Jimmie Johnson and Team Lowe’s Racing Seeking Strong Finish in 2nd Chase Race
After a fourth-place finish in New Hampshire last week, Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team direct their focus toward Dover International Speedway for Sunday’s race, the second of 10 in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Johnson, who has four wins at the one-mile venue including the spring event, is optimistic with the way the Chase has started for his Lowe’s crew and also its chances heading into the weekend.
“I’m obviously pleased with the performance from New Hampshire and very happy to be where we are in the points,” said Johnson, who is currently second in the standings, 35 behind leader Mark Marin. “We seem to be off to a great start here. Dover, the way it went in the spring for us, I am really excited going back although we’re on a different tire which is going to be different, but we were lucky enough to be one of the teams that was involved in the tire test. All in all, I’m optimistic and I feel that there’s a stretch of tracks that are really good for the 48 coming up. Looking forward to separating the Chase group out a little more and gaining ground on Mark and trying to get ahead and be the leader here sometime in the next couple races.”
Johnson says maintaining solid finishes each week is important, but just as important is avoiding mistakes. While he knows you can have a bad race and still win the Chase, he did it in 2006, he believes it’s much easier to do it the way he did the last two seasons – wins and solid finishes.
“It’s been one of 10 – and there’s no doubt that momentum is part of any sport,” explained Johnson. “If everybody has a bad race then it doesn’t matter where that bad race is -- at the start or at the end. Having a solid start is more for momentum purposes, it’s kind of out of your control at this point and you have to hope that the other 11 guys have an issue. You have to naturally think that someone is going to be relatively clean through it all. When I look back at 2006, we had problems at New Hampshire and then crashed out at Talladega and still won the championship and got it done.”
Johnson added, “I’m really just trying to focus on what I need to do and what my team needs to do and I feel like if we go out and do our job we’ll be in the hunt and that’s all you can ask for. Just really trying to focus on our stuff and not pay attention to what the other guys are doing.”
Sunday’s race will be broadcast live on ABC beginning with pre-race coverage at 1 p.m. ET.
RACE NOTES
Dover International Speedway
- Johnson has made 15 Sprint Cup Series starts at Dover International Speedway, earning four wins, six top-five and 10 top-10 finishes.
- Johnson has completed 96.9% (5820 of 6004) of competition laps at the track and has led 935.
- He has an average start and finish of 12.5 and 10.4.
Chassis- Johnson will pilot chassis number 552 in Sunday’s race. He led 133 laps in that car at Michigan International Speedway in August before running out of fuel in the closing laps and finishing 33rd.
- Johnson drove backup chassis number 465 to Victory Lane at Dover International Speedway in May.