Have a FaceBook, Twitter, or other social networking account?

Link them to your fanatic account!

Add An Account

TAKE ME TO...
NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: Busy Times For JJ/Notebook
Jimmie Johnson will soon become a father.
Tom Jensen  |  Posted June 04, 2010   Long Pond, PA
Jimmie Johnson (Right) and his wife Chani (Left) will become first time parents in about five weeks. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
WHAT, ME WORRY? — Jimmie Johnson was a disappointing 25th in qualifying for the Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 at Pocono Raceway and much has been written already about his slump in recent weeks. But NASCAR’s only four-time consecutive Sprint Cup champions insisted Friday that reports of troubles at his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports squad are vastly exaggerated.

“We're doing fine. You read the headlines and it's like the No. 48 team is shutting down,” said Johnson. “... I've always had that good rhythm of walking that tightrope, and you step over it from time to time. Lately I've been stepping on the wrong side of that line and I need to bring it back to touch and make sure that we finish where we should and if we don't have a car that can win the race, fine. We'll just take what we can get.”

Johnson has a busy week ahead: He’s racing in the Grand Am event at Watkins Glen International on Saturday and then will take part in Tony Stewart’s dirt late model charity race next week.

And, oh yeah, he will become a first-time father in about five weeks or so. Should he be forced to miss any time when wife Chani gives birth, the plan is for Aric Almirola to replace him in the No. 48 Hendrick Chevy. But Johnson said he expects that to be a moot point.

“We feel now with the due date being right after Chicago on that off-week, we won't have a problem,” Johnson said. “If the baby does decide to come earlier, Aric will be there. The first goal for me would be to drive a lap and get some points. But it just depends on the situation. There could be a situation where I've got to make a tough decision. Do I wait and drive that one lap and potentially miss the birth of our daughter, or do I stick around? That exists. There is no way around that. It just depends on how things shake out. Hopefully she's on time or long as it traditionally goes and if that's the case we'll be into the off-weekend and everything will be fine.”
Watch Prelude to the Dream Countdown Show, a one-hour live pre-race special from Eldora Speedway on June 9 at 6 pm ET on SPEED.

PUMPING THE PRELUDE — Tony Stewart had a one-track mind Friday at Pocono: Promoting the Gillette Fusion ProGlide Prelude to the Dream dirt late model race at Eldora Speedway, the half-mile Rossburg, Ohio, dirt track that Stewart owns.

This year’s event features team competition, with the proceeds of the event benefiting four children’s hospitals. Stewart said he was surprised how big the event has become.

“The first year I think we had 17 drivers that came and we had to beg, literally beg car owners to bring cars for NASCAR guys to drive,” he said. “These car owners were so scared that somebody that hadn’t been on a dirt track and hadn’t been in a dirt late model wasn’t going to be able to drive one. We really had to beg that first year to get car owners to bring good race cars. After the first year, it went so well that the second year we didn’t have to beg near as hard to get it and now we’re still having to work to get really good cars, but we’re getting top of the line cars for these guys to drive.”

For details about watching the event on HBO pay-per-view or attending it live, see www.PreludeToTheDream.org, www.HBO.com or www.EldoraSpeedway.com.


Page 1 of 2
Prev
12
Next
tom_jensen's avatar

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tom Jensen

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR
Advertising | Jobs | Feedback | FAQ | Terms of Use | NEW Privacy Policy | Ad Choices | Site Map
Fox Sports | FUEL TV | FX Network | National Geographic | IGN | AskMen
The Motor Sports Authority, SPEED and associated logos are registered trademarks of Speed Channel Inc.
All Rights Reserved © Speed Channel, Inc. 2012

All external links will open in a new browser window. SPEED.com does not endorse external sites.