NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
AAA 400
DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
OCTOBER 2, 2015

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Dover International Speedway and discussed his thoughts on this weekend’s race at Dover, making his 500th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start, thoughts on Tony Stewart’s retirement following next season and many other topics. Full Transcript:

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS GOING INTO THE WEEKEND:
“I clearly love coming to this racetrack and excited to be back for a Chase race. I wish all 10 events of the Chase could be here at this racetrack. I think it would be a good thing for the No. 48. Excited to be here, certainly hoping the rain gets out of here just like everyone else. There is obviously the hurricane that is making its way north. My main focus right now really hadn’t been on the race. It’s like when are we going to get on track? When will I be able to feel the set-up of my racecar and understand where we are at? I’m anxiously waiting track time just like everybody else.”

WITH THE RAIN HERE ARE YOU ABLE TO RELAX ON A WEEKEND LIKE THIS BECAUSE YOU AND CHAD’S NOTEBOOK AT THIS TRACK IS FULL OF WHAT WE WOULD ASSUME IS BETTER NOTES THAN EVERYBODY ELSE BECAUSE OF YOUR SUCCESS HERE?
“I guess it wouldn’t be the end of the world if we weren’t on the track a lot. I mean we do know the track very well. We have had success here year after year. We won in the spring, but it’s been a long time since we have raced here at the track. There are new things that develop on the car through the course of the year and we would really like to get out on the track and at least get an hour to feel things out and understand where the balance of the car is. If there is a track where limited track time would help us, I guess it would be here.”

CAN YOU REFLECT ON YOUR 500TH START?
“Without a doubt the opportunity to drive for Jeff Gordon and Rick Hendrick and Lowe’s changed my life. I can’t help but think back to 2000 when I’m not sure if I’m going to have a Busch Series ride at the time. Seek out Jeff Gordon at the Michigan drivers meeting, he was running the Busch race that day and was just looking for some advice. He gave me advice and he also left and opening where he let me know that Hendrick Motorsports was looking to start a fourth team and I was the guy they were considering. So from that moment on my head spun around on my shoulders and I’m like ‘what… really’ and honestly from that moment in 2000 then my opportunity to race and winning in my 13th start the opportunity to win more races, win championships, more championship to where I am today. My head is still spinning. It’s been a life changing experience, one that I’m extremely grateful for and an experience I think really shows what the power of people can do. The situation that was created between Lowe’s and Hendrick Motorsports, starting the team, Chad Knaus (crew chief) and myself being put together, the guys that have put their heart and soul into this team and started it and created it. The people made the success of the No. 48, all of us together, the team. To be on that team, is just something that I dreamed of, but I still couldn’t have dreamed this big and have this much take place for us.”

DID YOU EVER THINK THAT EVERYTHING COULD, EVEN ONCE YOU WERE IN THE DEAL, DID YOU EXPECT EVERYTHING JUST TO GO THIS STRONG?
“No I didn’t expect things to go as well as they have. Absolutely the racing God’s have smiled on me and this team. Our worst year in points has been 11th. Believe me it wasn’t a good year for me and the team and Chad. We didn’t operate even close to our potential. On paper it doesn’t look like a bad year. We certainly felt like it was a terrible year, but… gosh I lost the point I was trying to make. Maybe it will come back dang it… sorry.”

DO YOU THINK YOU GOT THE CREDIT YOU DESERVE FOR WHAT YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED?
“Yeah, I don’t see where that has not been given. I have been given tons of accolades, tons of respect for the championships I’ve won, races I’ve won. Within sports there are certainly fans and then there are the people that aren’t. My style and who I am and the success I’ve had has certainly created an opposing force. That is all part of it. I definitely feel like I have received the credit I deserve, the team has and it’s something that you earn as well. I think the success we had and the races we won and the championships we won earned that respect.”

YOU’VE BEEN SO DOMINATE AT DOVER IN THE PAST FEW YEARS WHAT KIND OF STRATEGY DO YOU AND CHAD HAVE HAVING A SOLID POSITION IN THE CHASE SO FAR? DO YOU WANT TO PLAY IT SAFE OR ARE YOU LOOKING MORE TO GO FOR THE WIN?
“I really feel like it’s just the tough line that any race team walks. Winning is so difficult, but yet so important. We don’t have to win to advance, so I will be wrestling that in my mind and Chad will with his pit calls, but you can’t not try to win races. We are here to win the race. I guess the best example of that that comes to mind to me would be my race with Matt Kenseth at Texas the fall race in 2007/2008. I had a better car, wanted to win the race and get by Matt. I didn’t need to from the points perspective, but I mean we are there to win, I knew that I could win the race. I took some chances to pull that off. It’s really risk management and sometimes you get it right, sometimes you don’t. We don’t have to win to move on. We will keep reminding ourselves of that.”

