#48 Team Past News and Rumors
NOTE: many of the links in the past news will be old and may not work
decided it was not worth the time to go thru each one on all the Team Past News pages
2007 News
Johnson tests for Rolex 24: On his way to Homestead-Miami Speedway to potentially claim his second consecutive Nextel Cup championship, #48-Jimmie Johnson stopped by Daytona International Speedway to spend the afternoon testing the #99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Pontiac Riley. Johnson climbed behind the wheel of the Daytona Prototype early Wednesday afternoon and ran two full stints in the 2007 Rolex Series Championship-winning machine, turning laps just off the pace of Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty. Gurney and Fogarty, of course, are coming off of a championship season in which they captured seven victories on the 14-race calendar. "This is the best thing I can do to get my mind off the championship," Johnson said. "I came down to have some fun in one of these DP cars. I really, really enjoy the Rolex Series. I've been at three (Rolex 24 At Daytona) events, and hopefully I will come back and run in it in 2008. I just want to get some seat time, get used to the car, and Bob Stallings and the GAINSCO group were nice enough to let me come down, work with them, get some seat time and get a feel for things. So I'm having a great time." The NASCAR champion has prior experience in a Daytona Prototype, running the #91 Riley-Matthews Motorsports machine at the Rolex 24 At Daytona and the Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona International Speedway this past season. Johnson also claimed a runner-up finish in the 2005 Rolex 24 At Daytona. "My last experience in a DP was coming from a Crawford to a Riley," Johnson explained. "They're much different cars. This year, going from one Riley to another, it's not a huge gap in how they drive. Some of the small changes they've made around the track, I found it was more me trying to remember the reference points, and finding new ones with the small, subtle changes that have gone on with the surface of the track."(Grandprix.com)(11-15-2007)
Johnson wins at Phoenix: #48-Jimmie Johnson won the Checker Auto Parts 500(k) at Phoenix International Raceway for his 4th race win in a row [last time a driver won four in a row, was Jeff Gordon in 1998], 10th win of the season, and 33rd of his career [which ties Fireball Roberts for 16th all time]. #16-Biffle finished 2nd, followed by #17-Kenseth, #20-Stewart, #12-Newman, #29-Harvick, #1-Truex Jr., #5-Busch, #31-Burton and #24-Gordon. Other Chasers finished: #07-Bowyer 11th, #2-Busch 12th, #11-Hamlin 16th and #99-Edwards led 87 laps, then developed engine problems and finished 42nd. The three former Indy 500 drivers finished as follows: #42-Montoya 17th; #06-Hornish 30th and #27-Villeneuve crashed and finsihed 41st. #8-Earnhardt Jr. wrecked hard and finished 43rd. There were 10 cautions for 41 laps and 6 drivers led the race with 10 lead changes.
Race Results on my Phoenix Race Results/Awards Page.
Points Standings on my Drivers/Owners Points after Phoenix page
Race Rundown: see my Phoenix Race Info/Rundown Page for my race rundown page, laps led, top 10, race notes, lucky dogs and more.(11-11-2007)
Johnson wins at Texas: #48-Jimmie Johnson won the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway for his 3rd race in a row, 9th win of the season, 1st ever at Texas and 32nd of his career. #17-Kenseth led late and lost the lead with 3 laps to go and finished 2nd, followed by #1-Truex Jr., #5-Busch [led most laps], #12-Newman, #31-Burton, #24-Gordon, #2-Busch, #26-McMurray and #29-Harvick. Other Chasers finished #20-Stewart 11th, #07-Bowyer had a late vibration and pitstops and finished 19th, #99-Edwards finished 26th after having a sway bar chain problem and #11-Hamlin was 29th after racing for the lead with Kenseth and smacking the wall. There were 12 cautions [ties a record] for 52 laps and 12 drivers led the race with 25 lead changes.
Race Results on my Texas Race Results/Awards Page.
Points Standings on my Drivers/Owners Points after Texas page
Race Rundown: see my Texas Race Info/Rundown Page for my race rundown page, laps led, top 10, race notes, lucky dogs and more.(11-4-2007)
Johnson Added to SPEED Performer of the Year Voting Panel: Defending Nextel Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, last year's inaugural winner of the SPEED Performer of the Year, has agreed to join the voting panel for the annual award beginning this year. Johnson, who edged MotoGP champion Nicky Hayden and F1 title winner Fernando Alonso to win last year's SPEED Performer of the Year, joins a panel that includes SPEED on-air personalities Bob Varsha, Dave Despain, Tommy Kendall, Ralph Sheheen and Dorsey Schroeder, as well as SPEEDtv.com columnists Robin Miller, Tom Jensen and others. SPEED will offer all future winners of the SPEED Performer of the Year the opportunity to join the voting panel. The 2007 SPEED Performer of the Year will be voted on beginning in November and announced as part of the annual SPEED Performance Awards in February, with the winner earning the famed Mario Andretti Trophy, a three-foot bronze sculpture created by artist Elie Hazak.(SPEEDtv.com)(10-29-2007)
Hendrick Motorsports Atlanta COT Test Plans: Although Casey Mears and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will test with their 2008 teams at Atlanta, they will not drive cars branded with their 2008 numbers. Mears, who will drive the #5 Chevy next season, will run his customary # 25 National Guard/GMAC paint scheme during the two-day session. Earnhardt, who is slated for the #88 Chevy in 2008, will test a #5 car at Atlanta. To commemorate his first laps with Hendrick Motorsports, Earnhardt will sport a "throwback" #5 All-Star Racing Chevy during next week's Atlanta test. Earnhardt's Impala SS will feature a red and white paint scheme identical to the first car campaigned by team owner Rick Hendrick in Cup-level competition. Then known as "All-Star Racing," Hendrick Motorsports fielded the car with driver Geoff Bodine in 1984. The #24 and #48 teams of Hendrick Motorsports will not attend next week's Atlanta test.(Hendrick PR)(10-27-2007)
Johnson wins at Atlanta: #48-Jimmie Johnson won the Pep Boys 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in a green-white-checker finish for his 8th win of the season, the 31st win of his career, and the sweep of this season's Atlanta races. #99-Edwards finished second, followed by #41-Sorenson, #17-Kenseth, #31-Burton, #07-Bowyer, #24-Gordon, #2-Busch, #9-Kahne, and #83-Vickers. #8-Earnhardt, Jr. lost a tire during the green-white-checker finish, collecting #26-McMurray and causing the race to end under caution. The race was slowed by 14 cautions for 55 laps. There were 11 leaders with 19 lead changes.
Race Results on my Atlanta Race Results/Awards Page.
Points Standings on my Drivers/Owners Points after Atlanta page.
Race Rundown: see my Atlanta Race Info/Rundown Page for my race rundown, laps led, top 10, race notes, lucky dogs and more.(10-28-2007)
Johnson to Donate Race Winnings to Red Cross: In response to the Southern California wildfires, #48Jimmie Johnson, Lowe’s, Hendrick Motorsports and Speedway Motorsports and Sonic Automotive Chairman Bruton Smith will each donate to the American Red Cross to support relief efforts for the California Wildfire Relief Fund this weekend to benefit people affected by the fires. Johnson, through the Jimmie Johnson Foundation, and Hendrick Motorsports will donate their winnings from Sunday’s Nextel Cup race at Atlanta to assist Red Cross relief efforts throughout Southern California. Lowe’s and Smith will each match those contributions dollar for dollar.(GMR/Hendrick PR)(10-27-2007)
Johnson to test at Kentucky next week UPDATE cancelled: Jimmie Johnson and his Hendrick Motorsports team are scheduled to test the #48 Lowe's Chevy at Kentucky Speedway Oct. 22. Fans can view testing for free from the designated area outside the speedway Fan Center in Turn 3. Test sessions generally begin at 9:00 a.m. and end at 5:00 p.m. Times will vary based on team goals and schedules.(Kentucky Speedway PR)(10-18-2007)
UPDATE: The Nextel Cup Series test scheduled for Jimmie Johnson at Kentucky Speedway today [Monday] has been cancelled. Johnson earned his series-leading seventh win of the season yesterday [Sunday] at Martinsville Speedway.(Kentucky Speedway PR)(10-22-2007)
Jimmie Johnson wins at Martinsville: #48-Jimmie Johnson won the Subway 500 at Martinsville Speedway in a green-white-checker finish for his 7th win of the season and 30th of his career win. It was also his 3rd consecutive win at Martinsville. #12-Newman finished second, followed by #24-Gordon, #5-Busch, #17-Kenseth, #11-Hamlin, #16-Biffle, #42-Montoya, #07-Bowyer, and #29-Harvick. #8-Earnhardt, Jr. lost an engine during the last caution and fell to 23rd at the finish. The race was slowed by a record 21 cautions for 127 laps. There were 7 leaders with 12 lead changes.
Race Results on my Martinsville Race Results/Awards Page.
Points Standings on my Drivers/Owners Points after Martinsville page.
Race Rundown: see my Martinsville Race Info/Rundown Page for my race rundown page, laps led, top 10, race notes, lucky dogs and more.(10-21-2007)
Former 49ers Owner Almost Bought Hendrick in 2004 UPDATE no: Former San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo told Sports Business Journal recently that he almost became a NASCAR owner in 2004. "We would have bought a NASCAR team if Reggie White hadn't died," DeBartolo said of the former NFL player. "The week he passed away we were going to sign the agreement with Hendrick Motorsports. After that, I just couldn't do it. I loved Reggie too much."(Roanoke Times)(10-14-2007)
AND and from a July article - Dale Earnhardt Inc. president Max Siegel told ESPN.com on Wednesday [in July] that three years ago he was prepared to partner with NFL Hall of Famers Reggie White and Ronnie Lott, as well as former San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartalo Jr., in purchasing MB2 Motorsports, which at the time fielded the #01 and #10 Chevrolets. The papers were drawn. All that was left was the official closing, which was slated for Jan. 15, 2005. But when White died suddenly on Dec. 26, 2004, and the deal died with him. Siegel said he and White originally had planned to partner with Rick Hendrick on a NASCAR Busch Series operation. Then the Hendrick Motorsports plane crash in October 2004 halted that initiative. A couple of months had passed, and Siegel said Hendrick contacted him about the program. Hendrick explained that in order for him to be involved, White and Siegel had to purchase a team with an existing Hendrick partnership. Enter MB2, whose engines were supplied by Hendrick. At the time, Valvoline was part-owner of MB2, as well. All the pieces were in place, then White passed away.(ESPN.com)(10-14-2007)
UPDATE 2: At the time in question, Mr. DeBartolo and Mr. White were in discussions with the former MB2 Motorsports team, and our involvement was limited solely to a potential technical support relationship. Hendrick Motorsports is not, and has never been, for sale.(HMS)(10-16-2007)
Hass Racing Quiet about 2008 Drivers: When it comes to who'll be in what Haas CNC Racing cars in 2008, nobody seems to know much of anything. Joe Custer, the team's general manager, plays his cards close to the vest. Very, very close. Johnny Sauter, driver of the organization's #70 entry, says that he doesn't have a clue what he'll be doing next year, but adds that he's been given permission to look elsewhere. Jeff Green, who steers its #66 Chevy, refuses altogether to comment on the situation. With Scott Riggs already signed for next year and two Haas cars available, there's considerable speculation as to which one he'll drive and whether it'll be Green or Sauter who's left out of the mix. Then again, names other than Riggs' [including Mayfield and Stremme] have been mentioned as joining the operation. If that happens, Green and Sauter would most likely both be gone. According to Custer, neither driver has a decided advantage at this stage of the game.(NASCAR.com)(10-14-2007)
More Stremme Buzz in the Garage: Hearing from many sources that #40 David Stremme is now the leading candidate for at least four teams. Options include third and fourth car situations (GEM?, Penske?, MWR?, Ganassi?) and Haas Racing where Johnny Sauter is expected to be replaced.(10-14-2007)
Gordon Says Penalties Get Teams' Attention: When NASCAR slapped the #24 and #48 Hendrick Motorsports teams with 100-point penalties for illegal aerodynamic modifications back in June at Infineon Raceway, the message was received loud and clear, according to Jeff Gordon. "I will be honest with you, right now, if we don't run as good as some other guys, it is because we are being conservative. We aren't pushing the limits because we know what the outcome can be," Gordon said at Kansas Speedway, site of Sunday's LifeLock 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup race. "We are making sure we go through inspection, we meet all the cold templates and every other thing that they have on the new car. We are doing everything we can to make sure that is the case going in to the race and that is the case coming out of the race. We might falter, too, but we are playing more on the conservative side, we might give up a few positions on the race track because of that, but we have been hit with it and we learned our lesson." Gordon said he thought that other teams would be erring to the side of caution, too, after seeing #99-Carl Edwards and the Roush Fenway Racing team spanked with a 25-point fine for being too in post-race inspection last Sunday at Dover. "We are playing it conservative, I would think that is going to be case with the #99 (Edwards) now," Gordon said.(SPEEDtv.com)(9-30-2007)
Levi Strauss, Johnson to end partnership? Levi Strauss has notified Hendrick Motorsports driver #48-Jimmie Johnson that it will not continue its personal services agreement with him beyond the 2007 Nextel Cup season, according to the SportsBusiness Journal. The company has been Johnson's official apparel sponsor since 2004. Last fall, it announced a three-year contract with Johnson that was to run through the 2009 season. A corporate official told the SportsBusiness Journal that it would be going in a different direction than being the official jeans of the team.(SceneDaily.com)(9-18-2007)
Johnson wins at Richmond: #48-Jimmie Johnson won the Chevy Rock and Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway for his 6th win in 2007 and 29th of his career, locking him into the lead of the drivers points at the start of the Chase. The race for the chase ended up with #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. losing an engine while running 3rd with 5 laps to go, finishing 30th, but it didn't matter as #2-Kurt Busch finished 9th and #29-Kevin Harvick finished 7th, so they easily clinched a spot in the Chase. Back to the race....#20-Stewart finished 2nd, followed by #6-Ragan [best career finish], #24-Gordon, #70-Sauter [his best career finish and 1st ever top-5], #11-Hamlin, #29-Harvick, #9-Kahne, #2-Busch and #18-Yeley. Other chase drivers finished: #07-Bowyer 12th; #17-Kenseth finished 14th; #1-Truex Jr. 15th; #31-Burton 18th; #5-Busch 20th; #99-Edwards 42nd/engine. There were 12 cautions for 71 laps and 11 drivers led the race with 17 lead changes.
