Looking to break career-worst slump, Johnson arrives in Texas just
in time
Send a link to a friend
[April 03, 2018]
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- When
you're a seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion, an
83-race winner and perpetually on the verge of hoisting that
unprecedented eighth championship trophy, people are watching --
dissecting and diagnosing your every move.
Jimmie Johnson is certainly experiencing that right now thanks to a
29-race winless streak. A mark that wouldn't at all be an issue for
the vast majority of his competition, it's the longest of his
first-ballot NASCAR Hall of Fame career. And Johnson couldn't be
more ready to talk about something else.
Like another win at Texas Motor Speedway in the O'Reilly Auto Parts
500 (Sunday, 2 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM), or maybe a victory
the following week at Bristol Motor Speedway. That would do it.
He is the defending winner of both races -- giving his No. 48
Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team some optimism about hitching
horsepower to opportunity at these tracks.
Johnson isn't just good at Texas. He's the best.
With a record seven wins to go with 15 top-five and 21 top-10
finishes in 29 starts on the mile-and-a-half Fort Worth high banks,
Johnson has reason to change the conversation. He's the all-time
leader in laps led (1,041) there and has a rare top-10 career
average in both finish (8.8) and starting position (9.4).
In recognition of Johnson's outstanding resume at the track and the
fact he is the defending winner, Texas Motor Speedway is giving away
Jimmie Johnson bobblehead dolls to 30,000 among the anticipated
sold-out crowd. That's an additional 30,000 "nods" of support for a
driver and team trying to work their way out of a rut.
And should it take another week for Johnson's team to rally, Bristol
certainly proved to be a motivating cause in 2017. For exactly the
opposite reasons.
While many would expect Johnson to win in Texas, Bristol is one of
the rare venues that Johnson has not dominated. In fact, his win in
the spring race last year was only his second at the famous
half-mile bullring -- and first since the spring 2010, the year
Johnson won an unprecedented fifth consecutive Cup title.
[to top of second column] |
But he's finished 11th or better in six of the last seven Bristol
races and has a pair of runner-up finishes there, most recently in
2015.
Either venue -- Texas or Bristol -- certainly has the potential of
redirecting Johnson's 2018 course. And he's counting on it.
Johnson is ranked 17th in the standings -- a steady upward climb
since a wreck early in the Daytona 500 put him in a points deficit
to start the season. Although he has uncharacteristically not led a
lap this season -- yet -- he has four straight top-15 finishes and a
season-best of ninth place at California's Auto Club Speedway two
races ago.
His absence from Victory Lane is certainly not lost on Johnson, who
has celebrated there more than any other driver he's competing
against this season. And there's a reason he and his team know how
to win. Perseverance has always been a part of his mindset -- from
his earliest days trying to make a name for himself on NASCAR's
biggest stage.
Last week, he offered up a quote from Babe Ruth and shared it on
social media and to remind his supporters -- and any doubters -- of
his mindset.
"It's hard to beat a person who never gives up," Johnson wrote,
crediting the baseball great.
And, Johnson added, "I couldn't agree more and can't wait to get
back to the track."
--By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service. Special to Field Level Media.
[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |