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CUP: Johnson – Carefully Aggressive
Jimmie Johnson says he must avoid mistakes with four to go…
Mike Hembree  |  Posted October 23, 2012   Charlotte, NC
Jimmie Johnson finished third in 2012 Sprint Cup points. (Photo: Getty Images)
With the Chase for the Sprint Cup now in its final month, the contenders will be concentrating on grabbing every available point as the tour moves from Martinsville to Texas to Phoenix to the finale in Homestead.

That task calls for aggressive driving, but it’s also possible, as second-place Jimmie Johnson found out in Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway, to drive beyond the edge into trouble.

Johnson crashed his Chevrolet and needed extensive repair work from his crew to keep the 48 car in the race and on the lead lap. He finished ninth.

“First of all, you have to finish the race,” Johnson said Tuesday. “I almost eliminated our chances in the Chase by crashing last week. Luckily, we got the car fixed. I can’t be spinning the car out.”

It’s a fine line, particularly in championship competition, between driving fast enough and too fast, Johnson said.

“There are some times when you have a car that’s not handling right, and you’re got to be smart about it and get every point you can,” he said. “But you can’t be stupid and create more issues. Other weekends, when you have the car, it is time to take some chances. It depends on the situation.”

If the past is prologue, Johnson will be in position to blaze his own trail this weekend. He has been a master at Martinsville over the years, winning six times and finishing out of the top 10 only three times in 21 races. Those are bold numbers.

“We expect to be one of the cars racing for the win,” he said. “Over the past few years at Martinsville, you think of the 11 (Denny Hamlin), the 24 (Jeff Gordon), us and the 29 (Kevin Harvick). There are a handful of cars that you expect to run in that lead group. And those are our expectations.

“If we can get points on the 11 and 2 (Brad Keselowski), especially the 2 at this point, that would be ideal. We’re working hard and putting in everything we’ve got, which is what you expect at this point.”

Johnson said he and his team should benefit from this weekend’s scheduled return of teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has missed two races while recovering from concussions.

“He’s smiling ear to ear,” said Johnson, who said he talked to Earnhardt Jr. at a team lunch Tuesday. “He’s excited. We’re very happy to have him back.”

Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 30 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
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