Race Results on my Richmond Race Results/Awards Page.
Points Standings on my Drivers/Owners Points after Richmond page
Race Rundown: see my Richmond Race Info/Rundown Page for my race rundown page, laps led, top 10, race notes, lucky dogs and more.(9-8-2007)
Chevy Continues Partnership with Hendrick Motorsports: Chevrolet, the winningest nameplate in NASCAR, will continue its partnership with championship team Hendrick Motorsports in NASCAR competition in 2008 and beyond. In 23 years (1984-2006) of NASCAR competition, Hendrick Motorsports has garnered six Nextel Cup Series (formerly Winston Cup) championships, three Craftsman Truck Series titles and one Busch Series crown, making it one of stock-car racing's premier organizations. Rick Hendrick is the only team owner in NASCAR's modern era to earn more than 150 Cup Series victories and is currently at 160 Cup wins - all of them coming in Chevrolets. Hendrick Motorsports' win at the first "Car
of Tomorrow" race at Bristol earlier this year also earned Chevrolet its first Impala SS win and Chevy's 600th win in NASCAR Cup competition. The four full-time NASCAR Cup teams of Hendrick Motorsports slated to run in 2008 include four-time champion Jeff Gordon in the #24 DuPont Chevy; Jimmie Johnson in the #48 Lowe's Chevy; Casey Mears in the #5 Kellogg's/CARQUEST Chevy; and new addition Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who has only driven Chevrolets in his NASCAR career.(GM Racing PR)(9-7-2007)
Johnson to run at the race of champions again in Dec: Jimmie Johnson and Travis Pastrana have both confirmed their attendance for The Race of Champions at Wembley Stadium, UK, this December, which will see the London arena transformed into a tarmac race-track. The event is the only opportunity for the world’s motorsport heroes from many various disciplines to race in exactly the same cars and on a parallel-track. Jimmie Johnson is coming back as part of Team USA after missing out on last year’s event at the Stade de France in Paris, France due to an injury he sustained only days before the race. Despite his injury the 31-year-old was still there to cheer on team-mate and fellow American Pastrana.
Both drivers are confident they can make up for missing out on last year’s Nations Cup title as well having The Race of Champions 2007 individual title firmly in their sight. More info at raceofchampions.com.(Race of Champions PR)(9-4-2007)
Johnson wins at California: #48-Jimmie Johnson won the Sharp Aquos 500 at California Speedway for his fifth win of the year, which will guarantee him a top seed when the Chase starts in two weeks. #48-Johnson, #31-Burton, and #5-Busch are now locked into the Chase. #99-Edwards finished second, followed by #5-Busch, #31-Burton, #8-Earnhardt Jr., #1-Truex Jr., #17-Kenseth, #83-Vickers, #2-Busch, and #9-Kahne. Points leader #24-Gordon finished 22nd after getting caught in an accident. #8-Earnhardt, Jr's 5th place finish helped him gain 30 points on 12th place in the standings, but he still remains 128 out. There were 11 cautions for 43 laps and there were 16 leaders with 30 lead changes.
Race Results: on my California Race Results/Awards Page.
Points Standings: on my Drivers/Owners Points after California Page.
Race Rundown: see my California Race Info/Rundwon Page for my race rundwon page, laps led, top 10, race notes, lucky dogs and more.(9-2-2007)
Special Scheme for Johnson at Calif: Jimmie Johnson's #48 Lowe's Chevy will carry a special Jimmie Johnson Foundation/Habitat for Humanity paint scheme in the Sharp Aquos 500 at California Speedway on September 2nd. "We want to raise awareness for Habitat for Humanity and the foundation," said Johnson. "There will be lots of fans there and the race is nationally televised. We hope this might introduce fans to these charity organizations and create some interest. Lowe's was gracious enough to let us run this paint scheme on the Nextel Cup car so I really want to thank them for their support not only for this race but the entire week of events."(Lowe's Racing PR), see an image of the scheme on my #48 Team Schemes page.(8-27-2007)
Knaus returns to #48 team after 6 week suspension: #48 Lowe's Chevy driver Jimmie Johnson and the Nextel Cup Series travel to Michigan International Speedway this weekend for Sunday's 400-mile race. Johnson finished fifth and second in the last two races at Pocono and Watkins Glen. This weekend, Crew Chief Chad Knaus rejoins the team after a six-race absence. Johnson said, ""I have been proud of the team and what we have done without Chad. I think we have kept our pace up. But, we really look forward to having him back this week getting everything in line and getting ready for the Chase. I have to give our guys a lot of credit by staying focused throughout these six races."(GMR Marketing PR)(8-16-2007)
Hendrick re-signs with GM: Hendrick Motorsports has verbally agreed to a five-year contract with General Motors, keeping HMS in Chevrolets through 2012. "We're done," team owner Rick Hendrick said after Sunday's Nextel Cup race at Watkins Glen International. "We haven't signed it, but we've verbally agreed." GM is in the last year of all of its contracts with teams in the Nextel Cup series. Re-signing HMS was key, particularly with speculation that Joe Gibbs Racing may be leaving for Toyota. Richard Childress Racing and Dale Earnhardt Inc., GM's other top teams, remain in negotiations but are expected to re-sign. Two of the top three owners in Chevrolet expect Joe Gibbs Racing to move to Toyota in 2008. "I'd say they're gone," said Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick, who has agreed to a five-year deal with General Motors. Richard Childress Racing owner Richard Childress said there are enough signs to believe that JGR will make the jump, which he says will take Toyota to another level. "It's pretty well written in stone," he said on Sunday at Watkins Glen International. Childress is so convinced JGR will bolt that he questions whether the organization should be included in Thursday's key partners' meeting at GM's headquarters in Detroit. "No, I wouldn't feel comfortable with them there," he said. "If the [other Chevrolet] teams have a feeling they're going to be there, we're not going to discuss openly with them in a room things we normally would discuss openly. You're sitting there working on stuff for next year and you don't want them to take that and help out the competition."(ESPN.com)(8-13-2007)
Drivers Have Different Plans for Off Week: The last open weekend on the Nextel Cup schedule until Thanksgiving means different things to different drivers as they gear up for a stretch of 17 races without a break starting July 29 in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.
Jeff Gordon is going to pack up his family car for a short road trip with wife Ingrid and month-old daughter Ella Sofia. Jimmie Johnson and wife Chandra are flying to Europe. Kyle Petty is getting on a motorcycle to join his annual charity ride. Elliott Sadler is heading to the golf course. And several drivers will be driving, either in a Busch Series race in suburban St. Louis or, in Tony Stewart's case, at a time and place still to be determined.(Indianapolis Star)(7-17-2007)
Johnson's #48 Crew Wins Pit Crew Challenge in New Hampshire: Jimmie Johnson's over-the-wall crew claimed its second Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge win of the season by spending the least amount of time on pit road during Sunday's Nextel Cup event. The #48 Lowe's team visited New Hampshire International Speedway's pit lane for only 175.323 seconds and will be awarded $11,000 by Checkers/Rally's for winning the weekly competition. The #48 crew, out of the Hendrick Motorsports stable, consists of: Chris Anderson (jackman), Art Simmons (front-tire carrier), Mike Trower (front-tire changer), Ron Malec (rear-tire carrier), Tim Ladyga (rear-tire changer), Rich Gutierrez (gasman), Mike Knauer (catch can) and Sean Kerlin (eighth-man). The team's pit crew coach is Matt Clark.
Mark Martin's/Regan Smith's #01 crew leads the season-long Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge standings with four wins. An $111,150 prize will be presented to the pit crew team with the most wins at the completion of the 36-race Nextel Cup schedule.
To win the Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge, teams are required to finish on the lead lap while spending the least amount of time on pit road. Checkers/Rally's is in its third season as title sponsor for the Pit Crew Challenge. Checkers/Rally's is the Official Burger and Drive-Thru Restaurant of NASCAR, more info at checkers.com.(DMF Communications PR)(7-4-2007)
Hendrick Motorsports Wants Crew Chiefs back ASAP: Doug Duchardt, Hendrick Motorsports vice president of development, says the team didn't appeal NASCAR's penalties this week for two basic reasons: First, the teams of #24-Jeff Gordon and #48-Jimmie Johnson want their crew chiefs back in time to have momentum when the Chase For The Nextel Cup begins, and second, the group now understands what NASCAR views as the lack of a gray area on the car of tomorrow more clearly. Duchardt said the team considered both of these concepts when it decided not to appeal the penalties. "As we went through this, some things came more clear to us as far as what NASCAR's tolerance on their data was - it wasn't as clear to us before last Friday as it is now," Duchardt said Friday at New Hampshire. The primary reason, though, is the teams want to get this over with and get the regular crew chiefs back in place in time to develop some momentum heading into the Chase For The Nextel Cup.(SceneDaily.com)(6-30-2007)
Career start #200 at NHIS for Johnson: Sunday will mark #48-Jimmie Johnson's 200th start in Nextel Cup racing. Johnson's first race was at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Oct. 7, 2001. He started 15th and finished 39th. Since then he has gone on to win a championship as well as 27 races, giving him sole possession of 22nd place on the all-time victory list since 1949.(Lowes Racing PR)(6-29-2007)
Hendrick Motorsports will not appeal penalties to #24/#48, interim crew chiefs named: Car owner Rick Hendrick confirmed today that the sanctions levied by NASCAR on Tuesday against the #24 and #48 Nextel Cup Series teams will not be appealed by Hendrick Motorsports. "The penalties are excessive," Hendrick reiterated. "But we're not going to put time and resources into issuing an appeal. Instead, we will direct that energy into our internal processes to make sure we have full confidence that our cars will meet standards when presented for inspection each week. We've said from the beginning that this would be a learning process (with the Car of Tomorrow) and there would be a lot of give and take between NASCAR and the teams to figure it out. That doesn't seem to be the case now, and I don't think it's the right direction to go."
#24 car chief Jeff Meendering and #48 car chief Ron Malec have been named interim crew chiefs for their respective teams beginning with Sunday's Nextel Cup event at New Hampshire International Speedway. "In Jeff and Ron, we have two guys who know their teams inside and out," Hendrick said. "They both have been here a long time, they both know the pressures involved and they both have the full support of our entire organization. We don't expect to miss a beat."
Meendering, 30, began his Hendrick Motorsports career in October 1994 sweeping floors in the chassis shop as a 16-year-old high-school junior. He has since won 10 NASCAR championships as a member of the organization. From Grand Rapids, Mich., Meendering joined the #24 team in 2000 under crew chief Robbie Loomis, working as a setup specialist and mechanic before being promoted to car chief in September 2005.
A Franklin, Wis., native, Malec has a long history with driver Jimmie Johnson. The pair met more than a decade ago when Johnson was racing off-road trucks, and they later became roommates when both were involved in the American Speed Association. Malec and Johnson each moved to North Carolina in 1999 and again worked alongside one another in the NASCAR Busch Series before joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2001 as original members of the #48 team. Malec has been car chief for Johnson's entire Nextel Cup career.
