Motorsports

Johnson still rules LMS but points race real test

By TIMES WIRES
Published May 22, 2006

CONCORD, N.C. - Winning yet another race at Lowe's Motor Speedway guarantees Jimmie Johnson absolutely nothing. He learned that the past three years, when his domination at his "home" track failed to win him a Nextel Cup championship.

This time, he hopes, will be different.

After winning the Nextel All-Star Challenge on Saturday night, his seventh victory at the 1.5-mile superspeedway since 2003, Johnson said this is the year he might finally break through and win a title.

"I believe so in my heart. I really do," he said, wearing a firesuit soaked in champagne. "I just feel like we have always been there, and as you all know, we always do so well until August and that is the big challenge for us this year, is to make sure we can keep that momentum."

In years past, Johnson has dominated the early and middle part of the season to put himself in contention for the title.

Those runs have included a mastery of Lowe's, the track at which the primary sponsor of his No.48 Chevrolet owns the naming rights. He made his Cup debut there in 2001 and two years later had established himself as the driver to beat.

Johnson has won the past four points races and three straight Coca-Cola 600s and now has his second $1-million All-Star victory.

But that has meant little in the closing months of the season, when his burned-out Hendrick Motorsports team limped to the finish. Johnson finished second in points in 2003 and 2004, then fell to fifth by wrecking in last year's finale.

Avoiding the same fate this year is his goal, and crew chief Chad Knaus thinks he and the driver are finally poised to pull it off.

"Although we have been in championship battles ... I don't know that we were ready as a team, nor was Jimmie ready as a driver to pull it all off," Knaus said. "Now I think our team has matured enough, and Jimmie has matured enough, to actually go out there and do it."

They'll take another step Sunday, when Johnson goes for his fourth straight Coca-Cola 600 win.

The bad news for the rest of the field? Knaus thinks the Chevy he's bringing to the track next week is even better than the one Johnson won with Saturday night.

Jeff Gordon knows his teammate will be very difficult to beat.

"He's just very comfortable here, and I think that Chad really pays attention to detail and they've had good race teams and fortune," he said. " ... You just can't ever count him out, no matter what happens to him throughout the race."

Saturday, Johnson was caught speeding on pit road during the first segment, and narrowly missed going a lap down. He fell to 11th, but worked his way back up and stayed out of harm's way when leaders Kasey Kahne and Mark Martin wrecked, triggering a six-car accident in the final segment.

[Last modified May 22, 2006, 01:05:14]