Passing Lane
A NASCAR BLOG BY Mike Hembree
- TEXT SIZE: Increase Text Size Decrease Text Size Reset Text Size
- 1 Comment. Leave a Comment
- Digg This
- Add to Del.icio.us
- RSS Feeds
Johnson ready to roll?
Aug
31
For those who've been wondering where Jimmie Johnson has been this season, he's right there – on the pole for tonight's Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway.
Johnson enters tonight‚s race flying considerably below the radar, and that's saying a lot for a driver who entered the season with back-to-back championships and a reputation for such mind-numbing consistency that he figured to be a favorite for a third. He also rolled into the season with the continuing services of Chad Knaus, by most accounts one of the garage area's elite crew chiefs, organizers and mechanical minds.
This season has been all about Kyle Busch (and, lately, Carl Edwards), however, and Johnson has been lurking mainly in the shadows. He has only two wins and is fourth in points and will be chasing Busch and Edwards in the 10-race run to the championship.
Johnson has shown increasing strength in recent weeks, however, and his run to the Fontana pole was more proof that the Hendrick Motorsports team is very much alive.
Johnson tends to close seasons in style, and it won't be a surprise if he and Knaus have some reserve in the tank as the Chase approaches.
It wouldn't be smart to count them out.
Johnson enters tonight‚s race flying considerably below the radar, and that's saying a lot for a driver who entered the season with back-to-back championships and a reputation for such mind-numbing consistency that he figured to be a favorite for a third. He also rolled into the season with the continuing services of Chad Knaus, by most accounts one of the garage area's elite crew chiefs, organizers and mechanical minds.
This season has been all about Kyle Busch (and, lately, Carl Edwards), however, and Johnson has been lurking mainly in the shadows. He has only two wins and is fourth in points and will be chasing Busch and Edwards in the 10-race run to the championship.
Johnson has shown increasing strength in recent weeks, however, and his run to the Fontana pole was more proof that the Hendrick Motorsports team is very much alive.
Johnson tends to close seasons in style, and it won't be a surprise if he and Knaus have some reserve in the tank as the Chase approaches.
It wouldn't be smart to count them out.
Other Blogs
Recent Blog Postings
- Jimmie Johnson too good to be true?
by Art Weinstein | 11/29/2008 - Does winning the Daytona 500 jinx a driver's season?
by Kenny Bruce | 11/29/2008 - NASCAR races aren't boring
by David Exum | 11/26/2008 - Cracking the big three of Jimmie, Carl and Kyle will be tough
by Bob Pockrass | 11/25/2008 - Tough Nationwide season for Brad Keselowski
by Jared Turner | 11/24/2008 - Plenty to think about while waiting for 2009 Cup season to begin
by Rea White | 11/23/2008 - NASCAR should leave some money on the table
by Mike Hembree | 11/21/2008
Poll Position
Which NASCAR competitor should be Driver of the Year?
Comments
1 response to "Johnson ready to roll? "
Ned Wynn said:
Sep 6, 2008 at 8:32 AMLast year JJ won (if I remember right) 4 of the Chase races. He does get it up for the Chase. But last year was an extraordinary one for Jimmie who won 10 races. It is rare today for anyone to win 10 races in a season (Kyle B. is on pace to do it), and this year does seem a little down but only from a huge year. Johnson has every chance to get by the #18 and the #99 and do three in a row which would be incredible. It would put Johnson on a very high shelf in the history of NASCAR. I am a fan of the #48, no excuses offered. I'm a California boy myself, so shoot me. Go Jimmie!
Report as AbuseReport Abuse
This feature is intended to allow you to report comments that are abusive in terms of foul/vulgar language, harassment, racial/religious prejudice and any words/phrases of a related nature. This feature should not be used to report users who simply make a comment about your favorite driver, with which you do not agree. Commenting is a forum in which we can all express our opinions. Reporting abuse of others should be done with this in mind.
» Confirm Abuse Report