The World of Jimmie Johnson

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The life of a NASCAR driver is truly demanding. You’re on the road for most of the year and you’re asked to drive around an oval on Sunday afternoons for several hours. For Jimmie Johnson he has turned NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series into his own playground. Johnson won five consecutive Sprint Cup Series Titles from 2006-2010. In 2011 and 2012, Johnson finished in the top 10 and through 15 races this season, Johnson is in first place in the driver standings with 430 points.

After being beaten out by Brad Keselowski last season for the Sprint Cup Series Championship, Johnson got things started on the right foot this season as he won the Daytona 500 to begin the year. On April 7, Johnson won the STP Gas Booster 500 at Martinsville,Virginia and last month he won NASCAR’s All-Star Race at Charlotte for the fourth time in his career.
Johnson was looking at his fourth victory of the season last Sunday at the Pepsi 400 in Dover until he was “black flagged” late in the race for jumping the restart following a caution as the leader of the race (Juan Pablo Montoya) was the only driver that could have dictated the speed. Johnson ended up finishing 17th as Tony Stewart was the victorious driver.
With 13 races left before the Sprint Chase for The Cup begins, Johnson finds himself in familiar territory which is in the catbird’s seat.
In racing a driver is only as good as the team around him. Johnson races for Hendrick Motorsports which gives him an opportunity to be around some of the best racing personnel in the world. Johnson’s crew chief is Chad Knaus as the two have combined for 59 victories together. Johnson consistently wins the battle off of pit road as he is rarely in his pit for more than 15 seconds which gives him the upper edge with his usually superior car on the track.
Johnson is one of the few “rock stars” that NASCAR currently has. When you’re a five-time Sprint Cup Series Champion and 2009 Associated Press Male Athlete of The Year like Johnson is, the fame and hatred come with the job. The fame is from the people that appreciate Johnson’s work on the track while the hatred comes from those that are tired of seeing Johnson succeed as he makes it look extremely easy at times. As Johnson continues to battle drivers such as Carl Edwards, Clint Bowyer, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the standings, he is continuing to show the world that he is one of NASCAR’s brightest stars.
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By | 2016-04-13T11:13:13+00:00 June 5th, 2013|Categories: Auto Racing|0 Comments

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