Tuesday
Jimmie Johnson, 2009 Coke Zero 400 NSCS Race Preview
Press Release|
Jimmie Johnson Current Driver Point Standings: 3rd Points Behind Leader: -169 Finish at New Hampshire: 9th July 2008 Daytona Finish: 23rd |
RACE NOTES
Daytona International Speedway
- Johnson has made 15 Sprint Cup Series starts at Daytona International Speedway.
- He has collected one win, five top-five and eight top-10 finishes at the restrictor-plate track.
- The three-time Champion has completed 98.8% (2561 of 2591) of competition laps there and has led 59.
- Johnson has an average start and finish of 9.9 and 15.
Chassis
- Brand new chassis No. 547 will be the primary car for Saturday night’s Sprint Cup event.
- Johnson last drove backup chassis No. 482 at the Daytona 500 in February.
JIMMIE JOHNSON QUOTE:
HOW WOULD YOU SUM UP YOUR SEASON AT THIS POINT? ARE YOU PLEASED WITH WHERE YOU ARE AND FEEL LIKE YOU COULD BE IN BETTER SHAPE WITH CERTAIN THINGS THAT HAPPEN? “Yeah, I’m real happy with the speed in the cars. Unlike other years, we’ve made more mistakes as a team. Again, like last week I got nailed for speeding on pit road. I’ve made plenty of mistakes like that this year. I’ve crashed a couple of cars that I shouldn’t have. Pit stops are really in our rhythm now but we’ve had a couple of hiccups along the way. So in general, I’m really happy with where we’re at. I think we’ve missed a few opportunities to win races. At Michigan we were leading the race and ran out of gas; at Pocono we were in really good position there; I look at Phoenix where Mark (Martin) won earlier in the year and we had some issues we overcame there and we were the fastest car but didn’t pull it off. We lost that race because of mistakes we made. So I think we can be better than where we’re at, but I’m very happy to see the progress. We’ve been cleaning up things over the course of the year and I think we’re going to be just right when the Chase starts.”
SPRINT CUP SERIES CAREER NOTES
Career Wins
- Johnson has 42 wins in his Sprint Cup Series career, his most recent coming at Dover International Speedway on May 31, 2009.
- The El Cajon, Calif.-native is 15th on NASCAR’s all-time wins list.
- He also has the third-highest win total among active drivers, behind Jeff Gordon (81) and Bill Elliott (44).
- Johnson has won at least three Cup races a season since he posted his first victory in 2002. He is the only driver in the modern era to win at least three races in each of his first seven full-time seasons.
- Johnson has won Sprint Cup Series races at all but six (Bristol, Michigan, Infineon, Chicago, Watkins Glen, Homestead) of the 22 tracks on which the series competes.
- Johnson’s 10 wins in 2007 was the highest number recorded in a single season since Jeff Gordon posted 13 victories in 1998.
- The four-consecutive wins scored by the No. 48 team in the 2007 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup ties a modern-era NASCAR record.
Career Poles
- Johnson has collected 19 poles in his Sprint Cup career.
- The championship driver has earned at least one pole a year since his first full-time season in 2002.
- He had a career-high six poles in 2008.
- Johnson’s most recent pole position was at Phoenix International Raceway on Nov. 9, 2008.
Career Starts
- Johnson has finished in the top five in the Sprint Cup Series point standings each year since his first full season in 2002.
- Johnson is one of only two drivers to qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup every year since the format was adopted in 2004. Matt Kenseth is the other.
- In 272 Sprint Cup Series starts, Johnson has posted 108 top-five and 167 top-10 finishes.
- He has a top-five finish at every track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series circuit.
- Johnson has led a total of 8,330 laps (of 78,504) in his Sprint Cup career, covering over 104,937 miles.
- He has finished on the lead lap 210 times.
– GMR Live Marketing for Team Lowe’s Racing, Press Release
Article Tags: Coke Zero 400, Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola, Daytona International Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports, Jimmie Johnson, NASCAR, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Team Chevy, Team Lowe's Racing