The 32-year-old Malec, also the rear-tire carrier for the #48 team, will be supported on race day by veteran crew chief Lance McGrew. McGrew won the 2003 Busch Series championship and has posted victories in each of NASCAR's top three divisions. He is also familiar with Johnson after working as his Busch Series crew chief this season. Crew chiefs Steve Letarte and Chad Knaus will resume at-track duties for their respective teams at the Aug. 19 Nextel Cup Series event at Michigan International Speedway.(Hendrick Motorsports PR)(6-28-2007)
Crew Chief Knaus statement on Penalties and Interim Crew Chief: "It's definitely disappointing, but we have a very capable and committed team. For whatever reason, we seem to thrive on adversity. We've overcome challenges in the past and I know we'll get through this as well. I didn't feel like we were outside the box in Sonoma, but that's NASCAR's call and they made it. Ron [Malec] is the only car chief I've ever had on the #48 team. He knows the guys better than anyone and they all have a ton of respect for him and what he's accomplished. Ron has been our backbone from the beginning and he'll do a terrific job. It's not the way I wanted to see him get an opportunity, but he's ready and more than capable of getting it done. I'm grateful to have talented guys like Ron and Lance (McGrew) available. It just goes to show how deep this organization is."(Hendrick Motorsports PR)(6-28-2007)
#24, #48 Teams Penalized For Infractions At Infineon Raceway: NASCAR has issued penalties and fines to the #24 and #48 Hendrick Motorsports teams that compete in the Nextel Cup Series, as a result of rule infractions found this past weekend at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. Both cars – the #24 driven by Jeff Gordon and the #48 driven by Jimmie Johnson – were found to be in violation of Sections 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-Q (car, car parts, components and/or equipment used do not conform to NASCAR rules); 20-2.1E (parts or components of the car not previously approved by NASCAR that have been installed or modified to enhance aerodynamic performance will not be permitted); and 20-2H (fenders may not be cut or altered except for wheel or tire clearance which must be approved by the Series Director) of the 2007 NASCAR rule book. The violations were found during the initial inspection process last Friday. As a result, Gordon and Johnson have each been penalized 100 driver championship points. Their respective crew chiefs – Steve Letarte and Chad Knaus – have each been fined $100,000, suspended for the next six Nextel Cup Series events until Aug. 15, 2007 and placed on probation until Dec. 31, 2007. In addition, Rick Hendrick, owner of the #24, has been penalized 100 car owner championship points as has Gordon, who is the owner of the #48.(NASCAR PR)(6-26-2007)
Hendrick Motorsports Responds to Penalties: Car owner Rick Hendrick responded to NASCAR sanctions announced today involving the #24 and #48 Nextel Cup Series teams of Hendrick Motorsports. "We are disappointed in NASCAR's decision and feel the penalties are excessive," Hendrick said. "Right now, all of our options are being evaluated, including our personnel situation and a possible appeal to the National Stock Car Racing Commission. We'll take some time to decide on a direction and make an announcement regarding our plans for New Hampshire later in the week."(Hendrick Motorsports PR)(6-26-2007)
Hendrick preparing for crew chief suspensions: It looks like Chad Knaus and Steve Letarte are about to become teachers, in a hurry. Sources told me [captainthunderracing.com] late Monday, that the two Hendrick Motorsports crew chiefs and their crews will be working franticly to prepare for the possible suspensions stemming from the Infineon race. At last weekends road race in California, both teams race cars failed inspection and their drivers, #24 Jeff Gordon and #48 Jimmie Johnson, where forced to start from the back of the field. Over the next few days, the two crew chiefs will be working overtime with their crews and their new replacements [it doesn't say who they are] to prepare themselves for the possible passing of the baton this weekend in New Hampshire. Sources said Knaus is prepared to assist Letarte with preparations and the two are reviewing Knaus's notes from last year to get a strong handle on how to handle their potential impending absences from the race track. They are preparing to work the operation much the way they did last season when Knaus was suspended following a cheating infraction at the season opening Daytona 500. Johnson won the race in Knause's absence with fill in crew chief Darian Grubb sitting on the pit box in place of Knaus. Grubb parlayed that gig in to a full time gig as crew chief for the #25 of Casey Mears. When Knaus was suspended last year, they communicated via laptop and cell phone by housing Knaus in a hotel close to the track. Sources told me they will prepare much as they did last year and they will be sure to be ready for the worst. And, if they don't get suspended, they will be even better prepared for this weeks race in New Hampshire. Whoever replaces Knaus and Letarte has some big shoes to fill, and they better be prepared to be there for a while. Sources say the penalty could equal the one NASCAR handed out to Tony Eury Jr. just a few weeks ago.(captainthunderracing.com)(6-25-2007)
#24 and #48 pulled from practice, qualifying after failing inspection MORE: NASCAR officials announced that #24-Jeff Gordon [points leader] and #48- Jimmie Johnson [3rd in points] will not be allowed to practice or qualify Friday after their cars failed the initial morning inspection at Infineon Raceway. The front fenders on both the #24 Chevy of Gordon and the #48 Chevy of Johnson had front fenders that were too wide. The cars did not fit the template for a Car of Tomorrow entry. Both drivers will have to start at the rear of the field for Sunday's Toyota/Save Mart 300 event on the 2-mile Infineon road course. Gordon, the season points leader, won at Infineon one year ago. His five victories at Sonoma are the most among active drivers. "Both teams have the opportunity to repair their primary cars and resubmit them for inspection," NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said. "If they pass that inspection, they'll be allowed to practice on Saturday." Neither crew chief -- Steve Letarte for Gordon and Chad Knaus for Johnson -- has been suspended for this race. But additional penalties are likely for both drivers and crew chiefs next week. NASCAR officials have warned all teams that any violations involving the COT would results in severe punishment. The #8 Chevy team of driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. was penalized 100 points and crew chief Tony Eury Jr. was fined $100,000 when a pre-qualifying inspection at Darlington showed the brackets on the rear wing were modified out of regulation.(ESPN.com)(6-22-2007)
UPDATE: "I don't necessarily say they bent the rules," [Team Owner Rick] Hendrick said after a lengthy team meeting inside of Jeff Gordon's hauler. "They thought they were working inside of an area they thought they could. The fenders on the car are sitting out there in front of God and everybody. If you're going to try to do something to gain an advantage you wouldn't do it and roll it through inspection."
NASCAR officials said the front right fenders on both cars were flared out beyond the wheel well to create an advantage. Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president of competition, called it a blatant attempt to circumvent the rules. Based on what happened to crew chief Tony Eury Jr. and driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. when NASCAR discovered alterations to the rear-wing bracket at Darlington, the ensuing penalty will be substantial. Eury was suspended for six races and fined $100,000, and Earnhardt was docked 100 championship points. Hendrick, anticipating that or worse, already is pleading his case to NASCAR. "We'll have to see what the penalty is, but I don't think the penalty fits the crime in this case when you're talking about the top of a fender or the side of a fender," he said. "I don't see it as a situation where you had a certified part and it's been altered or anything like that." Hendrick said Gordon and Johnson already have been punished enough -- they're being forced to start at the rear of the field. The only driver to win at Infineon from the back was Ernie Irvan, who started at the rear after jumping the start in 1992. We want to play by the rules. I don't enjoy this. The guys don't enjoy this. I'm sure NASCAR doesn't enjoy this. This is a big penalty not being able to qualify and get a good starting spot and good pit spot," he said. "We're just hoping for a good finish. If these two cars finish in the top 10 tomorrow I'll be happy."(ESPN.com)(6-24-2007)
Johnson to be Featured on ESPN SportsCenter My Wish Series June 24-29: After a successful debut last year, ESPN SportsCenter’s “My Wish” series, which chronicles sports-themed wishes granted to children with life-threatening medical conditions, will be aired Sunday, June 24, through Friday, June 29. The five “My Wish” episodes will feature 2006 Nextel Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, all-pro quarterback Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints, a past NBA Finals most valuable player, a popular World Series slugger and an athlete TBD. Emmy Award-winning reporter Chris Connelly will again host. “My Wish” is presented by ESPN, in cooperation with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and The Walt Disney Company. As part of the series, ESPN will help grant sports-related wishes with leading sports stars to five children referred by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Each wish will then be the subject of one SportsCenter feature segment. The SportsCenter segment will feature the reason for the wish, interviews with the kids and their families, and a behind-the-scenes look at the wish fulfilled, including the interaction between the youngster and the athlete. Several ESPN multimedia platforms such as ESPN.com, ESPN The Magazine, and ESPN360.com will offer additional and complementary content related to the five wish-granting experiences. Team ESPN encompasses ESPN’s multi-faceted corporate outreach initiatives, including volunteerism, corporate giving and cause marketing, while utilizing its diverse media assets. Through Team ESPN, ESPN, its employees and its fans work together to make a difference more info at www.teamespn.com. The Disney VoluntEARS program provides opportunities for Disney employees to contribute their time and expertise towards making a positive impact in the communities they serve while furthering the traditions and ideals of The Walt Disney Company. For more information on Disney’s outreach efforts, please visit www.disneyhand.com.(ESPN PR)(6-21-2007)
Chevy unveils paint schemes to commemorate 50 Years of the '57 Chevy: One of the most recognizable cars in American motoring history reaches a notable milestone this year, a milestone which NASCAR, Chevy and Motorsports Authentics proudly celebrate. The 1957 Chevrolet, a car which turns 50 years old this year, will be commemorated at August 19’s 3M Performance 400 Nextel Cup race at Michigan International Speedway by at least 11 Team Chevy drivers. Unveiled by Jimmie Johnson at MIS today, a Monte Carlo SS race car featuring decals with cues from the iconic 1957 design is similar to the ones Johnson and other Team Chevy drivers will race during the August event. On August 18, ’57 Chevys along with many other historic vehicles will hit the streets during Metro Detroit’s Woodward Dream Cruise. That same weekend, Team Chevy Nextel Cup Series drivers #4-Ward Burton, #8-Dale Earnhardt, Jr., #24-Jeff Gordon, #48-Jimmie Johnson, #14-Sterling Marlin, #01-Mark Martin, #15-Paul Menard, #96-Tony Raines, #1-Martin Truex, Jr., #78-Kenny Wallace and #18-J.J. Yeley will take to the track at MIS with their cars wearing special ’57 Chevy paint schemes. To commemorate this special event, Motorsports Authentics will replicate their cars with die-cast models and offer apparel and novelty items related to the event.(GM Racing PR), see an image of the #48 Scheme on my #48 Team Schemes page.(6-16-2007)
#48 Crew Members donate uniforms to Benefit Benny's Museum: Lowe's, Hendrick Motorsports and the Jimmie Johnson Foundation announced today a special on-line auction of the #48 team's actual pit crew uniforms. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the Benny Parsons Museum. Crew Chief Chad Knaus along with the team's seven over-the-wall pit crew members said they agreed to donate the uniforms worn in NASCAR Nextel Cup races as a mark of respect for the late Parsons. Each uniform will be signed by the donating crew member as well as Johnson and Knaus. The over-the-wall crew members, include: jackman Chris Anderson, front tire carrier Art Simmons, front tire changer Mike Trower, rear tire carrier Ron Malec, rear tire changer Tim Ladyga, gas man Rich Gutierrez and catch can man Mike Knauer. The first chance to bid begins Fri. May 18. Each uniform will be posted separately in a series of 10-day auctions. The final uniform will be posted on Friday, July 6. For more information or to place your bid, visit www.ebay.com/jimmiejohnsonfoundation. Parsons died Jan. 16 from complications resulting from treatments for lung cancer. His wife Terri is currently raising funds for a museum in his honor at Rendezvous Ridge near North Wilkesboro, N.C. For more information on Benny Parsons visit BennyParsons.com.(GMR PR)(5-20-2007)
Kahne/Johnson to drive in Speed GT race at LMS: Woodhouse Performance announced that #9-Kasey Kahne will pilot the #13 Woodhouse Performance Dodge Viper Competition Coupe in the SPEED World Challenge series race at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
Kahne joins #48-Jimmie Johnson in the SCCA Pro-Racing GT Series race, which will take place following CTC's presentation of NEXTEL Cup qualifying Thursday night May 24. Woodhouse Performance has been competing in the SPEED World Challenge GT Series for the past four years with team owner Bob Woodhouse, 61, behind the wheel of the #13 Viper. Teammate to Kahne at Charlotte will be Woodhouse Performance driver Jeff Courtney, who pilots the #99 Kenda Tires/ProMPI Dodge Viper Competition Coupe.(Clear!Blue PR)(5-16-2007)
Dale Jr. leans toward Hendrick? UPDATE denied: The efforts to sign #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. to a NASCAR driving contract for 2008 and beyond has reached a critical point, and the top two teams on Earnhardt’s list are the Chevrolet teams owned by Richard Childress and Rick Hendrick, according to men familiar with the negotiations. Earnhardt today is leaning toward a deal with Hendrick [NOTE: where would Earnhardt go? HMS has four Cup teams and all three drivers signed for a couple more years, unless some sort of deal with Haas CNC Racing or Ginn Racing would be worked out], largely because of Hendrick’s very strong engine program, sources here said yesterday. Earnhardt and veteran crew chief Tony Eury Jr., his cousin and close confidante as well as the man who has led him to many of his 17 Cup victories, have talked with both the Hendrick and Childress camps in recent weeks about the positives and negatives each team owner would have to offer, sources said yesterday. And Eury will have a major voice in the decision, because Earnhardt’s primary goal now, at age 32, is to win a championship.(Winston Salem Journal)(5-9-2007)
UPDATE: Hendrick Motorsports General Manager Marshall Carlson told Sirius NASCAR Radio's Sirius Speedway Tuesday that his team is fully stocked with drivers for 2008 and beyond, and that he has not spoken with Dale Earnhardt, Jr., about the possibility of joining the Hendrick stable.(Sirius NASCAR Radio's Sirius Speedway)(5-9-2007)
Knaus Keeps it Together to Win Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Race at RIR: Chad Knaus, crew chief for the #88 Lowe’s Chevrolet, faced multiple obstacles during the Crown Royal Presents the Jim Stewart 400 at Richmond International Raceway. A rescheduling of the race from Saturday evening to Sunday afternoon due to rain was only the beginning of a tough day for Knaus as he
dealt with a loose car, hot breaks, air pressure and more. However Knaus kept a cool head while working on the multiple problems his
driver, Jimmie Johnson, radioed in, calling for the necessary adjustments during pit stops. Knaus’ communication with Johnson combined with quick and accurate assessments of the problems, lead the 2006 Nextel Cup Champion to the checkered flag, capturing the team’s fourth victory for the season. For his outstanding race day calls along with team leadership and direction, Chad Knaus was awarded the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Race. A panel of voters, including a member of the local media, Tony Eury Jr., Kenny Francis, Robbie Reiser and a Wypall Wipers representative were unanimous in selecting Knaus as the Crew Chief of the Race. As the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Race, Knaus received $1,000. Earning his second crew chief of the race award puts Knaus in the lead for overall standing with two wins. Larry Carter, Mike Ford, Robbie Reiser, Alan Gustafson, Chip Bolin, Ryan Pemberton, Donnie Wingo and Tony Eury Jr. each have one win. At the end of the season the crew chief with the most wins will receive $20,000 and be crowned Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Year. For more information on Wypall Wipers or the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief Challenge, visit www.Wypall.com.(Wypall PR)(5-8-2007)
Johnson wins at Richmond: #48-Jimmie Johnson won the Crown Royal Presents The Jim Stewart 400 at Richmond International Raceway for his 4th win of 2007 and 27th of his career. The race was scheduled to run Saturday night, but was rained out and run today, May 6th. Johnson beat teammate #5-Kyle Busch. The rest of the top-10 were: #11-Hamlin, #24-Gordon, #2-Busch [highest finishing Dodge], #12-Newman, #29-Harvick, #20-Stewart, #07-Bowyer and #17-Kenseth [highest finishing Ford]. #22-Blaney was the highest finishing Toyota at 11th. Another tought day for #9-Kahne, who wrecked late and finished 40th. Jeff Gordon's points lead increases to 211 over Johnson. #31-Jeff Burton, who started the race 2nd in points, finished last/43rd and dropped to 5th in the points standings. Hendrick Motorsports now has 7 wins in the 10 races this season and has won all four COT races. There were 14 cautions for 80 laps and 12 drivers lead the race with 24 lead changes.
