Public speaking just doesn't appeal to Jimmie Johnson
NEW YORK – Just as he has done for the last couple of years, Jimmie Johnson will write his own speech to deliver during the Sprint Cup awards banquet Friday at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel.
And just like the previous two times he has won the title, the Hendrick Motorsports driver will be nervous when he delivers his words.
“It does get better, but I still don’t feel like I can just read the prompter and feel comfortable and nail it,” Johnson said Tuesday.
Johnson will try to avoid the “mistakes” he has made in the past. After his rookie season, he wanted to thank the “awful lot of people” who had helped him and ended up thanking the “awful people.” And then last year he mispronounced sponsor UGS, saying “uhgs” instead of “u-gee-ess.”
“I’m sure I’ll screw something up at some point,” Johnson said. “That’s one of those terrifying experiences, being up there front of all those people. It should be easy because it’s people I know and it’s speaking about my team and the sport.
“But it’s one of the most frightening experiences I can do.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, Johnson hadn’t started writing the speech.
“I have some thoughts, but in the past, I have stressed so much about it, and I think it’s affected and hurt my speech,” Johnson said. “So I know who I need to thank. I know what I need to do, and I’ll just put some thoughts together as we get closer.”