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT TONY STEWARTS ANNOUNCEMENT WHAT YOU THINK OF IT? WERE YOU A LITTLE SURPRISED THAT HE MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT WHEN HE DID?
“No, I mean I know Tony well and spent a lot of time with him over the years and kind of sensed something was going to change, something was coming. I’m really happy for him. I think the thought that he has put into this, the way he is going about it, I’m excited for him because he’s excited about what’s next. It’s very similar with Jeff (Gordon). It’s so hard to watch somebody you have looked up to and idolized step down or decide that it’s time to do something different. But personally I look at them and I listen to them and their excitement makes me excited for them. At least we get another year with him next year and I certainly hope he gets the wins that he is looking for and leaves with a huge smile on his face.”

THE WAY THAT YOU SEE THESE GUYS RETIRING OR ABOUT TO RETIRE DOES THAT KIND OF INFLUENCE YOUR THINKING ABOUT WHEN IT’S TIME FOR YOU?
“Yeah and I think for myself personally there is a moment when it feels like work, there is a moment when you don’t want to get up and go to the track for whatever the reason is. That is what every driver or any athlete; I guess I should say is trying to be aware of and step down at the right point in time. We are very fortunate as racecar drivers that our career can go much further, but I have to say that Mark Martin racing into your 50’s era is probably gone. The schedule, the demands, everything that goes on, I would say mid 40’s is probably going to be that point for a lot of guys and we have a lot of guys getting close to that age now.”

SPECIFICALLY DO YOU HAVE A TIME IN MIND OF WHEN YOU ARE GOING TO HANG IT UP AND DO SOMETHING ELSE?
“No, I do not have a number and I have not picked a number. As a kid growing up racing and as I got in the sport, I didn’t say, ‘when I get to this age, I am going to step down.’ I haven’t had that conversation and have not picked a number with my wife and said, ‘okay honey, this is the point that I am going to stop’. It’s really been based on feel and I have Chani’s support on that as well. When I feel like it’s time, I am going to make that decision. Certainly don’t feel like it’s time now. I remember watching Rusty (Wallace) pick a number and then remember talking to Rusty in years following that and I still think he’s mad he stopped. I still think he feels like he could be out here racing with us and winning races. So conversations with him, with Dale Jarrett, with other guys…..I have always been curious. Why, when, what tells you to stop? Mark (Martin) tried a half dozen times to retire and couldn’t walk away. So I want to make sure I do it once and not keep coming back. What I am looking for is that moment. That moment that you say, ‘alright, it’s time’. When that shows up, then I will step down.”

THEY DOUBLED THE LENGTH OF THE RESTART ZONE IN PRETTY MUCH ALL THE TRACKS GOING FORWARD. AS A DRIVER, IS THAT ADVANTAGEOUS TO YOU AS THE LEADER? IS IT EASIER TO GET A BETTER RESTART AND DO YOU THINK THE WIDER RESTART ZONE GIVES NASCAR A BETTER OPPORTUNITY OR AMOUNT OF TIME TO JUDGE WHETHER SOMEONE IS JUMPING THE RESTART?
“Yeah, I think it’s just all of them. I think that the restart boxes were on the shorter side, in some respects to keep it easy and just give a given point to go and not allow a lot of gamesmanship to take place in a larger restart zone. So the evolution of it, the way I see it, we have had that and we have all been a little scared to go deep in the restart box as the leader because the flagman doesn’t always necessarily have the best point of view. He is going to throw the green at some point in time and as the leader you want your opportunity to control the race and to try to have the lead in the first turn. So there weren’t calls and people started going earlier and earlier. You had cars leaving six to eight cars before the restart line and that forced NASCAR to start making some calls. Now as we are making the calls, the leader of the race has been put in a disadvantage with such a small restart area. It’s very easy as the second place car to time the roll and to get up and accelerate with the leader because it’s such a small area. I don’t even know how long we are in the restart box, but it’s like a second or two seconds and it’s pretty easy to time that and be there to get an advantage on the leader of the race. But to lengthen that box, I think is a great move. I am hopeful that they lengthen the box and bring it closer to the start/finish line. I think it will slow down some of the three and four wide, into turn one scenarios we have had. It will be less distance to get speed built up closer to the start/finish line and I think we will maybe control that space a little bit better. We should have really better side-by-side restarts, which is what everybody is after. And then obviously, the goal here is to give control back to the guy that has earned it – to the leader. That’s what happens and I am in favor of it. It’s a good call and I am excited to see how it plays out.”

FOR AS DIFFICULT AS IT IS TO WIN THESE RACES, WE HAVE SEEN DRIVERS IN THESE MUST-WIN SITUATIONS AND WON LIKE THERE ARE THIS WEEKEND. HOW DIFFICULT IS THAT AND WHAT MIGHT THESE GUYS BE FACING THIS WEEKEND?
“Yes, it is difficult when you have to move on to win. You just hope that you are at track that is one of your best race tracks. I think that helps stack the deck in your favor to a certain regard. When I had to go to Talladega and to win to move on, that is such a crapshoot. It was really hard to be too emotional or too confident in what our chances were. We had an awesome day and led a ton of the race but unfortunately on the last restart at the end, I didn’t make the right decision and didn’t advance. So I do think it is somewhat track dependent and if you can land on a track that is one of your better tracks, and not necessarily your best track, it only increases the odds. And again, it is not easy to do as you pointed out. But I think the Chase and racing for a championship, brings the best out of a driver and of a team. We just saw championship moments last year.”