Race Results on my Richmond Race Results/Awards Page.
Points Standings on my Drivers/Owners Points after Richmond page
Race Rundown: see my Richmond Race Info/Rundown Page for my race rundown page, laps led, top 10, race notes, lucky dogs and more.(5-6-2007)
Johnson helps builds Soap Box Derby Cars: As part of its ongoing commitment to families and children and in support of its sponsorship of the All-American Soap Box Derby (AASBD), the Levi Strauss Signature brand hosted a Soap Box Derby car-building workshop for local boys and girls on Thursday [4/12] at Gateway Park in Ft. Worth, Texas. #48-Jimmie Johnson was on hand to assist
underserved youth in building their cars and to share some of his racing expertise. The 2006 NASCAR champion is the national spokesperson for the Levi Strauss Signature brand, the title sponsor of the AASBD World Championship. Boys and girls ages 10 to 17 from Plano-area youth organizations constructed gravity-powered cars with the help of volunteers from the Plano Soap Box Derby chapter, which is in its inaugural year. Throughout the afternoon, Johnson was hands-on in helping each child assemble his / her car and, as a seasoned racing veteran, offered encouraging words to the new Soap Box Derby participants. The Levi Strauss Signature brand partnered with the AASBD to donate car kits to the children, giving them the opportunity to compete in the inaugural Plano Soap Box Derby, which takes place on Saturday, June 2. The 70th AASBD World Championship is scheduled to take place on July 21, 2007, with more than 500 race participants representing more than 40 states and five countries (Japan, Germany, New Zealand, Guam and the Philippines).(Taylor PR)(4-13-2007)
#48 team helmets stolen: Around 7:00pm/et on Sunday [April 1] evening, Martinsville Speedway track security radio announced for everyone to be on the lookout for helmets that belonged to the Nextel Cup Series #48 team. They were stolen from the infield pit area while the Goody's Cool Orange 500 race winner, Jimmie Johnson and crew were in victory circle celebrating.(Insiderracingnews.com)(4-2-2007)
Johnson wins at Martinsville: #48-Jimmie Johnson won the Goody's Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville Speedway for his 3rd [in 6 races] win of the 2007 season and 26th career win. Johnson and teammate #24-Jeff Gordon fought the last five laps, beating and banging the final lap, with Johnson winning by a few feet. Finishing third was #11-Hamlin, #5-Busch, #8-Earnhardt Jr., #31-Burton, #20-Stewart, #10-Riggs, #26-McMurray and #17-Kenseth. #24-Gordon maintains the points lead by 28 pts over #31-Burton. There were 13 cautions for 93 laps and 9 drivers lead the race with 14 lead changes.
Race Results on my Bristol Race Results/Awards Page.
Points Standings on my Drivers/Owners Points after Bristol page
Race Rundown: see my Bristol Race Info/Rundown Page for my race rundown page, laps led, top 10, race notes, lucky dogs and more.(4-1-2007)
Johnson to open up Victory Junction Bowling Alley: Jimmie and Chandra Johnson and the Pettys will celebrate the Grand Opening of Jimmie Johnson's Victory Lanes at the Victory Junction Gang Camp in Randleman, NC on Thursday, March 29 from 2:00 - 4:00pm/et. More info about the camp at Victory Junction Gang Camp.(3-27-2007)
Johnson wins at Atlanta: #48-Jimmie Johnson won the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway for his 2nd win of the 2007 season, 25th career win and 2nd in a row. The win was also the 151st for Hendrick Motorsports. #20-Stewart finished 2nd, followed by #17-Kenseth, #31-Burton, #42-Montoya, #07-Bowyer, #99-Edwards, #1-Truex Jr., #41-Sorenson and #01-Martin. Pole sitter #12-Newman, after going to the rear at the start of the race, never ran up front and finished 23rd, down 1 lap. #8-Earnhardt Jr finished 14th; #9-Kahne crashed late in the race and finished 39th and is now 36th in drivers points. #01-Martin has an 8 point lead over #24-Jeff Gordon after 4 races. There were 6 cautions for 27 laps and 13 drivers lead the race with 31 lead changes.
Race Results on my Atlanta Race Results/Awards Page.
Points Standings on my Drivers/Owners Points after Atlanta page
Race Rundown: see my Atlanta Race Info/Rundown Page for my race rundown page, laps led, top 10, race notes, lucky dogs and more.(3-18-2007)
Hendrick going for 200th NASCAR win: Car owner Rick Hendrick now has 199 combined NASCAR victories: 151 at the NEXTEL Cup level, 23 in the Busch Series and 25 in the Craftsman Truck Series. The total includes a 1983 Busch Series win by the late Dale Earnhardt at Lowe's Motor Speedway in a car co-owned by Hendrick and Robert Gee.(HMS PR)(3-22-2007)
Johnson's win at Vegas #150 for Hendrick Motorsports: #48-Jimmie Johnson's performance Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway marked the 150th points-paying Nextel Cup Series victory since 1984 for team owner Rick Hendrick. Each Hendrick win has come in a Chevrolet race car. Hendrick Motorsports 150th Cup Series win came in its 736th points-paying event (1984-present). That's an average of one victory every 4.906 races. Hendrick Motorsports' 150 Cup victories have been amassed by 12 different drivers: Jeff Gordon (75), Jimmie Johnson (24), Terry Labonte (12), Tim Richmond (9), Darrell Waltrip (9), Geoff Bodine (7), Ricky Rudd (4), Ken Schrader (4), Kyle Busch (3), Jerry Nadeau (1), Joe Nemechek (1) and Brian Vickers (1). Hendrick's career total of 150 Cup wins is best among NASCAR's modern-era car owners (1972-present). Second on the list is Jack Roush with 96 victories. Petty Enterprises is first all-time with 268 first-place finishes in Cup competition. Hendrick is second all-time. Hendrick Motorsports' first Cup victory came April 29, 1984 at Martinsville, Va., with driver Geoff Bodine [in the #5]. Jeff Gordon notched the organization's 50th on March 24, 1996 at Darlington, and its 100th on June 10, 2001 at MIchigan. Jimmie Johnson posted win No. 150 Sunday at Las Vegas. Car owner Rick Hendrick now has 198 combined NASCAR victories: 150 at the Cup level, 23 in the Busch Series and 25 in the Craftsman Truck Series. The total includes a 1983 Busch Series win by the late Dale Earnhardt at Lowe's Motor Speedway in a car co-owned by Hendrick and Robert Gee. Hendrick Motorsports has earned six NEXTEL Cup championships, giving the organization more titles since 1995 than any other team in major American professional sports. With four World Series rings, the New York Yankees are second during that span, followed by the New England Patriots, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Red Wings, who each have three championships in their respective sports (1995-present). With Johnson's win, Hendrick Motorsports has now earned at least one Cup Series victory in 22 consecutive seasons (1986-present). Rick Hendrick was not able to attend Sunday's NEXTEL Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He was at Disney World in Orlando, Fla., for an event honoring high achievers at Hendrick Automotive Group car dealerships. Hendrick is the chairman of Hendrick Automotive Group.(Hendrick Motorsports PR)(3-16-2007)
Johnson's 2nd tire getaway..why no penalty? been asked, here is the best answer I have seen.....as usual, penalties are the descretion of NASCAR and most are a judgement call....
Q from fan: Why wasn't Jimmie Johnson penalized on the last pit stop when his tire went out of his pits and the official stopped it? The official should not be allowed to do that, and if he does, it should be an automatic penalty! Could you please explain this?
Jeff Hammond/FoxSports: A NASCAR official is there to referee and give assistance in the spirit of safety. For example, a tire crossing pit road is not in the best interest of NASCAR or anybody on pit road if an official can knock it down. What I believed and perceived at the time was the official saw the crew member trip and inadvertently release the tire while making an effort to carry the tire over pit wall. When the No. 48 team was penalized during the fifth caution, nobody on the team made an effort to catch the tire, and a NASCAR official wasn't close to it. In that first instance, the car clearly had left the pit before they had gotten control of it. It's a judgment call, and it's easy for us to go back because we have instant replay. The officials on pit road do not have replays, and the officials in the tower are reluctant to make calls based off of replays if they aren't able to see the entire circumstance. While some people may think the #48 team got by with one, I have a hard time criticizing what happened because we do not need that tire on pit road. NASCAR officials aren't biased, and they have saved more than just Jimmie Johnson's tires from rolling onto pit road. The officials are there to promote safety as much as anything else. If they can intervene and prevent something from happening, they won't worry about penalties or any other kinds of ramifications after the fact.(3-13-2007)
Johnson to Drive Cadillac CTS-V in Charlotte SPEED GT Race: #48-Jimmie Johnson will drive Team Cadillac's #16 CTS- V in the SCCA SPEED World Challenge GT race at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Thursday night, May 24, 2007. The 50-minute race, the fourth round of the 10-race SPEED GT series, will take place on the track's 1.5-mile banked oval with modifications to introduce road
racing elements to the course. The SPEED GT race will follow NASCAR Nextel Cup qualifying for the Coca-Cola 600. Johnson is one of America's most versatile racers. He's race motorcycles, off-road trucks, ASA stock cars, and Daytona Prototypes. Johnson is scheduled to participate in a one-day SCCA Pro Racing test at Lowe's Motor Speedway on March 19 before making his SPEED GT debut in May. The Cadillac CTS- V race cars that compete in the SPEED GT championship are based on the production Cadillac CTS- V performance luxury sedan.(GM Racing PR)(3-9-2007)
Johnson to run USO/Power of Pride scheme in the Coke 600: #48-Jimmie Johnson and Lowe's will run a special paint scheme on the #48 Chevy in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in a special celebration of America's military personnel. The #48 will honor the United Service Organizations, Inc. (USO) featuring the "Power of Pride", also in the program are Nextel Cup drivers #01-Martin, #24-Gordon, #11-Hamlin, #4-Burton and #21-Wood, see an image of the scheme on my #48 Team Schemes page.(3-7-2007)
Kobalt Tools To Sponsor Johnson in Cup, Busch Races: Kobalt Tools will sponsor the #48 Lowe's Chevy in two of Jimmie Johnson's Nextel Cup Series races as well as all three of his Busch Series races in 2007. Kobalt Tools will also be the title sponsor for the March 18 race at Atlanta Motor Speedway now called the Kobalt Tools 500. The Kobalt Tools paint scheme will appear on Johnson's #48 Nextel Cup car at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 18 and at Texas Motor Speedway on Nov. 4. Johnson will race the Kobalt Tools paint scheme in Busch Series races at Lowe's Motor Speedway on May 26 and Oct. 12 as well as California Speedway on Sept. 1. Kobalt Tools is an industry frontrunner in hand tools, mechanics' tools, tool accessories and just recently introduced the Portable CO2 Regulator which is a portable CO2 tank that connects to any standard pneumatic device for power and strength on-the-go.(GMR Marketing/Lowes Racing PR)(3-5-2007)
Johnson's All-Star Win Painting Unveiled: As part of the annual NASCAR Pre-Season Media tour the original painting
depicting Jimmie Johnson's/Hendrick Motorsports' victory in the Nextel All-Star Challenge was unveiled. The unveiling was part of the press conference with Nextel, NASCAR and Lowe's Motor Speedway executives announcing plans for the 2007 All-Star race. There will be 500 limited edition prints and 50 artist's proof prints published. All will be autographed (Hand signed) by winning driver and 2007
Nextel Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson. For additional information contact Garry Hill Automotive Fine Art, Inc. at
1-800-847-0043 or online at www.garryhill.com.(2-7-2007)
Johnson meets with President Bush: Nextel Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson was honored today in Washington, D.C. for his 2006 championship. The day began with an Oval Office meeting with President George W. Bush, who congratulated Johnson on his victory. Joining Johnson was team owner Rick Hendrick, Lowes Corporation CEO Robert Niblock, NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France and NASCAR president Mike Helton. Following the White House visit the group made its way up Pennsylvania Ave to the Capitol where they were greeted by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. After that meeting, Johnson and the group made their way across the Capitol for a Senate reception led by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). Also attending the meeting to congratulate Johnson was Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Seanator Jon Kyl (R-AZ), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Bob Casey (D-PA).(NASCAR Media)(2-6-2007)
Johnson Honored in San Diego: #48-Jimmie Johnson was at the Hall of Champions in Balboa Park yesterday morning to be honored by city, county and state officials as well as the Hall, which has selected the El Cajon native San Diego's Pro Athlete of the Year. His appearance drew an overflow crowd. Although he now lives in North Carolina near the hub of his sport, Johnson said he still has strong ties to San Diego – ties he wants to strengthen. Johnson said the charitable foundation he runs with his wife, Chandra, is looking to undertake a project in San Diego County.(San Diego Union Tribune)(2-1-2007)
Johnson wins award: Nextel Cup champion #48-Jimmie Johnson was named the 2006 Richard Petty Driver of the Year by the National Motorsports Press Association. Johnson, who also won the award in 2004, was named on 28 of 72 ballots cast. The Hendrick Motorsports driver edged Richard Childress Racing's Kevin Harvick, who received 22 first-place votes. Others receiving votes were Evernham Motorsports' Kasey Kahne, Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart, Roush Racing's Mark Martin and RCR's Jeff Burton.(SceneDaily.com)(1-22-2007)
Johnson's wrist ok to test at Daytona: From a GM PR at Daytona Preseason Testing:
Q) The Burning Question Is How Is Your Wrist Doing And How Are You Feeling? JJ) "My wrist is good. I'm going to wear a splint in the car just to be smart and to be sure, but the cast is off and the hand is working and everything is good. The timing was perfect. I got the off-season to heal up and I'm ready for Daytona."
