Chat Transcript: Jimmie Johnson

July 18, 2001
2:49 PM EDT (1849 GMT)

[Nascar_Host1] Welcome to NASCAR.com's chat with Jimmie Johnson!

[Jimmie_Johnson] Thanks for checking in this afternoon. I am excited about our win and I am looking forward to your questions!

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [RacingKitten] Jimmie, congratulations on your win this past weekend. How did it feel when you took the checkered flag?

[Jimmie_Johnson] Thank you for congratulating me. I am sure anyone can imagine what it feels like to win a race. It hasn't really sunk it yet, but I think it will when I get back to the track. I was trying to stay calm when Ryan was chasing me down and the excitement didn't hit me until I was doing the donuts on the frontstretch and it was just overwhelming.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [Noelle dalejrfan] How did you prepare for the race since you've never raced there before? Do you use notes and setups from similar tracks? Thank you!

[Jimmie_Johnson] Yes, we heard it was similar to Texas and the No. 24 car went over and tested there. When they got back, the engineer at Hendrick got together with Tony Liberti and passed on the notes. They discovered and learned things there and then Tony tried to translate that to our Busch setup. He did an awesome job with it!

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [taz3990] Good job! Congratulations on your win. Who was more excited about you win, you or your Dad? Does it help having your dad with you?

[Jimmie_Johnson] Yes, it does. In parts of my career with all the traveling around, I didn't get to spend time with my family. Now with my home in North Carolina, and him driving with me, it is great to hang out with him.

I am established now in the racing world and he hasn't been involved with it a lot because I have been out of town. It is neat to have him there, but I wish my mom and my brothers could have been with me for my first win. For me it was a relief to get the win, but for him, he was more excited and proud.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [joni92] Hey, Jimmie. Congratulations on your win on Saturday. A couple weeks ago you said you would run 4-6 Cup races this year. Can you tell me which races?

[Jimmie_Johnson] Right now it looks like Charlotte will be first and then we will go to Talladega, Rockingham and Atlanta. That is firm as far as Hendrick would like to do at this time, but we are negotiating with sponsors right now and they will probably be the final decision makers. Charlotte will be the first one, though.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [ASH17] Jimmie, congratulations to you and the No. 92 team on your first win! Do you know yet whom your crew chief will be when you move up to Cup next year?

[Jimmie_Johnson] Not yet. That will end up being the last piece of the puzzle. Everyone wants to make sure it is a true extension of the No. 24 car and to bring one in too early will bring separation to the team. They want everything up and running and then have the crew chief come in. They want to have the new chief come in and work with Robbie Loomis to make it work with the No. 24 car. We might not even have one for the races I run this year, but internally there are enough knowledgeable people to help me with the races I will run this year.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [speedracer] Will you be making any appearances at Gateway this weekend?

[Jimmie_Johnson] This week has been so crazy I don't even know what is going on with Gateway yet, sorry! Haha

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [rocky20] Jimmie, do you think it will be hard to be teammates with Jeff next year and try to outrun one of NASCAR's best, or do you see him as being as asset?

[Jimmie_Johnson] I believe it is a total asset. To have him there to bounce questions off of (both in and out of the car), for advice and suggestions, and even the way the team is getting set up, our cars are going to come to the track identical. Our driving styles are going to be different and we will figure that out as time goes on. To be the best, you have to beat the best, and I feel like I am in a unique situation to work with the best. I want to be as good or better than him someday.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [EMgordo] If you could listen to music while racing, what band would you listen too?

[Jimmie_Johnson] For qualifying, I would say Limp Bizkit. For the race, probably some Metallica's Black CD. That whole album has a great beat.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [fan4life] If there's one skill in NASCAR that you can't do right now but would like to, what would it be?

[Jimmie_Johnson] I don't know what the exact words are but something along the lines of when you look back on experiences and you think, "I shouldn't have worried about this or that." There is something that experience will give you that you won't overreact, and I don't know what you would call that! Haha

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [Noelle_dalejrfan] Hey Jimmie, do you concentrate on the points race each weekend or just try to finish well?

[Jimmie_Johnson] It is always in the back of your head. The current situation we are in now, we have had a lot of bad races here. We have been racing good but had some bad luck. We are out of our championship hopes, so that has changed my mindset to try and win every race.

At the end of a race if you are wondering if you should try and get the pass done, I am going to do it now rather than before where I might hesitate and try and bring the car back in one piece.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [Noelle_dalejrfan] Hi Jimmie! Do you think the Busch series should have a race like the Winston Cup's The Winston?

[Jimmie_Johnson] No, I guess I don't. Looking at it like other major events, like football or baseball, the top division has that all-star game and I feel Winston Cup is that same way. It is the highest division and that is where the all-star race should come from.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [Valerie] Hi Jimmie! Congratulations on your win! I heard that you recently started taking yoga. Has that helped your racing?

[Jimmie_Johnson] Yes, I actually need to get practicing it! It has in some ways on the track, but more than anything, in my day-to-day normal life it has made me more peaceful. It is a pretty darn good workout on top of that! It is more for normal life than the car, and I am sure some things cross over, but you don't realize it.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [rocky20] Which track would you say is the hardest on the body as far as G-forces are concerned?

[Jimmie_Johnson] Bristol or Dover. They are both really intense and the speeds are so high on the concrete tracks, along with the banking, that it is hard on your brain, too.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [LukeR] Jimmie, how do you feel your off-road truck experience helps you with NASCAR racing?

