Full speed ahead for two-time champ Johnson

By: RICK HOFF - Staff Writer
El Cajon native focusing in on California testing | Wednesday, January 30, 2008 11:54 PM PST ∞

SAN DIEGO -- Can it be any better the second time around? For two-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, it was that and more.

"The second one was a lot more fun," Johnson said Tuesday night while meeting with the San Diego-area media. "I absolutely had a ton of fun last year.

"The first year we won it was stressful. There were so many things that went wrong for the team. Last year was more of a relief than anything else."

There was little for Johnson to stress about in 2007, when he won 10 races, including six of the last 12. He repeated as Nextel Cup champion by 77 points over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon, a four-time Cup champion.

"To beat the guy who was my hero growing up, it was great the way it all worked out," Johnson said.

The 32-year-old El Cajon native is back home in Southern California and will be on the track today at California Speedway for another round of NASCAR's Preseason Thunder, a series of testing for the Car of Tomorrow that made its debut in select races last year. Today's test sessions will mark the first time the COT will be used at California Speedway's two-mile oval.

"The testing for us is very important," said Johnson, who won five of the 16 COT races last year. "It's a brand new car, and we still don't know much about it. It drives much different on the bigger tracks than the old car.

"We still have some question marks in our heads. We haven't sorted things out like we had hoped, but we're getting closer. And I think by the end of the second day in Fontana we should know a lot more about the car and have a better idea of things."

Johnson and the rest of the drivers will have the opportunity to find out if their test results are successful when the green flag drops Feb. 17 for the 50th running of the season-opening Daytona 500. The Auto Club 500 at Fontana follows on Feb. 24.

"Our goal is to get off to a good start," said Johnson, who began his racing career as a youngster at the Barona Oaks motorcycle track. "We have worked real hard and we've accomplished a lot as a team. We have to keep that going."

In addition to NASCAR's focus on the new car, changes for 2008 include a new title sponsor; the series is now called the Sprint Cup. Joe Gibbs Racing has switched manufacturers from Chevrolet to Toyota, and numerous changes in qualifying procedures will be put into place.

But perhaps the biggest change, at least to the fans, will be the addition of a fairly well-known driver to the Hendrick Motorsports team.

"There's no doubt that Junior has the biggest fan base in our sport," Johnson said, referring to Dale Earnhardt Jr., who changed teams after cutting ties with Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, the team founded by his late father.

Johnson says he has already learned quite a bit about Earnhardt Jr. from test sessions at Daytona and Las Vegas. NASCAR just concluded two days of testing at Las Vegas on Tuesday.

"In Las Vegas, I saw a lot I didn't expect to see from Dale Jr.," Johnson said. "He feels a lot about what's going on, and I was impressed with that.

"All his tools are there for him."

With Earnhardt Jr. now aboard a team that already includes Gordon and Casey Mears, Johnson expects more good things out of the Hendrick Chevy Impalas.

"I consider myself very fortunate to drive for Rick Hendrick," Johnson said. "He's a hard-working man, and he gives us all the tools we need."

Might that be enough for a possible third straight championship for Johnson?

"I'd love to win every race, but it's such a long year," Johnson said. "As the year goes on, each team surges ahead. You've got to be on top at the right time."

Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus made all the right decisions during last year's final Chase races, winning four straight during a late stretch to keep Gordon at bay and become the first driver to win back-to-back Cup titles since Gordon accomplished the feat in 1997-98.

"I think this last year, especially the way the 24 (Gordon) and 48 (Johnson) worked together, I think we've put the pressure on the field to step it up another level," Johnson said. "We know that and we're ready to step it up another level on our behalf."

Johnson was back on the track at Daytona Beach last weekend competing in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in a Pontiac Riley prototype co-driven by former CART champion Jimmy Vasser and 2007 Rolex Grand-Am Series prototype champions Jon Fogarty and Alex Gurney. Johnson's team placed second, the second runner-up finish for Johnson in four tries at the prestigious endurance event.

Off the track Johnson expects his other passion, the Jimmie Johnson Foundation, to continue to flourish as well.

"The foundation has been awesome," he said. "The Habitat for Humanity is breaking ground on getting homes built, and we have some events coming up in August and September.

"And I learned a lot about what people can be all about after we won in Atlanta (on Oct. 28). We donated the prize money to the wildfire victims in San Diego, and I was amazed at how many fans and corporate sponsors chipped in to show their support. With matching funds, we raised $1.4 million for the wildfire victims."

For more information on the foundation, visit www.jimmiejohnsonfoundation.org.

-- Contact staff writer Rick Hoff at (760) 740-3545 or rhoff@nctimes.com.

NASCAR Preseason Thunder

What: NASCAR Preseason Thunder Sprint Cup testing - When: Today, three sessions from 9 a.m.-noon, 1-5 p.m. and 6-9 p.m.; Friday, two sessions from 9 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m.

Where: California Speedway, Fontana

Tickets: Grandstand seating is free, infield rooftop seating is $5 or free with purchase of a ticket for the Auto Club 500

Information: www.californiaspeedway.com

Locals shine at SCORE opener

North County off-road racers Rick St. John and Adam Pfankuch were among the winners Sunday in the 14th annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge, the first event of the 2008 SCORE Desert Series. St. John, of Encinitas, and Pfankuch, of Carlsbad, won the SCORE Lite class for Volkswagen-powered, limited single- or two-seaters. They negotiated the 14-lap, 87.5-mile rain-soaked course in the Southern Nevada desert in 2 hours, 11 minutes, 11 seconds for an average speed of 40.020 mph.

Pfankuch also placed third in Class 1-2/1600 for VW-powered single- or two-seaters up to 1600cc. His time was 2:03:14 for a 12-lap, 75-mile layout.

The overall winner was Pat Dean of Las Vegas. Racing a Bunderson-Chevy in Class 1 for unlimited single- or two-seaters, Dean covered a 165-lap, 100-mile course in 2:08:29 (46.699 mph). Winning the SCORE Trophy Truck class for unlimited production trucks was Rich Ronco of Peoria, Ariz., in a Chevy Silverado. His time was 2:12:57 (45.130 mph).

Of 141 starters in the two-day event, there were 40 finishers.

Capps sizzles at NHRA trials

Carlsbad's Ron Capps, driving the new Napa Auto Parts Charger R/T Funny Car for Don Schumacher Racing, found himself atop the charts after an abbreviated test weekend at Firebird Raceway in Chandler, Ariz. The NHRA National Time Trials were held last weekend in advance of the season-opening NHRA Powerade Winternationals being held Feb. 7-10 at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona.

Capps ended the second day of testing on Saturday with a pass of 4.785 seconds at 322.340 mph. A third day of trials was canceled Sunday because of rain.

"To be one of the quickest cars here is definitely a confidence builder," Capps said, "but we're not naive enough to think that a couple of good runs here and being the quickest translates to an automatic win in Pomona. Pomona is going to be interesting, let's put it that way."

Capps placed fourth in the final Funny Car points standings last year.

S.F. rain can't dampen Reed

Rain played a role in another weekend motor sports event, this one in San Francisco's AT&T Park, where Team San Manuel's Chad Reed won his third Monster Energy AMA Supercross event of the young season. Despite riding in a downpour, the Yamaha rider took the win ahead of Kevin Windham and Davi Millsaps, both of whom had the lead at one point before being felled by crashes in the mud.

Yamaha of Troy's Jason Lawrence, a New Jersey native who now rides out of Carlsbad, won the first Western Regional Supercross Lites class race of his career.

The series returns to Southern California for races Saturday night at Angel Stadium of Anaheim and Feb. 9 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.

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