Are You In Any Pain? "No. The pain quit - I'd say the first couple of weeks into it the pain was there, but after that, the pain was gone."
How Much Driving Have You Done Since Then? "I was down in the islands and they have these crazy little cars that we raced around the islands in and I did a lot of driving there, so this (the test) is my first time back in a race car."
Will This Affect You In The Daytona 500? "No, not at all. It won't affect the 500. I'm going to be able to race in the 24 Hours of Daytona coming up here real soon and so it's just something that kind of slowed me down over the off-season. I had a cast on my hand and it kind of kept me on the sidelines watching my wife swim and being on vacation and watching my friends do all these fun things and I had to sit around and watch. But, beyond that, everything is good."
How's Your Pain Threshold? Would You Tell Us If It Hurt Or Would You Try To Not Show It? "Well, it's been almost five weeks. So it's been a long time. The cast is off. I was at the doctor's on Friday and the x-rays look good so everything is in great shape and I'm ready to go."
How Much Of This Test Session Is To Test The Car And How Much Is It To Test Your Wrist? "None. My wrist is running it's course. We're down here just doing single car testing - three laps at a time basically. I'm just trying to focus on the car. My hand is working. I'm fine. I'll put a splint on it to drive the car just to be smart and to be safe with it. But beyond that, I'm scheduled to run the 24 Hours of Daytona and then the Vegas test and I'm right back in the middle of things."(GM PR)(1-8-2007)
No Crew Changes at the #48, but new spotter UPDATE: hearing that the #48 Lowe's / Hendrick Motorsports Chevy team and driver Jimmie Johnson expect no changes to the over-the-wall championship team when Nextel Cup testing begins next week in Daytona with the exception of spotter Earl Barban who is no longer with the team [no idea what team he is going to]. Crew Chief Chad Knuas is reviewing resumes for a new spotter.(1-4-2007)
UPDATE: hearing Barban will be #38-David Gilliland's spotter in 2007.(XM Radio)(1-5-2007)
New Driver for Hendrick Motorsports? Landon Cassill UPDATE: The Gazette [of Cedar Rapids Iowa] is reporting: Landon Cassill, a 17-year-old senior at Cedar Rapids Jefferson High School, has signed a contract to drive for NASCAR's Hendrick Motorsports, he told The Gazette today [1/2/2007]. Cassill joins a powerhouse race team that includes Nextel Cup champions #48-Jimmie Johnson and #24-Jeff Gordon, as well as #5-Kyle Busch [and #25-Casey Mears]. "I feel really, really honored to be part of this organization," Cassill said. "I'm honored to be in such an elite group." it says to "See more of this story in Wednesday's Gazette."(The Gazette)
AND Landon will move to North Carolina in March to begin working full time for Hendrick Motorsports.(kcrg.com), of note: Cassill can't drive in the NASCAR Cup, Busch or Truck series until he is 18 [July 7th] and since Hendrick Motorsports has four team in Nextel Cup [the limit], it won't be a full-time Nextel Cup ride, look for this to be a development program of some sort [ARCA, Trucks, Busch], also Cassill was part of the GM Racing Development Driver Evaluation program and made it to the final stages.(1-3-2007)
MORE: Landon Cassill — most recently an ASA racer who surged from 30th to fourth in the October race at Iowa Speedway — will graduate high school in February and journey to Hendrick headquarters March 1, his father said. Roger Cassill said Landon has already tested cars for Hendrick, and his future role with the team will include more of that while he’s groomed as a developmental driver. Cassill said his son may test Gordon’s “Car of Tomorrow” next week. “Hendrick was really good about coming in and saying they think he’s got the talent and they are more interested in developing him rather than making a bunch of promises,” Cassill said. “If he’s not ready he’s not going to race. As soon as he’s ready, he’s going to race.”(Des Moines Register)(1-3-2007)
UPDATE: Cassill will take part in two tests - one this month - while continuing to build a base of knowledge and experience.
Hendrick Motorsports spokesman Jesse Essex said Cassill is the only driver with the organization other than defending Cup champion Johnson, four-time series champ Gordon, Busch and Mears. Cassill's progress toward a possible behind-the-wheel NASCAR career will be measured in baby steps. "Right now we're solely focused on seat time," Essex said.(Des Moines Register)(1-5-2007)
2006 News
Johnson to be awarded timepiece: Swiss watch brand Tissot has been chosen as the sole watch provider for the Driver of the Year Award, one of the most prestigious and highly anticipated awards in all of motorsports. Tissot will award this year’s recipient, 2006 Nextel Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson, with a unique 18-carat gold Tissot Sculpture mechanical power reserve timepiece at the annual banquet held at the Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega, AL, in April.(fibre2fashion.com)(12-22-2006)
Sweden's Ekstrom wins Race of Champions in Paris: Mattias Ekstrom of Sweden beat three-time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb of France to win the Race of Champions at Stade de France on Saturday. Loeb raced for the first time since breaking his arm in September and reached the final for the third straight year. He won last year and lost to Finland's Heikki Kovalainen in 2004.
Ekstrom downed Citroen driver Loeb 2-0 in a best-of-three legs final after overcoming Formula One's Heikki Kovalainen and three-time Champ Car champion Sebastien Bourdais in earlier heats. The Race of Champions, a yearly event since 1988, features 16 drivers from various motor racing disciplines. It was held on a custom-built 0.7-mile figure-of-eight asphalt track with a crossover bridge.(ESPN.com/AP)
AND NASCAR Jimmie Johnson was scheduled to run for Team USA but. Johnson broke his left wrist last week while participating in a charity golf tournament in Florida. Formula One driver Scott Speed injured his left wrist Thursday in a testing accident at Jerez, Spain and had to withdraw. It was too late to find another dirver so X-Games star Travis Pastrana was forced into one-man duty for Team USA and finished. Kovalainen and Gronholm defeated North American Rally champion Travis Pastrana in the final of the nations cup.(12-19-2006)
Johnson Fractures Wrist; Will Miss Race of Champions: UPDATE 5: Scott Speed Injured & Out: Hendrick Motorsports driver #48-Jimmie Johnson sustained a fracture to his left wrist Friday, but the injury is not expected to affect his status for NASCAR preseason testing or the Feb. 18 Daytona 500. Johnson has withdrawn from the Dec. 16 Race of Champions Nations Cup at the Stade de France in Paris, but will attend the event to consult with Team USA. Doctors treating Johnson in Charlotte noted the 2006 NEXTEL Cup Series champion could be cleared to drive a race car in four weeks. The injury occurred as Johnson participated in a charity golf outing in Lecanto, Fla.(Hendrick Motorsports PR/ESPN.com)(12-10-2006)
UPDATE: The Citrus County Chronicle reported that Johnson was laying on the roof of the cart when he fell.(Associated Press)(12-11-2006)
UPDATE 2: Jimmie Johnson was "horsing around" on top of a moving golf cart when he fell off and broke his left wrist, his team told The Associated Press on Monday. The version clarifies what happened during the celebrity tournament in Lecanto, Fla., one day after the initial account from Hendrick Motorsports implied that the Nextel Cup champion had fallen out of the cart. Although Hendrick officials gave no details of the accident, Johnson released a statement that said he was "in" the cart when he fell out. "I was in a golf cart and the driver took a sharp turn," Johnson said Sunday. "I wasn't holding on tight enough, landed awkwardly on the ground and heard a little pop." That account differed from one in Monday's edition of The Citrus County (Fla.) Chronicle, which had a reporter at the Black Diamond Ranch who witnessed Johnson horsing around during the Mike Hampton Pitching In Celebrity tournament. The newspaper said Johnson was sprawled across the top of the cart Friday as it headed toward the 16th hole when his playing partner hit a berm, throwing Johnson several feet. Johnson was unavailable for comment Monday, but a spokeswoman for the driver confirmed he was on top of the cart when The AP asked for clarification.(Associated Press)(12-11-2006)
UPDATE 3: Hearing that American Formula 1 driver Scott Speed will replace Johnson in the Race of Champions Nations Cup this weekend at the Stade de France in Paris. Johnson will still attend as a spectator.(12-12-2006)
UPDATE 4: Scott Speed, the only American driver in Formula One, was tabbed Wednesday to replace NASCAR star Jimmie Johnson on Team USA's entry in the Race of Champions Nations Cup in Paris.(AP/ESPN)(12-13-2006)
UPDATE 5: Formula One driver Scott Speed injured his left wrist Thursday in a testing accident at Jerez, Spain, making him the second American driver in a week to withdraw from the Race of Champions Nations Cup due to injury. Indy Racing League driver Marco Andretti, who was also testing at Jerez, was greatly interested in taking Speed's place, but team conflicts prevented it, Hancock said. As a result, X-Games star Travis Pastrana is forced into unprecedented one-man duty for Team USA. The RoC consists of a pair of races -- one of which pits asphalt specialists against one another; the other dirt specialists. Pastrana will compete in both.(ESPN.com)(12-15-2006)
Edwards Comments on Johnson's Accident: For those who have criticized #48-Jimmie Johnson for fooling around and falling off a golf cart, #99-Carl Edwards says let's get real. "To be honest with you I´m a little disgusted with the media and some of their reactions to that. It´s pretty amazing. I tried to get Jimmie to go motorcycle riding with me about three weeks into the Chase and he´s like, Carl, I´m focused on winning this championship, I´m not taking any risks. I thought that said a lot about Jimmie´s focus and his ability to sacrifice. To me, if the dude wants to go ride around on golf carts...on top of them or underneath of them or skiing on a rope behind them, I mean he´s the champion, he won this thing, it´s his off season so he can do whatever he wants. I think it´s cool to think Jimmie Johnson was on top of a golf cart goofing around. I mean, you name a person in that garage area that hasn´t goofed around on a golf cart and I´ll give you a hundred dollars."(PRN's Garage Pass Radio Show)(12-14-2006)
Johnson up for Athlete of the Year..vote: The acknowledgments continue for 2006 Nextel Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson (#48 Lowe’s Chevy), who was honored during last week’s annual Champion’s Week festivities in New York City. Johnson, who drives for Hendrick Motorsports, is among the candidates listed for the 2006 United States Sports Academy Athlete of the Year presented by USATODAY.com and MSNBC.com. The ballot for male athletes includes South Korean speed skater Hyun-Soo Ahn, Ethiopian runner Kenenisa Bekele, Italian soccer star Fabio Cannavaro, Swiss tennis player Roger Federer, Johnson, golfers Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, swimming star Michael Phelps, the St. Louis Cardinals’ Albert Pujols, Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith and Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young. Voting, done online, began Dec. 1 and ends Dec. 25. An overall winner will be selected, along with male and female athletes of the year. Federer was the 2005 overall winner. Sports fans worldwide can vote online at athleteoftheyear.msnbc.com or www.ussa.edu.(NASCAR PR)(12-7-2006)
Lowe's To Sponsor Johnson In 2007 Daytona Rolex Races: Lowe's Companies, Inc. announced it will sponsor Nextel Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson in both Grand-Am Rolex Series races at Daytona International Speedway in 2007. Johnson will team with Riley-Matthews Motorsports for the Jan. 27 Rolex 24 At Daytona as well as the July 5 Brumos Porsche 250, both on the Daytona road course. Jim Matthews, Marc Goossens, and Ryan Hunter-Reay will serve as co-drivers in the #91 Pontiac Riley Daytona Prototype. The team begins testing on Jan. 4 at Daytona International Speedway in preparation for the 45th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The July race at Daytona is held the Thursday night before the Saturday Nextel Cup race. Johnson has competed two times in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. He finished second in 2005 and 28th in 2004 driving for Howard-Boss Motorsports.(GMR/Team Lowe's Racing PR)(12-6-2006)
Jimmie Johnson wins 2006 Driver of the Year Award: Although Jimmie Johnson needed an almost unprecedented comeback to win his first Nextel Cup series championship, he dominated the voting for the 2006 Driver of the Year. Johnson, a native Californian, won some of NASCAR's most prestigious races along with his title. He took the checkered flag at the Daytona 500, the Allstate 400, the spring race at Talladega and two other points events. After crashing, in the first of ten races in the Chase to the Cup, he came back from ninth in the standings to earn that precious piece of hardware not to mention a record $15.7 million in prizes and bonuses. "It's quite an honor to be Driver of the Year, it's great," exclaimed the 31-year old driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet for Hendricks Motorsports. "I know we've been close before," Johnson added "I'm excited to be Driver of the Year." In fact in Johnson's five seasons in the big leagues he's finished second, twice, and never lower than fifth. Johnson's championship season started in a rocky fashion when his crew chief, Chad Knaus, was excluded from the four opening events. Johnson and the team responded with two wins and no finish lower than sixth during that period. Barry Schmoyer, President of the Driver of the Year Foundation, noted "Johnson,
and his team's never-say-die attitude was a great example of how a team, in the face of stiff competition, prevails." Professionals, who voted - in a secret ballot - for a single driver, gave Johnson 11 votes out the 17 cast. Kevin Harvick, the Busch Series champion who also finished fourth in the Nextel Cup standings, scored two votes while Sebastien Bourdais (Champ Car), Sam Hornish, Jr. (IRL), Donny Schatz (World of Outlaws) and Tony Schumacher (NHRA) tallied one vote apiece. In its' 40th year, the Driver of the Year title is unique because it is the only award that encompasses all of the racing series in the United States. A panel of 18 leading journalists and broadcasters from across the U.S. are eligible to vote via a secret ballot. Johnson will receive a trophy, and a TISSOT wristwatch which will be presented on Thursday, April 26, 2007 at the International Motor Sports Hall of Fame in Talladega, Alabama.(DOTY PR)(12-6-2006)
Johnson named spokesperson: Elizabeth Arden announced that Jimmie Johnson, 2006 winner of the Nextel Cup Series and reigning champion of its premiere race, the Daytona 500, has signed on with the company as national spokesperson for the Daytona 500 Fragrance for Men.(Yahoo Biz)(11-30-2006)
Jimmie Johnson Foundation Hats Available: By popular demand, the Jimmie Johnson Foundation is making its apparel available to the public. Here is your chance to own a Jimmie Johnson Foundation hat just like the one Jimmie wears. It is a great way to show your support. These hats are available only through the foundation website, and the proceeds benefit the foundation. Visit www.jimmiejohnsonfoundation.org and click on the apparel button to place your order. First run quantities are limited, so place your order now. Additional apparel will be unveiled in 2007.(11-28-2006)
Johnson to run ROC in Paris: The organizers of the 2006 Race of Champions - Nations Cup, a unique and spectacular competition that opposes motor sport champions and superstars from across the world, are delighted to confirm the return of NASCAR superstar Jimmie Johnson and multiple X-Games Champ Travis Pastrana to spearhead the USA's bid to win the coveted Nations Cup.
