As part of winning the Daytona 500, Jimmie Johnson has been on a whirlwind media tour, going to different stops from one end of the United States to another. For Johnson, in his travels, it’s been all about savoring the victory.
“It just seemed to go by so quickly in ’06,” he said, comparing this second Daytona 500 victory to his first in 2006. “I maybe didn’t savor the moments in ’06 as I did this time. I didn’t have my daughter at that time either. To watch her soak it up, it was very special for me.”
This also meant a special moment for Johnson’s crew chief Chad Knaus as it marked his first Daytona 500 victory. Knaus wasn’t on the pit box in 2006 as a result of being suspended during the week prior as a result of the car failing pre-race technical inspection.
“To have him there, see the smile on his face, soak it in, it’s something that all racers dream of.” Johnson said. “They want to win the Indy 500 or the Daytona 500. To be able to pull that off a second time, to have Chad there, really share those emotions, experience those emotions, was key.”
Going into the race, everybody was talking about the new Gen 6 racecars and Johnson’s team was no different.
“I think there was a big push to be the team and driver to win this first Gen-6 race,” Johnson said. “We also felt like we were riding a great wave from the conclusion of last year’s season. There was just a buzz in the air, a feeling prerace. We just felt it was going to be a race that was highly viewed. It kind of all played into it.”
Last year, Johnson came close to winning his sixth championship, finishing third in points, with two victories and six top fives in the 10 races.
Seasons are some times made by simply winning the big race. Clint Bowyer even said that he’d trade all his Sprint Cup Series victories to win the Daytona 500 just once. It’s a race that drivers dream of due to the prestige and history behind it. It’s a race that others go so long fighting to win, such as Mark Martin and Tony Stewart. With everything wrapped into one, Johnson says the race and the media blitz that follows feels like a championship.
“This is just like winning a championship,” he said. “This single event is that big. It’s been a while. I’ve been super busy. I’ve learned to just relax, smile, talk about our sport, enjoy the moment. It gets a little redundant, as you can imagine, answering the same questions over and over. The opportunity I have to represent our sport, talk about the things going on in our sport is a big honor.”
Though beyond the Daytona 500, there are 35 races ahead and those will determine whether Johnson can return to the top of the mountain. Nobody knows what to expect going into those races, due to the new car. The Daytona 500 was, to some fans, boring as drivers rode around mostly in a single-file train. There also wasn’t much racing towards the end of the race due to people being afraid of dropping back in line.
However, despite that, Johnson says that he still hears people being excited about the look of the car and the races ahead.
“I think everybody is holding tight to see how the car races at Phoenix, Vegas, Bristol, Fontana, to get back into the type of racing we see on a regular basis,” he said. “Driving the car, there’s so much grip in it, it’s going to promote aggressive driving and aggressive racing. Phoenix is a newly repaved racetrack. The groove might be a little narrow to see the side-by-side racing. I feel when we get to Vegas, we will have a downforce track under our belts, we’ll have a chance to see an amazing race at Vegas, great side-by-side racing that everybody will want to see.”
