race, you are rarely by yourself. Then, you’re trying to find a way to make your car work in traffic.”

Race Stats

• Three wins (September 2010, July and September 2003) and no poles.
• Seven top-five finishes (33.3 percent) and 13 top-10s (66.7 percent) in 21 starts.
• No DNFs (did not finish).
• Average start of 10.7 and average finish of 9.9.
• Completed 6,107 of 6,175 laps (98.9 percent) and led 319.
• Sprint Cup’s third-best driver rating (105.1 average of a possible 150 points).