Johnson, currently 2nd in Nascar's title Chase and winner of both this year's Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400, was a member of Team USA in 2002 that claimed America's first Nations Cup title in the Canary Islands with teammates Jeff Gordon and Colin Edwards. The 31-year old Californian will participate in his third ROC event (2002 and 2004) and return to the Stade de France in Paris on December 16. Other drivers that have committed to participate in the 2006 ROC event include Formula 1 stars Jenson Button, David Coulthard, Rally World Champions Sebastien Loeb, Marcus Gronholm and Colin McRae, Dakar Champion Stephane Peterhansel, World Touring Car Champion Andy Priaulx, DTM Champion Bernd Schneider, 7-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen, Champ Car Champion Sebastien Bourdais, etc. For more information on Race of Champions please visit www.raceofchampions.com.(11-27-2006)(ROC PR)
Johnson Finishes Season With Top Driver Rating: Not only did #48-Jimmie Johnson out-duel Matt Kenseth to win his first career Nextel Cup championship, he also finished the season with the highest Driver Rating. Driver Rating, part of NASCAR’s Loop Data statistics, uses a formula to rate a driver based on a number of factors including: wins, top-15 finishes, Average Running Position, Average Green-Flag Speed, Most Laps Led and Lead-Lap Finishes. The close championship battle was not only evident in the point standings, but also in Driver Rating. Johnson finished the season with a Driver Rating of 101.9, only a fraction of a point better than second-place Matt Kenseth who finished with a rating of 101.7. Johnson’s slim points lead over Kenseth is also illustrated in five other Loop Data categories. He leads Kenseth in Average Starting Position with 10.8 to Kenseth’s 14.6 and in Average Finish, 9.7 to Kenseth’s 9.8. Johnson’s Average Running Position of 10.8 was also better than Kenseth’s 11.5. Johnson also completed the Fastest Lap nearly 100 more times than Johnson this season. Johnson (1,952) also completed over 100 more Quality Passes than Kenseth (1,820).(NASCAR PR)(11-26-2006)
2006 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Champion - Jimmie Johnson
• Jimmie Johnson - 31 years old from El Cajon, Calif. – won the 2006 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup championship. He became the 28th driver to win the championship on NASCAR’s premier series, winning the championship by 56 points over Matt Kenseth.
• Johnson is the seventh different NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series champion in the last eight years. Only Tony Stewart (2002 and 2005) has repeated as series champion since 1998.
• His championship comes in his fifth full season of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series competition. Johnson’s
previous best season finish of second occurred in 2003 and 2004. He has finished in the top five in points in
all five of his full-time seasons.
• Johnson won five races in 2006 (Daytona, Las Vegas, Talladega, Indianapolis and second Martinsville). He
has 23 career victories in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series.
• Johnson also recorded one Bud Pole, 13 top-five finishes, 24 top-10 finishes this season.
• Johnson led the standings a four times for a total of 25 races in 2006, including the final three. Johnson took
the lead following Race #1 (Daytona) and held the lead for the first four races. He then dropped to third
for one race, retaking the point lead after Race 6 (Martinsville) for two races. He was second after Race No.
8 (Phoenix) but came back to take the lead for 16 races the next event. He dropped out of the lead following
Race #25 (California) but retook the lead following Race #34 (Texas).
• Johnson’s worst points position prior to the Chase was third following Race #5 (Bristol). He began the
Chase in the second position and dropped to ninth following a 39th-place finish in the first Chase race (New
Hampshire). Ranked eighth entering Charlotte, he posted three second-places finishes and one third to move
back into the points lead following Race #34 (Texas). Another second-place finish at Phoenix and a ninth
at Homestead secured his championship.
• Johnson’s point lead of 124 points over Matt Kenseth following Race #22 (Watkins Glen) was the
largest by any driver this season.
• Johnson has ranked in the top-10 in the championship point standings for 105 races, the sixth-longest streak
in the top-10 since the point system modification in 1975.
• Johnson won the season opening Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400. The winner of the Daytona 500 has
won the championship that season eight times. The winner of the Brickyard 400 has won the championship
that season six times, including four consecutive years (1998 through 2001) and the past two seasons.
• This is Jeff Gordon’s first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series championship in his fifth season as an owner.
Gordon co-owns the Lowe’s Chevrolet with Rick Hendrick, making this the sixth NASCAR NEXTEL
Cup owner championship for Hendrick Motorsports.
• This is the first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series title for Chad Knaus in his fifth full season as a crew chief,
all with Johnson and Hendrick Motorsports. Knaus is 35 years old and from Rockford, Ill.(NASCAR Statisical Services)(11-19-2006)
Championship Week in NYC: For the 26th consecutive year, the Nextel Cup Series Awards Ceremony is coming to the famed Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City. This year’s event is set for Friday night, Dec. 1 and, as always that will culminate a full week of activities for the Nextel Cup champion, and an entourage of other titlists – from the NASCAR Busch Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, the NASCAR Autozone Elite Divisions and the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series.
From a media standpoint, there are a variety of opportunities, starting with a third-year event that has quickly become perhaps THE highlight of NASCAR’s yearly week in Manhattan – Victory Lap, when the 10 drivers who competed in the Chase for the Nextel Cup jump behind the wheels of show cars and provide a colorful – and raucous – parade through Midtown.
This year’s Victory Lap is set for Wednesday, Nov. 29, starting at 8:30am/et in front of Good Morning America’s Time Square studios on 44th Street and Broadway. Victory Lap ends approximately a half-hour later at the ESPN Zone in Times Square, at 42nd and Broadway. Following will be a media availability session from 9:30-10:30pm/et with drivers.
Moving on…NASCAR’s annual luncheon for New York and Northeast media is again slated for the renowned 21 Club on Wednesday afternoon from 12:30-2:30pm/et
On Thursday, Nov. 30, the NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon will be held at Cipriani’s Restaurant, which for the first time will be a combination of two long-running previous events.
For a number of years, NASCAR held an annual press conference on Thursday afternoon of Champions Week, featuring the top-10 drivers and a “state of the sport” theme, while the NMPA (National Motorsports Press Association) had its annual Myers Brothers Breakfast on Friday morning, where a variety of year-end awards were presented.(NASCAR PR), any news, appearances will be posted on my 2006 Cup Awards Page.(11-17/19-2006)
Johnson re-ups with Levi Strauss: Jeans, Johnson a Perfect Fit: For Levi Strauss Signature jeans, Jimmie Johnson is the perfect fit. After three years of a successful partnership, the mass retail brand recently extended its sponsorship with the NASCAR driver and Hendrick Motorsports through the 2009 calendar year. As part of the three-year agreement, the Levi Strauss Signature brand will continue to be the official apparel sponsor of Johnson, as well as the official jeans of the #48 Hendrick Motorsports team. The Levi Strauss Signature brand will continue to feature the El Cajon, Calif., native in its national marketing and public relations programs.(Alan Taylor Communications PR)(10-30-2006)
Dodge and Chevy to change models in 2007? UPDATE Impala for Chevy in 2007 COT races: Beginning in 2007, Dodge and Chevrolet will campaign new models in Nextel Cup competition, Yahoo! Sports has learned. Dodge will run the Avenger, while Chevrolet will run the Impala SS, according to sources with some of NASCAR's manufacturers. The change also was indicated in a technical bulletin distributed to all teams last week. Both Dodge and Chevy soon will announce that they have been given approval by NASCAR to change to the new models, with Chevy's announcement possibly coming as soon as this week. According to the sources, the stock car version has been approved for use by Dodge teams for both the current Nextel Cup car as well as the Car of Tomorrow version, starting next season. The switch from Monte Carlo to Impala could signal the end of the Monte Carlo name from the Chevrolet lineup, as its rear-drive design [NOTE: the Monte Carlo is front wheel driven - verified at the chevrolet.com site] is used on its model alone and at the present time, no replacement is on the drawing boards at GM. However, unlike its Dodge counterpart, the Impala SS will only be used by Chevrolet teams for their Car of Tomorrow, according to sources. Manufacturers and NASCAR also are continuing to move forward with plans to change all of the models used in the Busch Series, perhaps as soon as the 2010 season. That change would put smaller, sportier models into competition, like the retro-designed Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger – as well as the Toyota Solara.(Yahoo Sports)(10-24-2006)
UPDATE: After a decades-long hiatus from stock car racing, Chevy's legendary Impala nameplate - enhanced with the SS performance designation - will once again compete in NASCAR's Nextel Cup Series (NNCS) in select races of the 2007 NASCAR season. Chevy's Car of Tomorrow entry, slated to make its first run at Bristol in March of 2007, will be an Impala SS and will share the NNCS schedule next season with the current Monte Carlo SS. The Car of Tomorrow will share both the 2007 and 2008 racing seasons with the current race car design until its first full season in 2009. The new car is scheduled to race at sixteen events in 2007, consisting of those at tracks less than a mile and a half in length, the road courses and the second Talladega race. In 2008, all races at tracks two miles or more in length are expected to feature the new design. Chevrolet introduced the Impala in 1957 as a 1958 model (50 years ago next year) and drivers immediately took to the big car, racing it first on the beach at Daytona, then at Daytona International Speedway in 1959. Redesigned that year, Bob Welborn scored a victory with the new model for the qualifying race of the 1959 Daytona 500 - the first 500 at the Speedway. Success continued for Impala with consecutive NASCAR championship titles in 1960 (Rex White) and again in 1961 (Ned Jarrett). In 1963, stock-car legend Junior Johnson ran 32 races of the 55-race schedule in the famous white #3 Impala owned by Ray Fox and collected seven wins, 12 top-fives, 13 top-tens and nine poles.(GM Racing PR), images of the 2007 #48 Lowe's Chevy Impala on the 2007 #48 Team Schemes page.(10-27-2006)
Johnson wins at Martinsville: #48-Jimmie Johnson won the Subway 500 at Martinsville Speedway for his 5th win of the 2006 season and 23rd of his career [tied for 21st overall with Ricky Rudd]. Johnson led the most laps with 245. #11-Denny Hamlin finished 2nd, followed by #43-Bobby Labonte, #20-Tony Stewart and #24-Jeff Gordon. Rounding out the top-10 were #42-Mears, #9-Kahne, #66-Green, #29-Harvick and #45-Petty. Points leader coming in to the race, #31-Jeff Burton, lost an engine and finished 42nd, falling to 5th in points. #17-Matt Kenseth finished 11th [the highest finishing Ford driver] and takes over the points lead, 36 points over #29-Harvick. The top-8 drivers in the points standings are separated by 99 points. #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a late race run-in with #9-Kasey Kahne spun and finished 22nd, Earnhardt Jr. took blame for the spin. There were 18 cautions for 107 laps and 5 drivers lead the race with 16 lead changes.
