Chevy American Revolution 400 - Jimmie Johnson Notes

Team 48 Richmond Preview

Jimmie Johnson and Team 48 race at Richmond International Raceway Saturday night in the 11th race of the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup season. Johnson holds a 127-point lead in the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup points race. Johnson also makes his second start in the No. 5 Lowe’s / Shop Vac Chevrolet Busch car Friday night. He won his first ever Busch Series pole last weekend in Darlington but a cut tire led to a 23rd-place finish.

WHY DO THE DRIVERS LIKE RICHMOND SO MUCH? “There are a couple of lanes to work with. From a track promoter’s side, they want to hear great things about how fast a track is or they’re hung up on numbers like that it’s the fastest l.5 mile track and the best accommodations and all the things a promoter worries about. Those are good things to worry about. But when you get to a track that’s brand new and single file, the competition isn’t up to speed and that’s when we step in and vent our opinions. Richmond is a great facility and a great location and great racing for the fans – plus, there’s two-wide racing. That’s why everybody is happy.”

EVEN THOUGH YOU’RE SOLIDLY IN THE TOP 10, YOU’VE LOST 46 POINTS IN THE PAST THREE RACES. DOES THIS CONCERN YOU? “No, not at all. We’ve had a lot of different things take place. We’ve had good runs and not so good runs. We got caught up in a wreck. It’s going to happen. That’s why it’s nice to have a 100-plus point lead because you’re going to fluctuate 40 or 50 points either way throughout the season. If we were to take a 100 – 150-point hit, that’s when I would be concerned. But even then with the new format, you just need to make the cut. So the big goal is not to be minus 400 points. So I’ve got a 520-something point swing right now to play with.”

THE DRIVERS SEEM TO THINK IT’S IMPORTANT TO GET AS MANY POINTS AS POSSIBLE AS EARLY IN THE SEASON AS POSSIBLE. IS THIS WHY WE’VE SEEN SUCH AGGRESSIVE DRIVING? “No one intends to make it more aggressive. You just know that you’ve got to pass the car in front of you and you just push your abilities and your vehicle and your talent to try to find a way by. It’s a natural thing. But as far as collecting points early, I think all the teams know if they hit the first 10 races hard and collect a lot of points, they can then points race. I can manage my team and not overwork them and not be overstressed rolling into Richmond. So ideally, that’s the way to do it. But, if you don’t get off to a quick start, I still feel you have a shot at making the cut. Even somebody who is off to a slow start shouldn’t be counted out. Really, anybody can still make the cut right now.”

Chassis Notes - Team Lowe’s racing will bring car No. 48272 to Richmond as the primary car. This car raced at Phoenix this year where it finished 15th. Car No. 48278 will serve as the backup car. It finished eighth at Martinsville.

RACE NOTES

Rear Tire Changer