As each week ticks by, a constant question continues to be asked – when will Jimmie Johnson win a race this season? As we stand 10 laps into the season, six-time currently sits seventh in points with three top-fives and five top-10s. Johnson has shown speed this year so far and contended for wins – with bad luck on track taking him out of contention some weeks.
With drivers needing at least one win to lock themselves into the Chase, some have been wondering whether the No. 48 Lowe’s team should be hitting the panic button. According to Johnson, he says they don’t need to.
“Where we sit in points right now we are locked in,” he added. “Of course we want to win; we want to win every race we go to. We have been in the ballpark and have been very close to victory a couple of times and it got away. Yes, there have been some poor performances. We are trying to raise that. I don’t think that we are where we want to be as a team right now, but we have had a few looks at wins and I know we will get a few more.”
Johnson’s theory has always been if they continue to put themselves in position, they will score a win and put themselves into the Chase solidly versus the points scenario.
Even if they don’t get the win, Johnson believes that some will still get in via points and he feels that they will make it in as “there is a bigger window to make the Chase today than there was last year. Last year was 12, this year it’s 16.”
Johnson isn’t the only driver without a win so far this year, however he is one of drivers that continues to be focused on when the discussions start.
“Successful teams can sometimes be their own worst enemy with expectations that are set in that respect,” Johnson commented.
With his success over the years, people suspected that Johnson would win early and lock himself in. However, that hasn’t happened yet. However, does that hurt Johnson’s confidence? Certainly not.
“I still feel that we are extremely competitive and I feel as an individual I’m a better race car driver today than I was last year,” he commented. “I just keep learning more and experiencing more and add that to my repertoire of things to do. Our team is as strong as it has ever been. Our teammates are all running very well this year.”
