Homestead, Fla. – Jimmie Johnson, on the verge of capturing North America’s biggest auto racing championship, needs only to hold his line in today’s Nextel Cup season finale.
All Johnson needs to do is finish in the top 12. In other words, stay away from the walls at Homestead-Miami Speedway, keep out of the manicured infield grass and prevent making contact with the other 42 cars as much as possible. Bottom line, the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and All-Star Challenge winner needs to run a clean race, somewhat opposite of what he did while ascending to the cusp of his first NASCAR championship.
Johnson, 31, grew up a dirty-face motocross and off-road racer in Southern California. While classmates were hanging out on beautiful sandy beaches, Johnson was spinning wheels in the mud and unforgiving desert terrain.
“He’s still just a kid at heart,” said his wife, Chandra, who was introduced to Johnson by teammate and four-time series champion Jeff Gordon, co-owner of Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet. “He’s into anything that’s fun. He likes cycling, snowboarding, and he’ll do anything that’s thrilling.”
Johnson’s racing roots have paid off, even in today’s sophisticated and technical race cars.
“The off-road teaches you car control, because you’re on slippery surfaces all the time, and Jimmie handles that so well,” said fellow Nextel Cup driver Robby Gordon, another California native with an extensive off-road résumé. “We have a lot of horsepower and when the tires get old you’re sliding everywhere. Jimmie is one of those guys who handles that magnificently, probably because it’s embedded in him.”
Johnson began driving off-road motorcycles at age 5. At age 15 he became the youngest driver to compete in the Mickey Thompson Stadium Truck Series. He captured six off-road championships in the 1990s. His California-based team, Herzog Motorsports, ultimately ventured into stock-car racing with Johnson, first in the American Speed Association and then in the NASCAR Busch Series. His success led to him being hand- picked by Jeff Gordon to join Hendrick Motorsports in 2001 to drive the No. 48.
Now in his fourth full season, he has never finished worse than fifth in the final point standings. Looking down from the height of his profession, he realizes his dreams not so long ago were no different than the drivers who compete weekly at Colorado National Speedway.
“My biggest challenge is a lot like (most) of the guys up here and all of the guys racing Saturday nights across the country,” Johnson said. “Being recognized and getting that chance was really the toughest thing. That’s a common problem.
“I was very lucky to get hooked up with Stan and Randy Herzog while I was racing off-road trucks, and they provided my chance in ASA and in Busch. I don’t think I would have had either one of those opportunities if it wasn’t for their commitment to me and their own goals of racing and trying to make it to Cup some day.”
Johnson has been in a league of his own for most of the season. In addition to winning the two biggest point races, at Daytona and Indianapolis, and the all-star race in Concord, N.C., Johnson was second at the longest race, the Coca-Cola 600. He leads in top-10 finishes (23) and earnings ($8,789,160).
“He’s probably the easiest driver I’ve worked with, especially at this level,” said Ron Malec, the car chief who is the only No. 48 crew member to work with Johnson at Herzog Motorsports. “He’s kind of the glue that holds this team together. He pumps us up, and when things are bad, or when we have a bad pit stop, he doesn’t point fingers and yell at us. He keeps us positive and fun, and I think that’s part of what has taken us to a new level.”
Johnson has stood atop the points after 24-of-25 races, and has finished in the top two in the past five races, a stretch that has taken him from eighth in the standings after the first four Chase races to a comfortable 63-point lead over Matt Kenseth.
“It’s a lot easier to race from where we’re sitting,” Kenseth said. “We’re really the underdogs here, looking for a miracle to happen. You’re not going to do anything on purpose or anything, because you don’t want to fault the integrity of the sport, so I think you go race as hard as you can. He’s racing to protect something, and we’re trying to make something happen.”
Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. also are mathematically eligible to win in the third year of the Chase playoff format but today’s race might be more of a coronation for Johnson than a competition.
“We’re all in different situations competing for this championship, but we all need to go out and do the same job we’ve done all year long, and that’s what has put all of us in this position,” Johnson said.
He was second going into the final race in the past three seasons. Last year, he crashed early, finished 40th and dropped three spots in the final points. He won’t need to push as hard this time, and if his car runs as well as it has the past five races, a top-12 result shouldn’t be that difficult.
“The last five races he’s been Superman,” NBC announcer Bill Weber said of Johnson. “Now the question is, how do you beat Superman?”
Staff writer Mike Chambers can be reached at 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com.
