CUP: How Will Johnson Bounce Back?

Sprint Cup

CUP: How Will Johnson Bounce Back?

Jimmie Johnson is a three-time winner at Auto Club Speedway...

Tom Jensen | Posted October 07, 2009 Charlotte, NC

Jimmie Johnson finished ninth at Kansas last week and hopes to improve on that in California this weekend. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Death. Taxes. Jimmie Johnson being bulletproof in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Three things racing fans pretty much take for granted as givens.

For the last three years, Johnson, crew chief Chad Knaus and the rest of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team have methodically destroyed the competition as Johnson became only the second driver in NASCAR history to win three consecutive Sprint Cup championships.

When Johnson crushed the field at Dover International Speedway two weeks ago, a lot of pundits were already conceding the 2009 championship to him. And early on last week at Kansas Speedway, Johnson looked like he was going to win his second race in a row.

But then something most unusual happened: The No. 48 Chevrolet faded to a ninth-place finish. Through a combination of wrong tire strategy and barely missed adjustments, Johnson’s car got worse at the end of the race, something that almost never happens in the Chase.

Now, understand, a ninth-place finish is still pretty good. And Johnson left Kansas second in points, just 18 behind teammate Mark Martin. But there’s no question Johnson’s team left points on the table in Kansas, a rare gaffe for the most clutch team in NASCAR.

With that in mind, Johnson comes into Sunday’s Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway looking to flash championship form again. The numbers certainly speak volumes about the potency of the No. 48 Chevy at ACS: Johnson has three victories and eight top-five finishes here in just 13 starts, along with an average finish of 6.154, best of any driver in the race.

So despite a somewhat disappointing result at Kansas, the El Cajon, Calif., native is ready to roll again. “Last week and really the last couple of weeks we've been talking about our strategy and the tracks, directions with set-up, and things that we're going to try, things for certain tracks and not other tracks,” said Johnson. “I feel very confident with the approach we have and the set-ups we're going to be taking, the cars we're going to be taking. We're pretty well organized, so hopefully it pays off.”

The schedule is playing into his favor, too. This year, ACS, Talladega Superspeedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway did a three-way date swap. The bottom line is that ACS moved from a September date into the Chase, while Atlanta moved out. Certainly, Atlanta was a good track for Johnson, but ACS is a great one.

“I am hopeful that its helpful for us to have a track in the Chase that we are able to win at … being California,” said Johnson. “I think the season comes to us in a way. I know that we perform well in the Chase but I think the schedule is helpful for the No. 48 car. We have great results and it gives us a lot of hope going into these tracks.”

Despite the favorable schedule, though, Johnson knows the team needs to seal the deal when it has a chance to win, something they didn’t do at Kansas.

“We still have to show up and get the job done,” said Johnson. “So we have a positive mindset looking forward to those tracks. It will make the week easier leading into those tracks but we still have to go in there and get to work. I’m excited for it.”

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of ?Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED,? and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to

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Tom Jensen

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