Race Results on my Martinsville Race Results/Awards Page.
Points Standings on my Drivers/Owners Points after Martinsville page
Race Rundown: see my Martinsville Race Info/Rundown Page for my race rundown page, laps led, top 10, race penalties, race notes, lucky dogs and more.(10-22-2006)
Johnson DID serve penalty: [since I am tired of answering this question] #48-Jimmie Johnson DID serve the pass-thru penalty after getting caught speeding on his final pit stop at Kansas Speedway. On Speed's Victory Lane it was mentioned Johnson had not served the penalty, no place else was it reported, it was reported on MRN coverage that Johnson did serve the penalty, Larry McRaynolds explains this at FoxSports.com: "There's no question that he served the penalty. It's the reason he finished 14th. The #48 car had a pretty good lead when he attempted to make his green-flag stop. Most of the cars running near the front — Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Carl Edwards — made pit stops as well. Those guys ended up finishing in front of Johnson because they did have to serve a pass-through penalty. As he [Johnson] approached pit road to make his green-flag stop, the #9 car spun out coming to pit road. Making a great move back on the track, Johnson anticipated that a caution was going to come out. If the caution had been thrown, a ton of cars would have gone a lap down, and he would have been in pretty good shape. Johnson probably would have come to pit road and taken four fresh tires, which would have put him in position to win the race. Unfortunately for Johnson, the caution did not wave. When he finally came back around to make a green-flag stop, he knew that he had given up a lot of time slowing down to come to pit road and then getting back up to speed on the last lap. There's a chance that he went over the speed limit to make up ground. If pit road speed at Kansas was 45 mph, Johnson was going in excess of 50 in at least one of the eight to 10 sections of pit road measured by loops. He only had to be speeding in one of those sections to get penalized. The penalty under green is called a pass-through. The driver has to come back to pit road. He doesn't have to stop in his pits, but he must maintain pit road speed. His Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Kyle Busch, was caught speeding under caution at lap 196, and the penalty under caution is starting at the tailend of the longest line."(10-3-2006)
Johnson to race in Paris again: Jimmie Johnson is expected to return to Paris for the Race of Champions Dec. 16, and Formula One stars David Coulthard and Jenson Button are also expected. Promoters are hoping to get Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso in the race, too.(Winston Salem Journal)(9-25-2006)
Special 60th for Lowe's on #48 at LMS: #48-Jimmie Johnson will run a special paint scheme at Lowe's Motor Speedway on October 14th to honor the 60th Anniversary of Lowe's Home Improvement opening. See an image on my #48 Team Schemes page.(9-23-2006)
Foamy mess at Hendrick hanger: Maintenance workers at Hendrick Motorsports have a foamy mess to clean up at the company’s airline hanger after the building's fire extinguishing system activated. The foam covered Hendrick aircraft inside the hanger at Concord Regional Airport and workers used fans, shovels and cardboard boxes to push the foam out. The building holds about 1,200 gallons of the foam and firefighters estimated that 500 to 700 gallons of the foam discharged. The foam does not pose any environmental impact and can be dissipated with water, firefighters said. Firefighters have not determined how the system was tripped.
The aircrafts were not damaged.(WCNC.com)(8-31-2006)
Johnson and the Levi Strauss Signature brand Launch Racing Webisodes: #48-Jimmie Johnson and the Levi Strauss Signature(r) brand have launched a series of webisodes featuring Johnson and his smart-talking sidekick, "Lil'JJ". This is type of webisode is believed to be a first for a NASCAR driver. "Creating the Lil' JJ webisodes was a great experience," said Johnson. "I really enjoyed working with the Levi Strauss Signature brand on this project which shows a different fun side of my personality." The webisodes can be accessed through levistrausssignature.com.(Alan Taylor PR)(8-20-2006)
Johnson wins at Indy: #48-Jimmie Johnson won the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for his 4th win of 2006 and 22nd of his career. Johnson came back from 38th early in the race when he lost a left front tire and had to pit just before the 4th caution, but didn't lose a lap and slowly came back to win the race, leading 33 laps. #17-Matt Kenseth finished 2nd, followed by #29-Kevin Harvick, #07-Clint Bowyer, #6-Mark Martin, #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #5-Kyle Busch, #20-Tony Stewart, #99-Carl Edwards and #11-Hamlin-c (14-r)
. #31-Jeff Burton, the pole sitter and who led the most laps, fell back late and finished 15 [revised from 12th]. #9-Kasey Kahne was involved in an accident on the last lap while running 9th, finished 36th and fell 4 spots in the points to 11th and out of the Chase. There were 9 leaders with 18 lead changes and 8 cautions for 24 laps (counting the last lap caution)
Race Results on my Indy Race Results/Awards Page.
Points Standings on my Drivers/Owners Points after Indy page
Race Rundown: see my Indy Race Info/Rundown Page for my race rundown page, laps led, top 10, race penalties, race notes, lucky dogs and more.(8-6-2006)
Knaus Extends with Hendrick Motorsports: #48 Nextel Cup Series crew chief Chad Knaus has signed a contract extension that will keep him with Hendrick Motorsports through the 2010 racing season, mirroring the organization's recent agreements with driver Jimmie Johnson and team sponsor Lowe's. Financial terms were not disclosed. "Chad is one of the great young minds in NASCAR and a key member of our organization," said Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick. "He's done an unbelievable job building the Lowe's team into a championship contender and we're excited about continuing our relationship with him."
In December 2001, Knaus was named crew chief of Hendrick's #48 Lowe's Chevys driven by Johnson, then a Cup-level rookie. The team earned the pole position for its first race, the 2002 Daytona 500, and has since posted 60 top-five finishes, 102 top-10s and a series-leading 21 victories in only 167 starts. Johnson has raced each of his four full seasons with Knaus as crew chief, never finishing outside the top five in championship points. The team is currently first in the 2006 standings with three wins, seven top-five performances and 16 top-10s, best among all Nextel Cup competitors. Knaus' contract was set to expire following the 2007 NASCAR season.(Hendrick Motorsports PR)(8-5-2006)
Johnson Foundation to build 4-Lane Bowling Alley at Victory Junction: The Jimmie Johnson Foundation announced its commitment to raise $600,000 to build Victory Lanes, a four-lane bowling alley at Kyle and Pattie Petty's Victory Junction Gang Camp in Randleman, N.C. In support of its NASCAR Nextel Cup driver, Lowe's, through its Charitable and Educational Foundation, announced it would fund half of the project with a $300,000 donation. Fans may donate to the cause as well by visiting jimmiejohnsonfoundation.org, a limited edition Victory Lanes commemorative coin is available with a donation of $48 or more. Johnson said he hopes the coin and the worthy cause will appeal to NASCAR fans. The first 100 donors will have their coins autographed by Jimmie Johnson. The Victory Lanes coin is featured on a special #48 Jimmie Johnson Foundation/Lowe's Chevy unveiled at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The car features the Jimmie Johnson Foundation logo on the hood and is scheduled to run in the Busch Series race at California Speedway on Sept. 2. Johnson said his and Chandra's foundation is dedicated to assisting children, families and communities in need throughout the United States. The foundation strives to help everyone, particularly children, pursue their dreams. Lowe's said it supports the Johnson's commitment to community projects.(Jimmie Johnson Foundation PR)(8-5-2006)
Shamu scheme on the #48 at Daytona: Shamu will be featured in a special paint scheme on the #48 Lowe's Chevy that Jimmie Johnson drives. The paint scheme is part of SeaWorld's introduction of its new Shamu show, "Believe," open now at all three SeaWorld parks. In addition, Lowe's will offer Build and Grow Kids' Clinics when the Team Lowe's Fan Experience visits SeaWorld Orlando Saturday, July 1 and Sunday, July 2 during park hours, and at the more than 1,250 Lowe's stores nationwide, Saturday, July 8 at 10 a.m. The clinics offer young fans the opportunity to build wooden #48 race cars featuring the Shamu paint scheme that Johnson will race in Daytona.(GMR/Team Lowe's PR), see images of the car on my #48 Team Schemes page(6-30-2006)
Johnson to share with Wimmer..for a while: Dover International Speedway has only 42 pit stalls, and since #48-Jimmiw Johnson is starting 42nd on the grid after spinning out on his qualifying lap, Johnson must share a pit stall with #4-Scott Wimmer, who is starting 43rd. "We were pretty excited afterwards," Johnson said about the spin where he amazingly kept the car from hitting the wall. "Shortly thereafter, we found out we had to share a pit stall, and the smiles went away." Most tracks have 43 pit stalls, but Dover does not. Once a pit stall opens up from a car that has dropped out of the event, Johnson can choose to move to the open pit stall or tell Wimmer's team to move. If both Johnson and Wimmer are on the lead lap when the caution comes out, the highest positioned driver will get to pit first. "We've just got to make the most of it and stay ahead of the 4 car [of Wimmer]," Johnson said. "I would assume the first chance we have to separate, we will do whatever we can. We'll split up as fast as we can." Usually when teams share a pit stall, it's two teams low in points and does not create a big stir. But with Johnson being the point leader, the issue has been thrown into the spotlight.
"It's tough for me to believe that in today's world of racing, they can't modify pit road and adjust pit road for 43 cars to have their own pit stall," Johnson said. "I just wasn't aware of it. It just doesn't give anybody a fair shot." Wimmer said he hopes the Morgan-McClure team can use the situation as a learning experience. "Just pitting with those guys, we'll learn a lot about pit strategies and things like that," Wimmer said. "It might end up helping us out. But it's going to be interesting the first few stops because there are going to be times where they will want to come in and we will want to come in, too. Unfortunately, that's what happens when you qualify bad." Wimmer said he will be considerate considering Johnson is the point leader, but if he is ahead of Johnson, he plans on coming in with the lead-lap cars and make Johnson pit later. We definitely don't want to ruin his race, but we've got to get ourselves up to the top 35 in points so we don't have to rely on qualifying so much," Wimmer said.(SceneDaily.com)(6-4-2006)
Hendrick plans to keep Knaus: #48 crew chief, Chad Knaus isn't going anywhere says team owner Rick Hendrick. When the contract for Jimmie Johnson and his sponsor Lowes was extended until 2010 last week, one loose end had yet to be tied. Chad Knaus, crew chief for Johnson is currently under contract to the team until 2007 and when his name wasn’t among those who were re-signed last week, speculation began that perhaps Knaus would soon be headed for the door. Knaus has been under the microscope after he was caught cheating and forced to sit out for four races at the start of the year and the rumors began to fly that perhaps Knaus would be forced out or would leave to start his own team as his mentor Ray Evernham did several years ago. There’s no problem with the Knaus contract according to team owner Rick Hendrick. “I don’t know how that all got out on the street that we weren’t re-upping
Chad,” Hendrick said Thursday at Lowes, as teams get ready for the Coca-Cola 600. “Usually with crew chiefs a year in advance is enough, so we’re happy with Chad and I think Chad is happy. He plays a big part not just in the 48 team, but in our whole organization.
