Three-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson excited about ESPY nominations
Hendrick Motorsports' Jimmie Johnson is third in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings after 18 races this season. // Mark Sluder, NASCAR Scene
JOLIET, Ill. – Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson is no stranger to honors and recognition, but he still gets excited about being nominated for an ESPY award.
This year, the defending three-time NASCAR Cup champion is in the running for two ESPYs - Best Male Athlete and Best Driver of 2008 – at the annual ceremony, which recognizes the top performers across all sports from the previous year.
Johnson is up against open-wheel drivers Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon and Lewis Hamilton and drag racer Tony Schumacher for Best Driver at the 2009 event, which will be televised at 9 p.m. EDT July 19 on ESPN.
Johnson won the award last year, beating out fellow Cup competitor Carl Edwards among others.
“We had a good battle with Carl and all that stuff,” Johnson said at Chicagoland Speedway, where he’ll compete in Saturday’s LifeLock.com 400. “[I’m] very excited about it. We will see what happens. The Driver of [the] Year, I was able to win that ... last year. That is extremely special in its own right with all the great racers that were up [against] for the nomination.
“Guys that won the Indianapolis 500 and a variety of drivers from around the country and world [are nominated]. Just cool stuff. [I’m] excited about it and hope things go our way.”
Johnson is probably a longer shot to take home the Best Male Athlete Award, as his competition includes Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and National Basketball Association stars LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. Still, Johnson is just glad to be be grouped with such accomplished athletes.
“I think it is a great honor to be a part of that,” Johnson said. “I think it says a lot for our sport in the fact that a driver from our sport is being nominated as potentially Male Athlete of the Year. I am really excited about it. I am hopeful that our fan base gets involved and is able to show their strength and power in numbers and places a lot of votes and hopefully has me as the Male Athlete of the Year.
“I think it has been a combination of the last three seasons and what we have done [that] has kind of led to the nomination and being able to back it up last year under the tough circumstances.”
Even as Johnson enjoys reflecting on his past accomplishments, he is focused on this season – and potentially winning a record fourth straight Cup title.
With only eight races left until NASCAR’s Chase For The Sprint Cup begins, Johnson feels his team is performing well enough to make another championship run.
And his season to date – third in points with two victories – validates his outlook.
“I think we have been real consistent,” Johnson said. “There have been tracks where we had an advantage. I think at Dover, it has been a while since we won at Dover, and things worked out right there for us. Michigan we were in position to win, and that isn’t one of our best tracks. I think we are getting smarter on some tracks, but at the same time our baseline of where we start has been pretty close to the top.
“When we get things right, we can have a car that will dominate and win the race. When we have an off day, it is not all that bad. “
