Johnson Looks to Rebound in Phoenix
Jimmie Johnson heads to Phoenix International Raceway this week looking to rebound after a Lap 3 accident at Texas Motor Speedway drastically reduced the lead he carries in the Sprint Cup Series driver point standings.
But if Johnson could chose a track on which to find his team headed in its current situation, the one-mile Avondale, Az. venue would be at the top of the list.
“Yeah, I would say that looking at the schedule, it’s one of our best tracks,” said Johnson. “We had a really fast car in the spring and had some different issues on pit road and some bad luck with the timing of the caution that kept us back in the pack, and still ended up with a reasonable finish but we passed a lot of cars, and in our opinion felt like we had the strongest car.
“So going back to Phoenix is exciting for us… and hopefully (we can) make some more cool things take place in the points.”
Johnson now leads teammate Mark Martin by 73 points and Jeff Gordon by 112 in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
“For me it's a great track but it's also a great track for Jeff,” explained Johnson, who has won three of the last four races in Phoenix. “He runs very consistent there, and then Mark won in the spring. The two guys I'm trying to stay ahead of in the points have that track as a strong one, as well.
"At the end of the day I feel very confident. I feel very strong about the performance Hendrick Motorsports will have. I just hope it's the 48 car on top of the heap. “
Race number 35 of 36 will take place Sunday on ABC, beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET.
RACE NOTES
Phoenix International Raceway
- Johnson has made 12 Sprint Cup Series starts at Phoenix International Raceway where he has earned three wins, seven top-five and 10 top-10 finishes.
- The three-time champion has won three of the last four events at the one-mile track and has six consecutive top-five finishes.
- Johnson has completed 100% (3748 of 3748) of competition laps at the track and has led 506.
- He has an average start and finish of 11.2 and 5.4.
Chassis
- Johnson will pilot chassis number 540 in Sunday’s race in Phoenix. He last drove it to a runner-up finish at Martinsville Speedway in October.
- Backup chassis number 520 has won four of its five starts (Richmond, Fall 08, Martinsville Fall, 08, Phoenix, Fall 08 and Martinsville, Spring 09).