Jimmie Johnson: ‘Hard work is what we need’

By Brian Hunsicker

Published: July 8, 2008

WASHINGTON – Jimmie Johnson’s season hasn’t measured up to his lofty standards. Yes, he’s fifth in points and yes, he’s got a victory this season, but it’s not the same as it was in 2006, when Johnson dominated the season and scored his first series championship. It’s not even like 2007, when he and teammate Jeff Gordon led the pack throughout a season of Hendrick Motorsports dominance.
He hasn’t kept pace with series leader Kyle Busch, but who has? Johnson, though, has a simple formula for catching Busch: “We just have to work hard,” he said. “It’s just a series of small changes that we need to get right ... Hard work is what we need to catch him.”
It was a classic Johnson quote, one that won’t grab headlines for the wrong reasons. Controversy rarely finds the 32-year old Johnson; as a result, it’s often hard to tell whether he’s naturally averse to it or just a masterful actor that manages to hide any unseemly feelings. So when Johnson appeared at the National Press Club on Tuesday, he had a few chances to let a different person be seen.
Even before he started in on a mini-autobiography, Johnson admitted that he found public speaking a frightening experience. Ultimately, it didn’t deter him, as he recounted racing dirt bikes as a 5-year old all the way through reaching – and succeeding – in the country’s most popular four-wheel motorsport.
He talked about the difficulties NASCAR faces in the midst of the troubles with the wider economic woes; he said he was surprised at Chip Ganassi’s decision to shut down his third team, with driver Dario Franchitti, last week. He added he was fortunate to have a committed sponsor, Lowe’s, though that company too has not been immune from the economic slowdown.
Several questions – which were submitted prior to the event – centered around gas prices and the economy. Despite the distinct lack of economy in his race car, Johnson said he drives a hybrid and has tried to make his house more environmentally friendly. And while the gas for his race car is provided by Sunoco under that company’s contract with NASCAR, he, like the rest of us, pays dearly at the pump to fill his Chevy Tahoe.
He was also asked about the presence of Confederate flags at races, and whether he’d ever asked his fans to stop flying it. Johnson said he hadn’t specifically done so, only because market research – done both by Lowe’s and the souvenir arm of the company – indicated that Johnson’s fans were more likely to live in or near a city. Because of that, he said, he wasn’t aware that it was a problem with his fans.
Not all of the questions were as serious, and Johnson was able to crack a joke from time to time. He told of the production capabilities at Hendrick Motorsports, which produces each part that goes into its racecars.
“We build every part that NASCAR will allow us,” he said. He then glanced to his right, looking for Jim Hunter, NASCAR’s vice president of corporate communications. “Some guys will even build parts that aren’t allowed,” Johnson added, drawing laughs. When Hunter passed an unrelated note to the lectern, Johnson flipped the paper over and read, “The [No.] 48 is docked 150 points.”
It was a joke of course, but one that gave fans a chance to see Johnson’s personality, like the one-liner on fellow driver Juan Pablo Montoya. Johnson was asked about the proliferation of open-wheel drivers into NASCAR and why Montoya – the only one of the group with a Cup win – was the only one to make a dent.
“Juan’s made a lot of dents,” Johnson said, setting up the punchline, “in his car.”