Pop Secret 500 - Jimmie Johnson Notes

Team 48 California Preview

Lowe’s Monte Carlo driver Jimmie Johnson and Team 48 visit California Speedway for the NASCAR Nextel Cup race on the two-mile track late Sunday afternoon. Sunday’s race marks Johnson’s 100th NASCAR Nextel Cup start. Johnson is second in the 2004 points race just 24 points behind leader Jeff Gordon. The “Chase For The Championship” begins at New Hampshire in just two races. Johnson will drive a special Tool World paint scheme this weekend in Fontana, Cal.

JIMMIE JOHNSON:

DO YOU STILL GET A BUZZ WHEN YOU RETURN HOME TO RACE IN CALIFORNIA? “Absolutely. It’s usually a lot of work when you come back to your home track (laughs) with family and friends and all the media opportunities. So, when I see the Fontana event I know I’m going to be working hard, but it’s great to come back and be in my home state and also be at the track where I scored my first win. So I’m looking forward to it. This race under the lights is going to be something new for the West Coast. I know people have watched races under the lights before at the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup level on television, but to see one in person is a whole different deal and I think everyone is really going to enjoy it.”

HOW MUCH IMPACT DOES IT HAVE COMPARED TO THE FIRST TIME YOU RACED THERE?) “That first time with the win and everything was a pretty special moment. I think it will be hard to rival the feelings coming back after that. Or, for the whole weekend. It was just a pretty special weekend for me. I’m excited to come back. Any time you go back to a track where you’ve won before, you’ve got a different approach and a different attitude. There’s nothing like feeling competitive and like you’ve got a shot at the win. I feel that when I come back to California every time.”

WITH A LATER STARTING TIME, HOW MUCH DIFFERENT WILL THE RACE AT FONTANA BE FROM PAST RACES? “You’re going to have to start the race cars really loose in order to have enough adjustability built into them when the sun goes down moving into the night. You’re going to see maybe a little bit different style of a race where the drivers and teams aren’t going to be perfect all night long. You’re going to have to, at some point in the race, deal with an ill-handling car. You’re going to start with one or you’re going to finish with one. It’s going to change it a little bit in that respect. But more than anything, it’s going to be under the lights and a better perspective for the fans to sit and enjoy the race. I think it makes a big difference watching it under the lights.”

CREW CHIEF CHAD KNAUS:

WILL THE FONTANA RACE BE LIKE CHARLOTTE AFTERNOON/NIGHT? “Honestly, I hope it’s just like the Coca-Cola 600. It’s going to be an interesting race. It’s long. It’s 500 miles I believe. It does go from late afternoon ‘til night. You’ll see some guys come in at the end of the race that maybe were non-factors at the beginning of the race. But the thing that’s very interesting and where you have to be on your toes at Fontana is that it is a race track that goes green quite often and it is very, very fast.

“If you’re race car is not switched on from the get-go, you will get lapped. It’s not as big a deal now when you get lapped because you get a freebie now every time a caution comes out. But it’s still a fear. You’ve got to be cautious and you have to be on your game early and at the end.”

IS THE FACT THAT YOU HAVEN’T RACED AT NIGHT AT FONTANA BEFORE A LITTLE TROULESOME? “There are always brings unique circumstances that you have to be prepared for. You might not normally be aware of (the circumstances) when you go to a race track for the first time. I don’t know what happens there at night. I’m not from the West Coast. At Charlotte, I know that when the sun goes down the humidity level rises and the track gets a little bit slicker in some areas.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen out there. When the smog rolls in a little bit at night, so what’s that going to do? I don’t know for sure. There are going to be some unique circumstances we’re going to have to overcome, I’m sure. It’s not going to be the team that’s lucky that wins that race out there. It’s going to be the team that’s the most prepared.”

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