Dreaming of History
Jimmie Johnson is sleeping pretty well at night this time of year, even with a weekend like Texas.
That’s good news for him, and probably bad news for everyone else in NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship. It means there is no way Johnson and his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet team will fall asleep at the wheel when it comes to putting in the supreme effort during the final month of the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.
Of course, Johnson and his team have been here before – and that helps. They’ve qualified for the Chase, now in its sixth year, every season since its 2004 inception.
When it comes to the 2009 Chase, however, they aren’t just chasing another championship. They aren’t merely trying to grab a piece of history, as they did last season when Johnson became the first driver in 30 years – and only the second ever – to win three championships in a row, tying the legendary Cale Yarborough.
As fantastic as matching Yarborough was, now they are chasing something even bigger. They are pursuing not only a piece of history, but hope to stake claim to something so rare it never before has been accomplished by anyone – a fourth consecutive title.
Johnson admits that there are times when he lies awake for just a little while, thinking about what he is attempting as he races through the latest Chase. But then he simply blocks it out of his mind, rolls over, and catches the shut-eye his body requires.
“The time is getting closer, and thoughts are creeping into my mind more and more,” Johnson said. “I just keep falling back to past experience, and how during those Chase races you can’t enjoy the highs too much and you can’t beat yourself up over the lows too much. It’s really about having a consistent mindset and getting what you can every week.
“The one thing that, again, comes with the experience of being in my eighth (Cup) season is that I know I will give my all, and I know I can perform well in a lot of situations. I know this team will give its all, and that it can perform well in a lot of situations. Knowing that lets me sleep well at night, and it gives me a lot of excitement going into the Chase. Will it happen? I don’t know. You know, it’s not been done for a reason. Winning four in a row is the toughest thing.”
With Johnson behind the wheel of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevy fielded by Hendrick Motorsports, Chad Knaus already is the first crew chief in NASCAR history to win three consecutive titles. But for him, the key to possibly winning a fourth is never to slow down even long enough to cherish the fact that he and Johnson have won the last three.
Asked how much he has thought about winning a historic fourth championship in a row, and Knaus was quick and pointed with his reply.
“I haven’t even considered it to be honest with you. I haven’t even gotten over the fact that we’ve got three,” Knaus said. “I’m worried about going and trying to win as many races as we possibly can and trying to run as competitively as possible -- which will put us in a position to win championships. That’s what we worry about.
“A reflection will come hopefully when I’m able to retire and sitting on the ocean or a beach or a lake or somewhere else in some other point in time,” Knaus added. “Right now, we get paid to go out and win races and vie for championships, so that’s all I’m really concerned about now. If we’re able to win four, I think our next point would be to try and win five.”
With just two races to go in the Chase, Johnson has been relying heavily on past experiences to help him cope with the pressure that come every week.
“It’s funny, because last year once the (Chase) races started, there was this anxiety, this energy, inside of me about the possibility of getting three (in a row),” Johnson said. “With the Chase here, that same feeling returns when I start thinking about getting four. It’s hard to explain, to put into words. But there is this knotty feeling I get in my stomach that runs through your body, where you start worrying about every lap you make, every adjustment that’s made on the car. Your brain just starts going and going and going.
“I know those days are out there. That’s why I’ve tried to give myself a little break (during the first 26 races that precede the Chase). I want to be able to control it during the Chase. It’s a dream right now. You’re like, `Yeah, man, winning it again would be really cool.’ But when you get in there and start living it – and reality sets in, good or bad – that’s when the emotions really start to kick in. And you have to be able to control them.”
Team owner Rick Hendrick said he has no doubts that Johnson and Knaus will be able to do that as well or better than anyone else they’re battling over the final 10 races.
“Mental toughness is a big thing, and I think that’s where the 48 guys have an edge,” Hendrick said. “They know how to pace themselves and manage the Chase because they’ve done it before. It all goes back to being smart and limiting mistakes.”
If they can get to the end of the season and hoist the Sprint Cup championship trophy once again, maybe Johnson and Knaus will finally be able to take just a moment to think about the enormity of all they have accomplished. Then again, maybe not.
“I’d say both of us certainly do respect what we’ve accomplished. We enjoy it and look at it,” Johnson said. “But I don’t think either one of us has really stopped and let the magnitude of what we’ve done sink in. You really can’t. Now is not the time. If you stop for anything, the sport is going to eat you up. There is always next week, next season.”
Knaus added: “There’s not a whole lot of reflection just yet. You’re just living it. When you’re in the middle of it, you can’t reflect. Or at least, I can’t; some people can. We just live and breathe it. It’s just one thing after another and another.
“When I retire, maybe I can reflect on it a little bit. But if you’re looking in the past, you’re not moving forward. That’s the thing we focus on the most. After I get done with my racing career, when I retire, that’s when I want to sit back and reflect.”
If all goes according to plan, there may be only one night when Johnson doesn’t get his usual restful respite. He hopes he won’t get much sleep the night of Nov. 22 after the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway – as he has gotten used to partying the night away in championship style in nearby South Beach in recent years.
Hey, even the 48 team allows a little time for celebration.
“We just have to grind out those Chase races,” Johnson said. “All things apply from having luck to running fast. The thing I hope for is that we’re fighting for this thing week in and week out. If we’re competitive, we’re racing for wins – and that’s going to give us a chance.”