Auto Club 500 - Jimmie Johnson Notes

Team 48 California Preview

Jimmie Johnson and Team 48 race at California Speedway on Sunday in the second race of the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup season. Johnson finished fifth at the Daytona 500 last weekend. The native Californian won his first Nextel Cup race at California Speedway on April 28, 2002. This marks the first weekend in 2005 when NASCAR will impound cars immediately after qualifying. The teams will get no practice between qualifying and the race.

CALIFORNIA: “We had a great test in Fontana and also in Las Vegas. We’re really excited about the start of the season. We knew we were going to have a good car for Daytona and then going to California and then Las Vegas. We’ve got to play the new element with the impounding in California and that’s something new for all the teams. When it comes time to race, I’ll feel very confident and strong. I’d love to win again in my home state.”

IS THE LEVEL OF INTENSITY UP OR WAS SUNDAY’S RACE JUST THE INTENSITY OF THE DAYTONA 500? “I think it’s a couple of things. It’s the Daytona 500 so that’s very intense at the finish. Every spot is worth a lot of money and bragging rights. There is so much on the line anymore I think it is just naturally making things more intense. Also, the type of racing that goes on in restrictor plate racing is so different than what we’re used to. It’s frustrating to look in your mirror 80 percent of the time and out the windshield 20 percent of the time and have to worry about blocking and doing all the things we do on a plate track. That builds in frustration as well.”

DURING THE LAST FEW LAPS OF THE DAYTONA 500, DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT YOU MIGHT BE PART OF SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE TALK ABOUT FOR YEARS TO COME? “Not really. The only thing we’re focusing on is trying to be the lead car and what’s going to get you there. Maybe when we look back at the videos, that’s something that crosses you mind, but definitely not in the car.”

YOU SEEM TO BE A NORMAL GUY WHO IS LIKED BY EVERYONE. IS THAT JUST THE WAY YOU’VE BEEN BROUGHT UP OR WHAT? “I try to race everybody how they race me and respect everybody out on the race track. I don’t really try to put anyone or myself in a bad situation. I don’t want to put somebody in a bad situation. I’ve learned that patience means more than anything and can get you down the road more than anything. I want to have fun and to have friends and I work hard at that. But this past week, I had two trips to the (NASCAR) truck, which is rare for me. They were both unique in their own cases and I’m going to stand my ground when somebody leans on me or pushes on me. That’s just how it is.”

Crew Chief Chad Knaus:

ON THE NEW IMPOUNDING PROCEDURE: “It’s going to be something new for us that we’re going to have to try to overcome. The guys who have an advantage in this procedure are the crew chiefs who actually ran in the Busch Series because they’ve done that a lot more in that series. And I’ve never worked in the Busch Series so I don’t know too much about it. So we’re going to have learn through it. I think you’re going to see some new people up front in qualifying just because of the set-ups in the race cars. You’re not going to be able to qualify a race car as tight as you typically would. Your race cars are going to have to be a little bit looser. It’s going to hurt some and help some. It’ll be unique. Your spring and shock selection is probably going to be a little bit different than what it typically would be for a race simply because you do have to qualify it. It’s going to be exciting.”

AFTER QUALFIYING, WILL IT BOTHER THE TEAM NOT TO BE ABLE TO TOUCH THE CAR UNTIL SUNDAY? “It’s going to play havoc on me. But I don’t think it’s going to be that bad. As long as you feel like you have a good basis for the race – ultimately that’s where it’s going to show up. Where it’s going to hurt you is in pit selection, track position and things like that. We’ll spend the majority of our practice time setting up for the race and then we’ll throw this qualifying set-up in there. And if we can’t adjust with the small adjustments that NASCAR allows us to do, it’s going to be difficult. At a race track like Pocono where track position is very important – or Fontana or Michigan – track position is very important because it’s difficult to pass. It’s going to be unique.”

CHASSIS INFORMATION - Team Lowe’s Racing is bringing car No. 4888 to Sunday’s race at California Speedway. This car is making its racing debut. Car No. 4874 will serve as the team’s backup car.

STATS & FACTS

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
Sunday’s race marks Johnson 112th career start in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. He has a top-10 finish at every track on the NASCAR Nextel Cup series circuit.

Hot Streak
Jimmie Johnson has scored four victories and seven top-10 finishes in the last seven races, since Charlotte last October.

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 CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY RACE – Jimmie Johnson’s trip home to his native California didn’t end with a finish he wanted, but it was as good as a victory in terms of the season point’s race. Johnson took advantage of point leader Jeff Gordon’s engine trouble and 37th place finish that allowed Johnson to walk out of California Speedway with a 50-point advantage. Johnson looked like he might have had an even better night but the Lowe’s Monte Carlo wasn’t as good at the end of the race as it was in the beginning and he finished 14th.