HBO’s ‘24/7 Jimmie Johnson’ documentary series expected to shift into high gear tonight

By Bob Pockrass

Tuesday, February 09, 2010

HBO's documentary series featuring Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team will shift its focus to their prep work during Daytona Speedweeks.

Sam Cranston
NASCAR Illustrated

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The first two episodes of HBO Sports documentary "24/7 Jimmie Johnson" gave people a look at the driver, his wife Chani, his crew and Hendrick Motorsports that many don’t get to see.

Oh, and then there’s crew chief Chad Knaus shown drinking wine and cooking dinner. Huh?

Look perhaps for a different Knaus in the final two episodes, which air this week and next week as the program chronicles Daytona Speedweeks. The third episode debuts tonight on the network.

"The mild-mannered Chad Knaus has been an interesting, unexpected turn for the show," HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg said. "I think he might get his game face on these next two weeks, but we’ll see. We haven’t seen any explosions yet from Chad. And that’s been a surprise."

With or without any explosions, Greenburg has been happy with the show and expects a different feel for the last two episodes after the characters have been introduced and the focus turns to Daytona. HBO has about 20 employees at Daytona working on the show.

"Things change after two weeks dramatically in this series because now we’ve landed in Daytona," Greenburg said. "We anticipated that. Now you’re going to see what looks and feels like an almost different type of show. We’ll keep the story lines of Chani and Chad and everyone, but I think the focus will be on the race more the last two weeks."

The show marks the first time HBO has used its "24/7" series for a sport other than boxing. It has its "Hard Knocks" NFL training camp show, but it did not know what to expect when delving into NASCAR. It hired TNT announcer Marty Snider as an adviser to help with the learning process.

"One of the challenges for us is taking the people inside to see how everybody prepares for the 48 team – the pit crew and the entire motorsports staff that assembles the car," Greenburg said. "There’s a balance between educating the consumer and not ticking off the NASCAR fan who doesn’t want to be educated as if they’re an elementary student. That’s a balance that we need to hit with this series."

Greenburg wouldn’t divulge figures but said the network is seeing ratings comparable with its boxing "24/7" shows. He said among the cities with the highest viewership for the first episode were Greensboro, N.C.; Louisville, Ky.; Daytona/Melbourne/Orlando; Sacramento; San Diego (the area Johnson is from); Austin, Texas; Portland, Ore.; Tampa; Jacksonville; and Oklahoma City.

"We wanted to get imbedded into this world," Greenburg said. "We knew we would attract the NASCAR fan. That’s been proven out. I’m starting to hear fans from ‘24/7’ have migrated to this series, non-NASCAR fans. I don’t know if we’re converting people, but at least we’re giving them a slice of life as to what it’s like to be Jimmie Johnson and on the 48 team."

Johnson said he’s been pleased with the first two shows, which have shown him drinking a beer with friends, driving around his neighborhood, arriving at the Concord, N.C., airport with no one to pick him up, and working out.

"The feedback has been over the top," Johnson said. "The cool thing is people want to see more of different aspects of it. Everybody wants an hour show, more episodes. From an HBO standpoint, that’s what they want to do. They want to create kind of a desire and people want to see more and more in depth with the team, whatever it may be.

"There’s been a lot of away‑from‑the‑track stuff. I’m excited to see them here at the track these next two weeks."

So what’s next for HBO and NASCAR? Will they team up and do this again?

"We’re encouraged by getting involved with NASCAR," Greenburg said. "We’re going to keep an eye on ‘24/7’ on an ongoing basis with this sport. We’ve struck a chord, I think. We’re getting good feedback."

What would be unlikely, Greenburg said, is an HBO pay-per-view NASCAR event. HBO has broadcast Tony Stewart’s "Prelude To The Dream" event the last two years.

"The broadcast partners of NASCAR would have a difficult time seeing a signature event show up on the pay-per-view," Greenburg said. "It would have to be a brand-new event that would measure up to the lofty standards of pay-per-view."