MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
GANDER RV 400
TEAM CHEVY JIMMIE JOHNSON POST PRACTICE TRANSCRIPT
MAY 4, 2019
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1, met with media following final practice for the Gander RV 400 where Johnson was fastest in the session. Full Transcript:
TALK ABOUT THAT LAST PRACTICE AND HOW IT WENT
“It went well. You know, the track changed so much from the start of practice to the end. I think all the teams are pretty smart to know that you need to keep changing every time you go out, even if the run before was really strong. We kind of kept that philosophy and stayed with the progression of the track and continued to have a lot of pace in the car. So, it’s amazing how fast we are going after 15-20 laps still. There is not much drop off. There is a lot of drop off when you get to a pack of cars in front of you. I think that tall spoiler gives us a lot of confidence by ourselves, but in traffic I think we are going to have less available air and some issues there.”
WILL THE SPEED CHANGE THE NATURE OF THE RACE AND WILL YOU?
“No, its all relative. We can have tire issues here on a green track and our goal has always been to not be the first guy with one. I just think it’s the same environment and the same issues. One thing I did see that was really nice is that the outside lane seemed to have a bit more of an opportunity. With lower downforce packages here you can’t commit to running a lot of wide-open throttle around the outside. Today in practice at least, with all this downforce, I could climb in the throttle hard and carry a lot of speed off the corners. I saw some other cars out there doing it too. So, maybe this package will open up the groove and get us two or three lanes of great side-by-side racing.”
IT LOOKED LIKE YOU WERE ABLE TO MAKE SOME MOVES OUT THERE IN PRACTICE. DOES THAT GIVE YOU ANY CONFIDENCE THAT IF IT COMES TO PASSING THAT ITS GOING TO BE AN OPTION FOR YOU GUYS?
“Yeah, that’s when I kind of discovered the outside lane working as well as it was. I would assume I was on newer tires than them and it really wasn’t a fair fight. But I still made pretty quick work of all those guys, was able to learn a lot, and have this optimism that I do carrying into the race.”
DO YOU THINK YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO BE AGGRESSIVE WITH YOUR CAR TOMORROW TO CLOSE IT OUT?
“I think it’s the same that we have seen for a long, long time. Just at a faster pace. Pit stops, track position, good restarts…. all those core values are still as important as ever. And maybe even more important now with the big hole the cars punch in the air. All of that stuff is more of a premium, I think. You can’t really be patient. Again, I just think it is on a scale where we go up against that limit if it is a second faster or a second slower based on the rules. And we are still at that limit.”
TEAM HENDRICK IS ON THE FRONT ROW. YOU GUYS ARE GETTING BETTER AND BETTER. IS THIS A SHOT IN THE ARM FOR WILLIAM BYRON AND CHASE ELLIOTT?
“Yes, I believe so. You saw our speed at the plate tracks, Texas was good for our company, this weekend has been a good weekend, but at Richmond we were a bit off. We are putting pieces of the puzzle together and it seems like three of the five disciplines we have a much better handle on right now, which is very encouraging.”
IS THIS AS GOOD AS YOU HAVE FELT GOING INTO A RACE DAY IN A WHILE?
“No, maybe I am a fool, but just every time I come here, I feel like this. This is just one of those places that an athlete finds a bond with a facility or a venue that they connect with. I don’t care if I have only three wheels on that thing, I still feel like I would have a shot to win. I just love this place.”
WHAT HAS CHANGED IN BETWEEN RACES IN YOUR LIFE OVER THE PAST 15-16 YEARS?
“My physical fitness routine has changed quite a bit. I have two young kids, so that has changed life at home and what I do there. Another big piece is the lack of testing we have now. I can think back to years when we tested twenty plus times. We tested every time we could at a NASCAR-sanctioned track and then more at other tracks. To build speed now, its kind of won in the office or in a board room. I spend a lot more time in meetings and a lot more time looking at data. Simulation is now very important to what we do. When I started, we could physically get out there and go to work and make speed, but now its kind of done in an office.”