NASCAR Wrecks - All-Star Johnson looks to extend Lowe's dominance
Jeff Owens - Special to CBS SportsLine.com
It's not points Jimmie Johnson will be after this weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
He's got plenty of those.
He leads the Nextel Cup point standings, and the Nextel All-Star Challenge does not award points.
And it's not money that will be on his mind, even though the event pays $1 million to win, one of the richest purses on the Cup circuit. He just bagged plenty of that by signing a new contract with Hendrick Motorsports through 2010. And since Johnson, 30, is one of the most dominant drivers today, you can only assume that he is now also one of the wealthiest.
No, what Jimmie Johnson is looking for this weekend is bragging rights.
Like he needs more of that at the Charlotte track appropriately named after his team's sponsor.
No driver in the Nextel Cup Series has more reason to brag about their performance at a particular track than Johnson does at Charlotte, or Lowe's.
He has, after all, won five of the past six points races at the 1.5-mile track, including four in a row. The only thing he hasn't won there in the past two years is the All-Star race, but he won it in 2003.
Since then, only three drivers have beaten Johnson in Cup competition at Charlotte -- Tony Stewart in October of 2003 and Matt Kenseth and Mark Martin in the past two All-Star races.
That's six victories in nine races over three years. Only drivers like Richard Petty, David Pearson, Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon, Johnson's teammate, can lay claim to such feats.
It only stands to reason that Johnson is the overwhelming favorite to win Saturday night's All-Star race and the Coca-Cola 600 -- which he has won three times in a row -- on May 28.
"Lowe's Motor Speedway is a special place for myself and the No. 48 team. We're excited to go back," Johnson says in perhaps one of the greatest understatements of the 2006 season.
Johnson admits his team will have one eye on the grueling 600 during the All-Star Challenge. That, in fact, is how he won the 600 last year -- by learning a few things during the short, sprint race.
Learning, adapting and adjusting will be particularly crucial this year after track officials repaved the Charlotte surface, making it smoother but faster. Goodyear and NASCAR have thrown their own wrinkles into the mix with a new tire and smaller fuel cells.
All of that should play right into the hands of Johnson and his team, which seems better than other teams at figuring out such complex equations and making the necessary adjustments. That's why Johnson leads the series in wins (three) and points.
"We feel that the All-Star event is going to be a real good indication for us on where we stack up for the 600," Johnson says. "We plan on working through some things during the All-Star event and really try to get everything right for the 600 the following weekend."
Make no mistake, though. Johnson wants to win the All-Star Challenge. He owns Lowe's Motor Speedway, and there's no better way to prove it than to win its marquee event.
There is also no better way to prove you are the man than to beat the best in NASCAR's elite series. That, to most drivers, means much more than money.
"There are so many bragging rights that come with winning that event," Johnson says. "I had the pleasure of winning the last Winston (in 2003). There was a lot of buildup before it. And after winning, it was worth every emotion. There are just a lot of bragging rights in the garage area, but also with the media and the fans to win our All-Star event. It's a special thing."
Johnson is special at Charlotte. Don't be surprised if he shows it again Saturday night.
This week's prediction: Jimmie Johnson. Humpy Wheeler, Lowe's Motor Speedway track president and resident prognosticator, picked Carl Edwards to win, with Kasey Kahne as his dark horse. Wheeler's logic is sound. The race format fits Edwards' hard-charging style. And Kahne's two wins this year have come on tracks very similar to Charlotte. But there's no denying or overlooking Johnson's dominance there. He is the overwhelming favorite, and favorites win more than we like to admit.
Keep an eye on: Greg Biffle. If anyone can stink up the show as much as Johnson, it's Biffle, who has been just as dominant this year but doesn't have the results to show for it. Biffle's win at Darlington last week, though, could be a bad sign for the opposition. Biffle has become a top driver the past year and a half. He may prove it at Charlotte.
Also keep an eye on: Matt Kenseth. Critics say that Kenseth is not aggressive enough, that he's not a hard-charger, that his is a more methodical, strategic style, pacing himself and then pouncing at the end. Don't tell that to Kenseth. Though he's as clean a racer as there is, Kenseth has showed this year that he can charge to the front and lead laps. And contrary to popular opinion, this race does fit his style. He won it in 2004. He has run as well as anyone this season. Don't be surprised if he makes it 2-for-3.
Dark horse: Kyle Busch has earned a reputation as an aggressive, give-no-ground, take-no-prisoners driver this year and has riled plenty of competitors along the way. Though he has not won yet, he has often run roughshod over the competition -- literally. This, then, is Busch's kind of race, one that requires all-out aggression. It is also a race in which young drivers have been known to make a name for themselves. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Ryan Newman both won it as rookies. Busch could be the next young lion to roar on one of NASCAR's biggest stages.
