7 reasons to watch the Amp Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway: No. 2 - Jimmie Johnson
Fans appear to have split into two camps: Those who want to see Jimmie Johnson make history with a fourth consecutive championship and those who think his dominance in the Chase For The Sprint Cup hasn’t been good for NASCAR.
Either way, it’s pretty much agreed that if Johnson can get past Sunday’s Amp Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway unscathed he has a clear path to the title.
Nothing is guaranteed, of course, but the odds will most certainly be in his favor.
But, as you well know, racing at Talladega is unpredictable – and that might be an understatement.
High speeds and tightly bound packs of cars have routinely led to the multi]car crash known as the “big one,” often caused by a simple driver mistake.
Anyone can be involved - including Johnson.
Trust me, he knows it. It’s the one thing he wants to avoid.
He hasn’t been all that successful lately. He has been involved in accidents in two of the last three races at Talladega. The latest happened in April when he finished 30th in the Aaron’s 499.
Johnson won’t race conservatively at Talladega. That’s a recipe for disaster. The best way to avoid mayhem is to get to the front of the pack and not be in the middle, or rear, of it.
Johnson needs to qualify well and then, as much as possible, race among the leaders.
He is thoroughly capable of doing that. His average starting position has been 10.9, and he has won once at Talladega, in 2006. His average finish, however, is just 17.7, and that’s not great.
But numbers really don’t mean much at Talladega. As said, anyone, at any time, can be involved in the big one.
So, really, the situation is not complicated for Johnson.
He’s not out to win at Talladega. There’s no need. He needs only to survive the race with a decent finish.
The question is, will he?