We look for Chad to be with us for a long time. We’ve already talked about this week trying to going ahead and finish up the contract and go ahead and put that to bed.”(Cup Scene Daily)(5-25-2006)
Red Bull Shop...and rumors: Mears? Sadler? Knaus?: Toyota's Marty Gaunt has turned the lights on over at Roger Penske's old shop [in Mooresville, Lakeside Park], hired about 40 people for NASCAR's newest team, and is now looking for a couple of good men to run Dietrich Mateschitz's Red Bull [Toyota] Camrys on the Cup tour next season. #42-Casey Mears may be signing with Red Bull for 2007, leaving Chip Ganassi. Mears, in the final year of his Ganassi contract, was courted by car owner Richard Childress, either to fill Kevin Harvick's ride if Harvick had decided to leave, or to run a fourth Childress car. #38-Elliott Sadler [but is signed with RYR thru 2008] may also be signing with Red Bull, leaving Robert Yates, who is already dealing with the defection of Dale Jarrett to Toyota's Michael Waltrip for 2007. #48-Crew chief Chad Knaus, who has put Jimmie Johnson in the thick of the Nextel Cup championship race for four years now, may also be getting a major offer from the Red Bull team, though his current contract with car owner Rick Hendrick runs through 2007. Hendrick just extended Johnson's contract through 2010, but Knaus said that no one has talked with him about a contract extension.(Winston Salem Journal)(5-21-2006)
Knaus/Hendrick: No Negotiations: Chad Knaus was left out of the recent round of contract extensions at Hendrick Motorsports, and the crew chief said Friday he's not received indication that he'll get one. "I love my job. I love my team. I love it at Hendrick Motorsports," Knaus said during preparations for the Nextel All-Star Challenge. "But no one has talked to me about staying beyond 2007." Driver #48-Jimmie Johnson and sponsor Lowe's both signed three-year extensions this week that keep them with Hendrick through the 2010 season. But Knaus is still working under his old deal, which expires at the end of next year. Knaus was included in the last round of extensions, which came in May, 2003. Not getting one this week created speculation through the garage that something was amiss.(Associated Press)(5-20-2006)
Lowe's extends with #48 team and Johnson: Lowe's announced a multi-year extension of its primary sponsorship of Hendrick Motorsports and the #48 Chevrolet driven by Jimmie Johnson in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. Under the new agreement, Lowe's will continue its primary sponsorship of the #48 Chevrolet through the 2010 racing season. Johnson, 30, also signed a contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports that keeps him behind the wheel through 2010. Financial terms were not disclosed. The pacts build upon a partnership launched in 2001 when Hendrick Motorsports selected Johnson, who at the time had never started a Nextel Cup race, to pilot the new Lowe's-sponsored #48 Chevrolet. Now in the midst of its fifth full season, the team has posted 21 victories and four top-five points finishes. For more information on Team Lowe's Racing, visit Lowesracing.com.(GMR Marketing/Hendrick Motorsports PR)(5-15-2006)
Johnson helps with Soap Box Derby Workshop: #48-Jimmie Johnson introduced an American tradition to boys and girls of the Greater Washington, D.C. area as the Levi Strauss Signature brand hosted a Soap Box Derby car-building workshop in the nation's capital. Youths ages 10 to 17 constructed gravity-powered cars with the help of the Daytona 500 champion and adult volunteers from the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby (GWSBD) chapter. Johnson, the national spokesperson for the All-American Soap Box Derby (AASBD), assisted in the assembly and construction of the cars and offered his racing knowledge to the children who will now have an opportunity to race in the 65th GWSBD championship race on June 17. Local winners across the nation will advance to the 69th AASBD World Championship scheduled to take place on July 22, 2006, with Levi Strauss Signature awarding college scholarships to the winners. For more information on how to become involved with the All-American Soap Box Derby, an official youth initiative of NASCAR, visit www.aasbd.com.(5-5-2006)
Knaus Wins WypAll Wipers Crew Chief of the Race at Talladega: In typical Talladega fashion, the Aaron's 499 played out like a 200 mph game of chess. In the end, it was Chad Knaus' decision to bring the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet in for service on the last round
of pit stops which proved to be the game winning strategy. Jimmie Johnson's fresh tires were exactly what he needed to climb through the pack and capture the win. Knaus' triumphant tactics earned him the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Race. With 22 laps to go, Knaus was left with the difficult choice of whether to have his driver pit or stay on the track. Knaus elected to have Johnson reload with fresh tires for the final run. The decision put Johnson in 15th place for the restart, but Johnson had little difficulty storming to the front. A panel of voters; including a member of the local media, Tony Eury Sr. and a Wypall Wipers representative; agreed that Knaus' strategy earned him Crew Chief of the Race honors. For winning the Crew Chief of the Race award, Wypall Wipers presented Knaus $1,000. At the end of the season, the Nextel Cup crew chief with the most weekly wins will receive $20,000 and be crowned the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Year. This was Knaus' first Crew Chief of the Race award in 2006, which ties him with Darian Grubb, Todd Berrier and Roy McCauley for second-place in the standings. Robbie Reiser and Kenny Francis are tied for the lead, each with two wins.(Wypall PR)(5-2-2006)
Johnson wins at Talladega: #48-Jimmie Johnson won the rain-delayed Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway, leading the final lap, drafting by #25-Brian Vickers on the last lap, bring #20-Tony Stewart with him. The win is Johnson's 3rd of 2006 and 21st of his career plus his 2nd straight restrictor plate race win. Stewart finished 2nd, followed by Vickers, #31-Jeff Burton and #26-Jamie McMurray. #24-Gordon was leading with 2 laps to go and got shuffled back and finished 15th. Pole sitter, #38-Elliott Sadler finished 16th. Johnson retakes the points lead and wins the $60,000 NASCAR Nextel Cup Leader Bonus for leading the points and winning the race. #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. lost an engine on lap 151 and finished 31st. There were 8 cautions for 34 laps and 22 leaders with 56 lead changes. The stands at Talladega were pretty full even after the race was postponed a day due to rain on Sunday.
Race Results on my Talladega Race Results/Awards Page.
Points Standings on my Drivers/Owners Points after Talladega page.
Race Rundown: see my Talladega Race Info/Rundown Page for my race rundown page, laps led, top 10, race notes, lucky dogs and more.(5-1-2006)
Shamu To Join Johnson At Daytona In July: Lowe's and SeaWorld announced today that Jimmie Johnson will feature a Shamu paint scheme on his Chevrolet when the Daytona 500 champion returns to the superspeedway on July 1. Lowe's is the official Home Improvement Store of all the Busch Entertainment Corp. theme parks, including SeaWorld. The paint scheme is part of SeaWorld's introduction of its all new Shamu show, called "Believe" at each of the SeaWorld parks this year. In addition to the Shamu paint scheme, a lucky race fan will have the opportunity to see the new show and watch as Jimmie Johnson races the Shamu #48 Lowe's Chevrolet. Fans can log on to www.lowesracing.com, sign up for a free Team Lowe's Racing fan club membership, then race the specially designed #48 Chevrolet online. The fan with the fastest time will win a trip to Orlando to visit SeaWorld and Discovery Cove as well as the opportunity to watch Jimmie race. The Contest will run from April 7 to May 12.(GMR Marketing PR), see an image of the car on my #48 Team Schemes page.(4-8-2006)
Johnson wrecks in LMS tire testing: #48-Jimmie Johnson crashed in Turn 4 when his right rear tire went flat at Lowe's Motor Speedway during the Goodyear tire test Wednesday morning. Johnson was not injured in the accident, but his Hendrick Motorsports Chevy could not be repaired enough for him to continue to test on the newly repaved track. "The tire went down, lost air pressure," said Rick Heinrich, Goodyear's Nextel Cup product manager. "He had felt the tire start to go down in Turn 1, and in Turn 3, the deflation of the tire completed. ... We're still looking at the tire and trying to come up with a concrete determination of what caused the tire to go down. We don't know if it was a puncture or wear-related at this point." Johnson's was the only incident during the Tuesday all-day session and the Monday morning session. #43-Bobby Labonte, #10-Scott Riggs, #29-Kevin Harvick and Bobby Hamilton Jr. in a truck also participated in the session.(SceneDaily.com)(3-29-2006)
Johnson beats Kenseth at Vegas: #48-Jimmie Johnson won the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a last lap pass during a Green-White-Checkered finish, beating #17-Matt Kenseth by 1/2 a car length. Kenseth led 146 of the 270 laps and Johnson led 1, the most important one, the final lap. The win is Johnson's 2nd of 2006 [in 3 races], 2nd in a row at Las Vegas and 20th career win in 150 starts [13%]. Johnson has 2 wins and a 2nd this season, now leads Kenseth in the points by 52 points. #5-Kyle Busch finished 3rd [and tangled with #20-Stewart again], followed by #9-Kasey Kahne and #24-Jeff Gordon. Johnson is the first driver to win a Cup race from a top-5 starting spot [3rd]. 2005 Nextel Cup champ, #20-Tony Stewart was in the top-5 most of the day until late contact with the wall slowed him to 21st. #42-Casey Mears, who fell from 2nd in drivers points to 4th, still was able to finish 9th, he and Johnson are the only drivers who have top-10's in all three races so far in 2006. There were 7 cautions for 30 laps. There were 22 lead changes with 11 leaders.
Race Results on my Las Vegas Race Results/Awards Page.
Points Standings on my Drivers/Owners Points after Las Vegas page.
Race Rundown: see my Las Vegas Race Info/Rundown Page for my race rundown page, laps led, top 10, race notes, lucky dogs and more.(3-12-2006)
Johnson admits chief went too far: #48-Jimmie Johnson admitted Friday that suspended crew chief Chad Knaus erred in judgment by utilizing a device to raise the rear window of the #48 Lowe's Chevy to gain an aerodynamic advantage during Daytona 500 qualifying. "Chad is an innovator and has pushed hard on a lot of fronts, but it just isn't worth it, to be honest," Johnson said. "I think [the suspension] sent a message to all the teams. It sent a message to Chad. We've got to walk on the right side of the line." Johnson, who continued to reiterate his Daytona 500 winning car passed post-race technical inspection, is confident he will be a Nextel Cup title contender this season despite losing Knaus to a four-race suspension. "I think we've got to spin this and make it a positive for our race team," Johnson said. "And we're making our race team stronger right now by going through this. I hope it gives us what we need to win a championship."(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)(2-25-2006)
Explanation of why no points penalty for #48: Examples:
Points penalty
Last March at Las Vegas, #29 crew chief Todd Berrier welded the fuel filler so it looked like it was full of fuel when it wasn't.
Two weeks ago at Daytona, the Hall of Fame Racing's #96 car qualified with an unapproved carburetor.
According to NASCAR, those two infractions warranted not only a fine but a reduction of 25 driver and owner points because the fuel filler and the carburetor were absolutely unapproved parts. NASCAR was able to walk over to the car and confiscate those pieces, and their use was premeditated. The pieces were specifically made to skirt NASCAR's rules.
No points penalty
Last fall during qualifying at Talladega, Berrier and the #29 team had some trap doors in the trunk that weren't properly sealed off. The shocks were open when they were supposed to be closed. And some hose clamp that holds the fuel-filler pipe in place came loose. The next thing you know, Kevin Harvick's car had air underneath the car, going up through the trunk and escaping out a hole in the back of the tail light. In that instance, no unapproved parts or pieces were used.
During Daytona 500 qualifying this year, crew chief Chad Knaus and the #48 team put a sleeve over the trackbar adjuster. Like the #29 car at Talladega last fall, all of those parts and pieces were still part of the car that they raced in the Daytona 500.
so....Points penalty: In simple terms, here's the pattern. If you maliciously put something on a car that's made or machined, and it's an unapproved piece that can be confiscated, the team will be fined, the crew chief will be suspended and the driver and owner will lose 25 points.
No points penalty: If you take something that's already on the car and use it to beat the spirit of the rule, then it warrants a suspension and a fine, but it does not warrant the loss of 25 driver and owner points. See Larry McReynolds full article at FoxSports.(2-23-2006)
#48 and #96 Penalties Announced:
NASCAR announced today that four penalties have been issued to two NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series teams, as a result of rule violations this past weekend at Daytona International Speedway.
Chad Knaus, crew chief for the #48 Chevrolet driven by Jimmie Johnson, has been fined $25,000 and suspended from all NASCAR events until March 22, 2006 [thru Atlanta race]. Knaus has also been placed on probation until Dec. 31, 2006. The penalties come because of an unapproved template modification to the rear window area, violating Sections 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing) and 20-3.12.1 (A) (unapproved template modification.) of the 2006 NASCAR Rule book. The violation was discovered during Feb. 12 post-qualifying inspection for the Daytona 500. On Feb. 13, NASCAR ejected Knaus from further participation in Daytona 500 activities as a result of the violation.[No Point Penalties]
Three penalties were assessed to the #96 Chevrolet team, due to the use of an unapproved carburetor, a violation of Section 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing) and 12-4-Q (car, car parts, components and/or equipment that do not conform to NASCAR rules) of the 2006 NASCAR Rule Book. Crew chief Philippe Lopez was fined $25,000; driver Terry Labonte was penalized with the loss of 25 driver championship points; and car owner William Saunders was penalized 25 owner championship points. This rule violation was also discovered during post-qualifying inspection for the Daytona 500.(NASCAR PR)(2-21-2006)
Johnson's winning car inducted in Daytona USA: Jimmie Johnson and his Hendrick Motorsports team were reunited with their Daytona 500-winning #48 Lowe's Chevy at DAYTONA USA on Monday morning for the Eckrich Champion's Breakfast. After celebrating his first Daytona 500 victory on Sunday night, Johnson, owner Rick Hendrick and substitute crew chief Darian Grubb were up bright and early to induct the winning racing machine into DAYTONA USA. The #48 car will rest inside Gatorade Victory Lane at DAYTONA USA for the next 364 days and will be returned to the team before the start of the 49th annual Daytona 500 on Feb. 18, 2007. Johnson, Hendrick and Grubb participated in a fan forum inside the attraction and received their winning Daytona 500 leather jackets from Daytona International Speedway President Robin Braig and Gatorade presented the 2006 Daytona 500 champ with a framed photo from Victory Lane.(DIS PR)(2-20-2006)
Johnson on the tube: 2006 Daytona 500 champ Jimme Johnson is now off to New York City and Los Angeles to handle media obligations that come with being the Daytona 500 champion. First stop will be the Late Show with David Lettermen on Monday night
and Live with Regis and Kelly on Tuesday.(DIS PR)(2-20-2006)
Johnson wins the Daytona 500: #48-Jimmie Johnson led late and without suspended crew chief Chad Knaus, won the 2006 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway with a green-white-checkered finish. #42-Casey Mears [career best finish] finished 2nd, followed by #12-Ryan Newman, #38-Elliott Sadler and #20-Tony Stewart. The rest of the top 10: #07-Bowyer, #25-Vickers, #8-Earnhardt Jr., #21-Schrader and #88-Jarrett. There were 18 leaders, a new track record. Pole sitter, #31-Jeff Burton in the Cingular Chevy, got involved in a late wreck and finished 32nd. Petty Enterprises started off good, until #45-Petty got caught up in an early wreck, but #43-Bobby Labonte was running in the top-15 until he got caught up in the Burton-McMurray wreck. #27-Kirk Shelmerdine, with support from Childress Vineyards, had a nice run and finished 20th, his career best. #20-Stewart and #24-Gordon tangled, #20-Stewart and #17-Kenseth tangled. Stewart and #5-Busch were penalized for