Jeff Owens is executive editor of NASCAR Scene and a columnist for CBS SportsLine.
It's not points Jimmie Johnson will be after this weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
He's got plenty of those.
He leads the Nextel Cup point standings, and the Nextel All-Star Challenge does not award points.
And it's not money that will be on his mind, even though the event pays $1 million to win, one of the richest purses on the Cup circuit. He just bagged plenty of that by signing a new contract with Hendrick Motorsports through 2010. And since Johnson, 30, is one of the most dominant drivers today, you can only assume that he is now also one of the wealthiest.
No, what Jimmie Johnson is looking for this weekend is bragging rights.
Like he needs more of that at the Charlotte track appropriately named after his team's sponsor.
No driver in the Nextel Cup Series has more reason to brag about their performance at a particular track than Johnson does at Charlotte, or Lowe's.
He has, after all, won five of the past six points races at the 1.5-mile track, including four in a row. The only thing he hasn't won there in the past two years is the All-Star race, but he won it in 2003.
Since then, only three drivers have beaten Johnson in Cup competition at Charlotte -- Tony Stewart in October of 2003 and Matt Kenseth and Mark Martin in the past two All-Star races.
That's six victories in nine races over three years. Only drivers like Richard Petty, David Pearson, Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon, Johnson's teammate, can lay claim to such feats.
It only stands to reason that Johnson is the overwhelming favorite to win Saturday night's All-Star race and the Coca-Cola 600 -- which he has won three times in a row -- on May 28.
"Lowe's Motor Speedway is a special place for myself and the No. 48 team. We're excited to go back," Johnson says in perhaps one of the greatest understatements of the 2006 season.
Johnson admits his team will have one eye on the grueling 600 during the All-Star Challenge. That, in fact, is how he won the 600 last year -- by learning a few things during the short, sprint race.
Learning, adapting and adjusting will be particularly crucial this year after track officials repaved the Charlotte surface, making it smoother but faster. Goodyear and NASCAR have thrown their own wrinkles into the mix with a new tire and smaller fuel cells.
All of that should play right into the hands of Johnson and his team, which seems better than other teams at figuring out such complex equations and making the necessary adjustments. That's why Johnson leads the series in wins (three) and points.
"We feel that the All-Star event is going to be a real good indication for us on where we stack up for the 600," Johnson says. "We plan on working through some things during the All-Star event and really try to get everything right for the 600 the following weekend."
Make no mistake, though. Johnson wants to win the All-Star Challenge. He owns Lowe's Motor Speedway, and there's no better way to prove it than to win its marquee event.
There is also no better way to prove you are the man than to beat the best in NASCAR's elite series. That, to most drivers, means much more than money.
"There are so many bragging rights that come with winning that event," Johnson says. "I had the pleasure of winning the last Winston (in 2003). There was a lot of buildup before it. And after winning, it was worth every emotion. There are just a lot of bragging rights in the garage area, but also with the media and the fans to win our All-Star event. It's a special thing."
Johnson is special at Charlotte. Don't be surprised if he shows it again Saturday night.
This week's prediction: Jimmie Johnson. Humpy Wheeler, Lowe's Motor Speedway track president and resident prognosticator, picked Carl Edwards to win, with Kasey Kahne as his dark horse. Wheeler's logic is sound. The race format fits Edwards' hard-charging style. And Kahne's two wins this year have come on tracks very similar to Charlotte. But there's no denying or overlooking Johnson's dominance there. He is the overwhelming favorite, and favorites win more than we like to admit.
Keep an eye on: Greg Biffle. If anyone can stink up the show as much as Johnson, it's Biffle, who has been just as dominant this year but doesn't have the results to show for it. Biffle's win at Darlington last week, though, could be a bad sign for the opposition. Biffle has become a top driver the past year and a half. He may prove it at Charlotte.
Also keep an eye on: Matt Kenseth. Critics say that Kenseth is not aggressive enough, that he's not a hard-charger, that his is a more methodical, strategic style, pacing himself and then pouncing at the end. Don't tell that to Kenseth. Though he's as clean a racer as there is, Kenseth has showed this year that he can charge to the front and lead laps. And contrary to popular opinion, this race does fit his style. He won it in 2004. He has run as well as anyone this season. Don't be surprised if he makes it 2-for-3.
Dark horse: Kyle Busch has earned a reputation as an aggressive, give-no-ground, take-no-prisoners driver this year and has riled plenty of competitors along the way. Though he has not won yet, he has often run roughshod over the competition -- literally. This, then, is Busch's kind of race, one that requires all-out aggression. It is also a race in which young drivers have been known to make a name for themselves. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Ryan Newman both won it as rookies. Busch could be the next young lion to roar on one of NASCAR's biggest stages.
Jeff Owens is executive editor of NASCAR Scene and a columnist for CBS SportsLine.
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