[Jimmie_Johnson] There was stuff that I learned in describing what the vehicle was doing below me. To actually find something that made the car go faster, it took a real sensitive feel. I also worked with data acquisitions and a lot of that is carryover in terms of testing and setting the cars up.

On the track, the biggest thing is when you get in trouble. I am used to catching a car when it is spinning out and I think that has saved us a few clips. We have screwed up WAY too many cars this year, but I guess I am going down fighting! Haha

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [DEI_1] Are you going to race Busch next year as well?

[Jimmie_Johnson] No, I don't believe so. I don't have anything I have been approached with yet and I think I really need to stay focused with the Cup car. I would think maybe Busch experience would help me with the Cup car, but I think getting started with team and the new crew chief is worth me giving it 100 percent.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [joni92] Hi Jimmie. What do you think on the feud in the Busch Series between Kevin Harvick and Greg Biffle? Do you think it is good for the Busch Series?

[Jimmie_Johnson] Sure it is! I hope that I can be up there and make it a three-way feud! Kevin and Greg are both real hungry and you are going to have run-ins with each other when you are running so hard. I have a lot of respect for both of them and they are both doing a great job.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [ATV1] How would you rate this season for you so far?

[Jimmie_Johnson] I would say it is a 6 or 7 on a 1-to-10 scale. This win has definitely made the team forget about the hard times we have had lately. Our ontrack performances on the track have been really strong, but the Herzog team and I have had a lot of uncharacteristic luck.

We have the last half of the year here to help bring it up to a 10. We just want to be competitive here on out for the rest of the year. We don't have a magic number of wins to reach a 10, but we want to be more consistent each week and more wins will come from that. We would also like to be in the top-5 in points.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [HArold] Are you concerned about adding a fourth team and how that will affect the R&D program at Hendrick?

[Jimmie_Johnson] No, I am not concerned. Rick Hendrick and his operation gives 100 percent to all 3 Cup teams now, and all the other teams. I don't feel that adding another car there will hurt any other teams or the team I will be driving for.

I feel like I am in a real neat situation where I will be in the same equipment as Jeff Gordon, and Robbie Loomis and those guys have a conventional setup that has been successful for them. The other two teams are real creative and trying to push technology to new levels and when they get it right, they are really, really fast. The No. 24 team is more conservative and to be a rookie, I am excited to be a little more on the conservative side.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [Cam37] What are your weak and strong points on the racetrack?

[Jimmie_Johnson] I think that restarts is the area that I am pretty good at as a strong point. The weak point would be not understanding the line that I need to run until race time. I am learning that more and more you have to arch the car in a lot more than your eyes tell you. I am trying to arch in my entrance into the corner more and it helps the turn come together easier and faster.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [LukeR] Have you tested the Cup car outside of Kentucky?

[Jimmie_Johnson] No. The way the testing rules are with NASCAR, I probably wont test again until we start testing for the Charlotte race, unless the engineers at Hendrick come up with something else they want to test at Kentucky.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [Dalejr8fan] What was everyone's feelings on Dale Jr. winning Daytona?

[Jimmie_Johnson] I was really happy for him and the entire DEI team. Everyone ran good there from DEI and I think it was the medicine those guys needed, especially Jr. We don't have any idea what he was going through, and him winning and getting back into the rhythm he had before will help, and I am really happy for him.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [MG24] I was at Hendrick's today and saw your new shop. It is beautiful. Will it be as open as Jeff's is now so we can come in and see the cars without a window in the way?

[Jimmie_Johnson] It will be different. The shop is so much larger and we have so many rooms to assemble parts and pieces for the new cars, so you wont see as much, but they have made it really neat to have a fan viewing area. It will be like you are at the fence watching the cars go by. I was there today myself and it is going to be a really nice viewing area for the fans. They want to make sure you fans are happy and they are working hard on it.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [Icewoman] Who do you hang around most while around the track and what do you do in your free time?

[Jimmie_Johnson] Free time during the week I try to keep up with the guys at the shop for the Busch team and then hang around Hendrick and work with my guys there. I try to enjoy the lake here in Mooresville. I hang out with some of my family and my brothers and a couple of close friends like Blaise Alexander, P.J. Jones, Ricky Hendrick, and a handful of other racers in this area. Our schedules all seem to work out the same so we hang out and have a good time.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [Gordon24] Have you talked to Jeff about the troubles he has had the last two races? What is your view on this?

[Jimmie_Johnson] Not directly, but he pretty much speaks his mind in interviews, and I know he felt like he had the car to win in Chicago. Everyone is trying to put out the fastest motors and the best bodies and everyone there is disappointed to have mechanical problems, but it is only because they are trying hard to beat everyone else. They made a joke to me today that if they ran 11 less laps in Happy Hour, they would have made it to the end!

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [gordonsgirl2424] Are you still on an emotional high after your win last weekend?

[Jimmie_Johnson] Definitely. It will continue through the weekend until the next race starts and it is time to crown a new winner for that race. Hopefully we will be back in Victory Circle again and carry this on for one more week.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [stephanie] Other than driving, what would you say is your greatest contribution your team?

[Jimmie_Johnson] I would say maybe my personality. I have worked for many years on my own equipment and I understand the sacrifices those guys are making as well, like time away from home. I just try to make it as fun as possible. I am just trying to keep the morale up and help them enjoy what they are doing.

[Nascar_Host1] That's all the time Jimmie has for us this evening. Thanks Jimmie! What are your final thoughts?

[Jimmie_Johnson] Thanks to all you for your support. I didn't know how many Excedrin racing fans there were out there until we won that race. I am very appreciative of it. You guys are great.