Catchfence

2009 NSCS Jimmie Johnson - (Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Current Driver Point Standings: 1st
Leading By 184 Points
Finish at Talladega: 6th
November 2008 Texas Finish: 15th

RACE NOTES

Texas Motor Speedway

• Johnson has made 12 Sprint Cup Series starts at Texas Motor Speedway where he has earned one win, six top-five and nine top-10 finishes.
• Johnson has completed 98.1% (3943 of 4018) of competition laps at the track and has led 78.
• He has an average start and finish of 8.9 and 8.5.

Chassis

• Both the primary and backup chassis for Sunday’s event were last driven from the pole to victory lane. Johnson drove primary number 552 to the win at Dover International Speedway in September while he piloted backup chassis number 558 to a victory at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in October.

JOHNSON QUOTES

Just to get sort of a sense from you of what you’re doing, if anything, to sort of not let your guard down with three races to go and having such a big lead. “Really just treating these races as if they were other races, any other race.  I know it sounds stupid and corny and almost predictable, but it’s the truth.  I mean, the way we have prepared to this point has led to the points lead that we have and the race wins that we’ve accumulated over the year, and we need to do more of the same.

“From my standpoint, studying my notes from the previous races, working with the engineers, understanding the setup that we’re taking, understanding what we’re trying to qualify and what we’re going to try and race trim, and being up to speed on all those potential changes that we can work on and understanding what we’re hoping that they will do, that’s all part of it, and I think this weekend will be a lot easier for me than Talladega because I’m going to be working on things that actually make a difference

“At Talladega there was a lot of free time for my mind to worry because the rules are so specific and there’s not a lot you can think about from a driver’s standpoint.  But this weekend it should go fast.  As soon as we get in the car, be focused on how the car is handling and adjustments that we need to make right on through the race.

“I’ll just try to fall into all of that and just live and breathe the race car as much as possible so that my mind doesn’t think about outside things.”

SPRINT CUP SERIES CAREER NOTES

Career Wins

• Johnson has 46 wins in his Sprint Cup Series career, his most recent coming at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Oct. 17, 2009.
• The El Cajon, Calif.-native is tied for 13^th on NASCAR’s all-time wins list. Buck Baker also has 46 wins.
• He is second in total wins among active drivers, behind Jeff Gordon (81).
• 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 is the first driver to win three of the first five races in The Chase.
• 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 22 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 Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Oct. 15, 2009.

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 the only driver to qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup every year since the format was adopted in 2004.
• In 288 Sprint Cup Series starts, Johnson has posted 115 top-five and 178 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 9,415 laps (of 83,026) in his Sprint Cup career, covering over 111,180 miles.
• He has finished on the lead lap 243 times.

- GMR Live Marketing for Team Lowe’s Racing, Press Release