Race 2 Win: Sylvania 300 - Jimmie Johnson Notes

Nextel Cup Series

Sylvania 300 - Jimmie Johnson Notes

Team 48 New Hampshire Preview

This weekend Lowe’s Monte Carlo driver Jimmie Johnson and Team 48 travel to New Hampshire International Speedway for Sunday’s NASCAR Nextel Cup race. The NHIS race marks the first of ten “Chase for the Championship” races. Johnson starts the “Chase” five points behind Matt Kenseth.

DRIVER JIMMIE JOHNSON QUOTES:

ON THE CHASE FINALLY BEGINNING: "It is here and it is going to be exciting. There are 10 really great teams, 10 great drivers. I am just focused on that 10-car battle. I have a great race team. I couldn't be more proud of what they have done all year. We have been well prepared and really shown a lot of strength. If you look at this team's month of August, this has been by far our best August. I know we haven't been winning races or leading a lot of laps, but as I look back we are a heck of a lot better than we were in past years and are a much better race team. We are smarter than we were and a stronger race team. These final 10 races are a totally different animal than the first 26. It is time to get out there and go after it."

CHANCES: "I think I have at least as good or even better chance to win a championship now as I ever have. So does everyone else. When you re-rack this thing and there are only 45 points between first and tenth, everybody has a shot. It will come down to who can deal with everything and have the best car. If you get off to a slow start in the Chase, if you aren't a strong team, the pressure of the Chase can knock the wind out of your sails and hurt you. The champion has had a bad race. The goal is to not have a bad race. If you have one at New Hampshire, then you have to have nine perfect ones after that. That's what it boils down to. This year, I think, has a stronger more competitive top-10 than before. Maybe that mindset won't work and you need to focus on having all top-10s or top-5s.

ON HAVING HMS TEAMMATES KYLE BUSCH AND JEFF GORDON IN THE CHASE: "I think it will help us. I am sure the intensity is going to ramp up, and guys might keep things a little closer to their vest. We do a great job of communicating, so I don't see that as a problem. We are going to be racing really, really hard. The thing I am so excited for is for Rick (Hendrick). He has given so much to this sport and to his organization we want to get him a championship.”

CHASE WILDCARDS? "If there is one wild card or a race to worry about it would be Talladega. We just need to get out of there clean. Next I would say New Hampshire and Phoenix would be the weaker tracks for us. But every place else are good places for this No. 48 team. I can't wait to get to Martinsville. It is a tough track on some guys but it is a good track for me and the No. 24. I am just looking forward to it."

Race Notes

Chassis

Team Lowe’s Racing will take chassis 48278 to NHIS as the primary car this weekend. It finished 10th there in July. Chassis No. 48264 will serve as the backup. It last raced at Pocono in July of 2005.

New Hampshire

Johnson has completed all 2,615 laps in his nine starts at NHIS. He has an average starting position and finishing position of 8.7 – the best of all drivers with multiple starts. He has led 73 laps in three of his nine races. Johnson has posted top 15 finishes in all nine of his starts at NHIS, the only driver to do so.

Chase

Johnson is one of three drivers to participate in all three “Chase” battles. He finished second in the 2004 “Chase” and fifth last year. This will be Johnson’s fifth consecutive season finishing in the top ten in points.

Last Lap

Johnson pass for victory at Las Vegas was the first last-lap pass for a win since Talladega in October. Johnson has been involved in three of the four last lap passes for victory winning two (Lowe’s Motor Speedway in May 2005 and Las Vegas 2006)

Year

Johnson’s Lowe’s Monte Carlo has been running at the end of every race in 2006. He owns four victories – second only to Kasey Kahne’s five wins - and 18 top-ten finishes – two more than any other driver. Johnson and Kenseth are the only drivers to average a top ten finish while Johnson, Kevin Harvick and Mark Martin are the only three drivers who have been running at the end of every race this season.

Streak

Johnson has been among the top 10 in points for 95 consecutive races, since March 2004. Johnson is fifth on the consecutive races in the modern era’s point’s top 10 list. Dale Earnhardt’s 174 races tops the list.

Career

Johnson has won at least three races a season since he posted his first victory in 2002. He is the only driver in the modern era to win at least three races in each of his first five full-time seasons.

Johnson’s victory at Indianapolis was the 22nd of his Nextel Cup career. This win tied him with Terry Labonte for 26th on the list for most victories since 1949. Only five active drivers have more victories.

Johnson’s pole at Martinsville was the ninth of his career. He has won a pole in each of the last five seasons.

History

In 173 starts, Johnson has posted 61 top-5 finishes and 104 top-10 finishes. He has a top-10 finish at every track on the NASCAR Nextel Cup series circuit. Kansas is the only track where he has not posted a top-five finish. Johnson has led 3,709 laps and driven 49,387 laps in his Nextel Cup career covering over 66,299.5 miles. He has finished on the lead lap 134 times.

July New Hampshire Race

Johnson started sixth and ran with the leaders in the early going. Johnson and David Stremme made contact on lap 108 damaging the Lowe’s Monte Carlo’s fender. He dropped outside the top 30, but on the next stop the Chad Knaus-led crew made major handling changes returning Johnson to the track in 32nd. By lap 160 Johnson climbed to 22nd. Because he pitted on the last caution while many didn’t, Johnson was able to stay out on the track longer than most of the other cars. A caution fell before Johnson pitted allowing him to make his stop during the yellow flag period and jumping him up to ninth where he finished the race.