CUP: Johnson Is Everybody’s Target

Sprint Cup

CUP: Johnson Is Everybody’s Target

Lee White has one goal for 2010; beat Jimmie Johnson...

Mike Hembree | Posted January 28, 2010 Charlotte, NC

Jimmie Johnson. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

As top gun for Toyota’s NASCAR racing efforts, Lee White has a mission.

Its name is Jimmie Johnson.

Lee White was named president and general manager of Toyota Racing Development in June 2008. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

How can this guy be beaten? White, with tongue firmly planted in cheek, has a suggestion: “Everybody here start a letter-writing deal and send it to Rick Hendrick at hendrickcars.com and solicit Rick to take the 48 and 88 drivers and switch them. Problem solved.”

But wait. That would mean splitting the dynamic duo that is Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus.

Could that be White’s point?

On a more serious note, White says only hard work will conquer the mountain that is Johnson/Knaus.

“You can sit around and hope it gets old to them,” he said. “And Jimmie’s having a baby and maybe they lose interest or whatever, but I don’t think that’s happening. Or you could hope that NASCAR is tired of it and they rip their cars to shreds every race.

“You can’t legislate competitiveness. The only way you’re going to get there is for everybody else to raise their games to that point. I don’t see it being just one. I think that Jack (Roush) and the Ford guys have got to raise their game and get back to winning races. I think (Richard) Childress (Racing) has to raise their game. And I think our guys all raise their game together and with help from Roush, Childress and Roger Penske – maybe all that together helps.”

Teams aiming at Hendrick face not only some of the best drivers and mechanics in the business but also overwhelming numbers. On its “campus” near Charlotte Motor Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports employs a virtual small town of about 500 people. Winning in NASCAR is not necessarily about numbers, but, as any NFL coach will tell you, depth is important.

“They are way over and above the right number according to the NASCAR community,” White said. “They have a tremendous resource. Rick has built an unbelievable organization there and has done an amazing job of keeping them all talking to each other. I’m challenged to try and figure out how to compete with that. That’s what is going to make the next few years really fun, watching this whole thing evolve. Because God forbid it stays status quo. That’s not going to be good for anybody.”

Except maybe Hendrick and his guys.

The Hendrick edge has been sharpened, White said, by the lack of testing and the addition of Hendrick satellite Stewart-Haas Racing.

“When we still had testing in 2008 the Roush and Childress guys won a bucketload of races and the Chase was filled with cars from four organizations (Hendrick, RCR, Joe Gibbs Racing and Roush Fenway Racing),” he said. “Now testing has gone away, and suddenly not only has Rick won the championship but he’s finished 1-2-3 in the championship.

“There is a huge capability there in engineering and communication, and Stewart-Haas has added to the information pool. So they have more resource and more teams working together than anyone. And it shows.”

If you can’t beat those guys, can you have them join you? Can competing teams raid Hendrick talent?

“Realistically, teams that have top people have protected themselves with contracts,” White said. “And some teams have agreements that they won’t raid talent.”

Interestingly, Knaus hasn’t signed a contract extension with Hendrick beyond this season, although he has said he plans to be with the team indefinitely. Could that be a tiny chink in the team’s armor?

“Chad Knaus has kind of raised his hand up and said, ‘Nobody said I was signed,’ ” said Toyota driver and team owner Michael Waltrip. “In order to accomplish what that group has accomplished over the past four years, everybody has to be on the same page and have the same goal, and their heart has to be totally into it.

“Since 2002 they’ve just marched right along and done amazing things. And this is the first time since 2002 that we’ve heard anything like this. If I’m going for my fifth in a row, that’s a pain in the neck. I don’t want to deal with that. If I’m Jimmie, I want Chad to be my man just like he always has been.”

How that situation might impact the season – if at all – remains to be seen. Also unknown is how well the Loyal Opposition can rally and give the four-time champions a run for the money. Stay tuned.

Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com and has been covering motorsports for 28 years. He has written several books on NASCAR, including "NASCAR: The Definitive History of America's Sport" and "Then Tony Said To Junior: The Best NASCAR Stories Ever Told". He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.

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Mike Hembree

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