Budweiser Shootout - Jimmie Johnson Notes

Team 48 Bud Shootout Preview

Jimmie Johnson and Team 48 race at Daytona International Speedway for the kickoff to the 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season. This weekend features the Bud Shootout on Saturday night and single lap qualifying for the Daytona 500 on Sunday.

JIMMIE JOHNSON ON DAYTONA’S FACE-LIFT: “They've definitely face-lifted the racetrack. It took me a while during the Rolex 24 practice to figure out where to go and what to do. I've noticed that going into Turn 1 the track looked different. Now, being on the track and going over that, there's a little bump. I think that's good for our cars. It looks a bit different going into Turn 1 now.”

CAREER: "I had two good years I Busch but I was really, really nervous coming in. I had no idea it was going to turn out like it has. From that point until now, the biggest thing is confidence. I know my abilities. I know that if I'm out there and put in 100%, I have a shot at winning the race and that's all you can really ask for as a driver. Each crew member looks themselves in the mirror and feels that same thing. You just want to know that if you go to the race track and put in 100%, you have a shot at winning. I feel that now. It's the first time in my career where I've felt that. I've always moved up the ladder really quickly and I've never spent a lot of time in any one series or vehicle. So, I never really was comfortable in the vehicles in the series I was racing in, because I was moving on every two years from the time I started driving four-wheeled vehicles. Now to be on year four, I know everyone and know the cars and tracks and it's a comfortable position to be in. And, with comfort comes confidence, so that's the biggest thing."

BUILDING ON LAST SEASON: "We always feel that there's more to win and I think that's just the competitive nature in everyone. To be second two years in a row - we really, really want a championship. From growing up around the sport, watching it, and working in it--it's not something you sign up for and get. We understand how hard that is. We're grateful to have two great years-really three great years in the sport. We hope we're able to win a championship. Last year was a very special year for us to win eight, overcome the tragedy of the airplane, and win four in the final ten. That's going to tough to beat. A championship will beat that. We're always moving our goals. I'd love to win a plate race, especially the Daytona 500. I'd love to win at Bristol. Last year I said I wanted to win at Darlington and Martinsville. Those were my two tracks that were the most demanding on me and I struggled. We were able to win at both of them. So, I've now set some new goals with a plate race and Bristol. Hopefully we're able to do that. If this year is a championship year for us, we feel like we're ready for it. And we'll definitely be smiling ear to ear in New York when it's all said and done. But that's so far from now and it's going to be an entirely new year with the rules changes and everything.”

CREW CHIEF CHAD KNAUS ON THE OFF SEASON: “No, there is no off season. With the way the rules change and the amount of employees and team members we have here at Hendrick Motorsports, we have to be thinking so far in advance that we began building cars for 2005 before 2004 was even over with. We continuously work. We have been working this whole off season. We are further ahead, at this point in time, than we have ever been as far as our car count. We have made some personnel changes. Things are moving very very good in the shop. It is something we have wanted to do. But in order to do that you have to cut out the off-season and just work straight through.”

CHASSIS INFORMATION - Team Lowe’s Racing is bringing car No. 48-267 for the Budweiser Shootout and No. 48-253 for the Daytona 500.

STATS & FACTS

Daytona
Johnson has six Cup Series starts at Daytona International Speedway (DIS), with three top-five and four top-10 finishes. Johnson’s first career Cup Series pole award came at DIS for the 2002 Daytona 500 in what was only his fourth Cup Series start for Hendrick Motorsports. Johnson has an average start of 10.5, and an average finish of 8.5 at DIS, and has completed all but one lap in his six Cup Series starts.

2004 Season
Johnson scored a series-high eight victories, including four of the final six races of the 2004 Nextel Cup season. Johnson’s 20 top-five finishes were four more than his next closest competitor, and his 1,312 laps led were the most of any Nextel Cup driver last season.

Career Start
The 2005 Daytona 500 marks Johnson 111th career start in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. He has a top-10 finish at every track on the NASCAR Nextel Cup series circuit.

Loves Superspeedways
All but one of Johnson’s career victories have come on superspeedways, with his win at Martinsville Speedway in October, 2004, being the lone exception.

Moving Up The Chart
Johnson’s 14 career victories tie him for 29th best in NASCAR history. Dick Hutcherson and Leeroy Yarborough also had 14 victories in their NASCAR careers.

Career Poles
Johnson owns seven career poles including one in May 2004 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Johnson’s first career NASCAR Nextel Cup pole award came at Daytona International Speedway in Feb., 2002.

MOST RECENT DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY (DIS) RACE – Johnson started 19th and finished second behind teammate Jeff Gordon in the Pepsi 400 on July 3, 2004, at DIS. In the closing laps, the pair worked together driving nose to tail to fend off all attackers on the 2.5-mile superspeedway. It was Gordon’s second win in as many weeks and marked Johnson’s ninth top-five in 10 races.