Race 2 Win: Banquet 400 presented by ConAgra Foods

Nextel Cup Series

News and Results | Point Standings | 2005 Schedule | 2005 Teams | 2004 Schedule and Results

Banquet 400 presented by ConAgra Foods - Jimmie Johnson Notes

Team 48 Kansas Preview

Lowe’s Monte Carlo driver Jimmie Johnson and Team 48 race at Kansas Speedway on Sunday in the fourth of the 10- race NASCAR Nextel Cup “Chase for the Championship.” Johnson is fourth in the “Chase” 82 points behind leader Tony Stewart.

KANSAS: “We felt really good about our test session at Kansas. It was right after our test at Texas. We feel confident and good about things. We were really fast there, but there weren’t any other cars there to really judge off of and get a good gauge of where we are. So we’re excited to go to the track. We think we’re going to be in great shape. And we think everything we learned at the test is going to cross over and produce a good finish for us.”

WITH ALL THE QUESTIONS ABOUT SHOCKS AND TALLADEGA CRASHES, DOES THAT AFFECT YOU EMOTIONALLY GOING INTO KANSAS CITY? “No, I don’t think so. Everybody keeps referring to the shock thing and I don’t see an issue. There isn’t an issue there, so that just doesn’t exist in my mind. Talladega? I feel bad. I don’t know what else I can say. I started a wreck and took out a lot of good cars. And I’ve apologized to everyone and called everyone. That was the last thing I intended to do and I feel horrible for it. So I’m taking the responsibility. It’s time to move on and we’ll go to Kansas and try to put everything behind us.”

ON KEEPING THE EMOTIONS OF THE CHASE IN CHECK FROM WEEK TO WEEK: “At the start of the Chase, and really at the start of the season, you can move around so easily in the top 10 because everything is so new and the points are so close. At this point, you just really go from week to week. I know in the back of my mind that we can be leading or in fourth or in sixth and it bounces around. We need to pay attention to every point and try to hang onto them all. Before long, there will be a couple car breakaway and some gaps from there. That’s when the pressure really sets in and you’ve got to decide if you’re protecting the points lead or if you need to play some offense and be aggressive and lead the most laps and really take some risks.”

RACE NOTES

Chassis

Team 48 will race chassis 48339 to Kansas this weekend. This car last raced at Michigan in June and tested at Kansas last month. Chassis 48359 will serve as the backup and last raced in Michigan in August.

Kansas

Johnson has completed 772 of 801 laps in his three starts at Talladega. He has an average starting spot of 2.3 and average finishing spot of 16.3. He has led 20 laps.

Top 10

Johnson has ranked among the top 10 in the points standings since Las Vegas in March 2004, a string of 62 consecutive races.

Career

Johnson’s latest victory at Dover International Speedway in September was the 17th of his Nextel Cup career and ties him with Jeff Burton, Marvin Paunch, and Curtis Turner for 37th on the list for most wins since 1949. In 140 starts, Johnson has posted 50 top-5 finishes and 81 top-10 finishes. He has a top-10 finish at every track on the NASCAR Nextel Cup series circuit. Indianapolis and Kansas are the only two tracks where he has not posted a top-five finish.

Laps Led

Johnson has led 3,325 laps and driven 39,776 laps in his Nextel Cup career. He has a career average starting sport of 12.6 and finishing position of 12.9. He has finished on the lead lap 104 times.

Loves Superspeedways

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

Career Poles

Johnson owns eight career poles, including one in July at Chicagoland Speedway. Johnson’s first career NASCAR Nextel Cup pole award came at Daytona in Feb., 2002. He is tied for the 57th most Nextel Cup poles since 1949.

News and Results | Point Standings | 2005 Schedule | 2005 Teams | 2004 Schedule and Results