NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
MEDIA DAY
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
FEBRUARY 16, 2016
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS met with media during Media Day at Daytona International Speedway. Full Transcript:
JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yeah, when you know you’re not hyping yourself up, not trying to make yourself look good for the team, when you know, that’s a sweet spot that all athletes dream of being in. Doesn’t matter if you’re a batter, pitcher, receiver, quarterback, racecar driver, those are the moments you live for and hope that you have a chance to experience.
I’ve been very fortunate for years that that has happened, quite a few years. It is cool. There’s nothing like it.
Q. (No microphone.)
JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yeah, it’s been quite a few years since I’ve had that attachment to the car, now that we have the Car of Tomorrow and the way things work out. I can’t tell you which car works.
We did have a car, it was No. 59 that was the bread-and-butter car for us, in the Monte-Carlo era. I didn’t even need to see the numbering on the car. I just knew the way the seat fit me, the steering wheel, I knew that racecar. That car literally won 90%, 95% of our races in the Monte-Carlo era.
Q. What does it mean to be on the drivers council?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: Just spending time and being aware. I think it’s been a fun and good experience for everyone, even if you’re not on the council. It’s created a lot of conversation between the drivers. Even if we don’t agree, that’s fine. But having a voice, knowing your voice is heard, presenting to council members.
Now being on the council, the daily interaction that takes place, outside of my three other teammates, which I don’t even talk to daily, there’s much more conversation with these guys. That’s been an interesting perk to it all that I didn’t see coming.
Q. (No microphone.)
JIMMIE JOHNSON: I mean, I’ve been trying to bang that drum for a long time. I’ve talked to track owners, operators about it. I’ve mentioned it to all of you, as well.
I just think when you look at how many cars were taken out of the race, we would have a much better race if the grass wasn’t there. I didn’t hit anything. All I did was go through the grass, got the nose ripped off. I know there were many other cars that went through the same thing.
When you look at Ryan’s crash on the frontstretch here, he was fine till he got on the grass, then he started flipping. Grass doesn’t slow you down like asphalt does. When you look at Kyle’s impact in the XFINITY race.
My opinion, grass belongs on golf courses. We need asphalt around here to slow the cars down, control the cars.
Q. Are you the kind of guy that with all your championships would have spoken up before the driver council? I envision you having a lot of ideas. If someone would ask you, you’d give them. I don’t see you pounding on the door and demanding to be heard.
JIMMIE JOHNSON: There’s things that I’ve felt strongly about that I’ve gone into the NASCAR trailer and have talked before the council was in place.
I remember going in and trying to talk to Bill France Jr. scared to death because I didn’t know him.
If there was something like I felt I needed to say, I’ve always worked the courage up to do it.
Then being in this council and being around the drivers and understanding where everybody’s coming from, it’s created a much more friendly environment. I think as we add another year or two under our belts, it’s going to be even more productive yet.
It was fun to sit in the council meeting, and at the very end Kyle Larson said something, and we all hazed him, You are awake, you did say something.
It’s intimidating. You’re here in your second year, you’re sitting in a room with all the NASCAR executives and the established drivers, it’s hard to find the courage to say what’s on your mind because you don’t want to look like a fool or get it wrong.
I certainly have been much more careful about things that I say and when I say it. Now there’s a much more comfortable format for everybody to get involved.
Q. If you don’t ultimately win a seventh championship, have you thought about that?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: My life sucks. That would be terrible (smiling).
Q. Would you be relatively okay with that?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: Absolutely. Man, honestly, my goal was to win a race when I came in. I thought, Man, if I can win a race, they’ll keep me around for a couple more years, make a little money, then I’ll go back racing dirt, life will be good.
To win three in that first year, I realized quickly that I needed to reframe my goals, set some new marks out there for myself.
Then I looked at a championship, then we knocked off five straight, on and on. So, yes, I’m very happy with where I’m at. Am I satisfied? No. But I’m very satisfied with where I’m at.
Q. Do you know how funny you are on Twitter when you answer questions like that? Do you sometimes sit back and laugh because you are very funny?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: I do much better if I have a minute or two to process my answer. I think Clint and Junior, there are witty guys that can pull it out on the spot. Stewart is good at it. Give me a minute, let me process it, a drink and a minute, then I’ll really get some good ones. It’s fun.
Q. (Question regarding sending Chase to tests.)
JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yes, he’s low man, but at the same time there’s certain test sessions that have come up that really could be useful for him. Getting those reps, having the seat time. Now once we get into the Goodyear tire tests, other really meaningful test sessions, even if the driver is a little grumpy about losing a day or two to testing, the driver’s team, the driver’s engineers, crew chiefs, Oh, hey, we want that.
We’re trying to be aware of and let him get as many reps as we can. At the same time balance it all out. We towed out to Vegas to get that done because we felt like we needed a veteran driver there to start the year. It’s something important to our race team because KOBALT is sponsoring the event. We’re very intentional with what we’re doing and how we’re using the dates.
We’re finding ways to haze Chase.
Q. Anything particular you want to share?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: We have to wait a few more months until he turns 21, then it’s an open gate. It’s like we’re dealing with a minor in some respects. So we’re going easy on him.
Q. How impressed are you with him? Jeff’s car, his dad. That’s a lot.
JIMMIE JOHNSON: It is. Thankfully his dad is Bill Elliott. Thankfully he’s grown up in these motorhome lots, at the tracks, on the road. He’s watched his father have great success. He’s got a very, very good pulse on things.
We all see it and we all know he’s going to do a very good job.
Q. How strange is it that Jeff Gordon isn’t out there anymore?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: It is strange, but I still haven’t raced against the 24 yet, so I don’t know exactly. But it was really weird seeing a picture of him posted. I think I saw it on Twitter. He was standing around the 24 car with Chase and Alan. The car was on pole. Jeff was standing there in street clothes. I never thought I would see that.
There’s been some weird, but there’s more weird coming.
Q. (No microphone.)
JIMMIE JOHNSON: I guess competition is why. You’re worried about your own stuff. You have your own issues going on. Your head is in a certain spot. You don’t know this other guy that’s your neighbor in the motorhome all that well. You start talking. He might be in a pissy mood, so are you. You don’t have a good exchange.
Why am I doing this? Where is this going anyway? Who is this going to benefit? I have to worry about making my car go fast.
When we’re all in a room and we see that NASCAR wants to hear what we have to say, the team owners want to hear what we have to say, this started a year and a half now, wow, we need to be aligned, people do care what we have to say.
In the environment I came into even, there was only a handful of drivers that felt comfortable enough and were established enough to walk into the truck and have those conversations. During that era, I was not one of those guys, so I didn’t develop that line of communication.
So now we’re in a place that it does. And sitting in the council meeting that I did the other day, I’ve known Denny and I’ve raced against him. I wouldn’t know as much about him now and where his heart is if it wasn’t for the council. Same with Brad.
You hear Kevin’s points of view knowing he’s been an owner, how he thinks about things. I’m learning more about my competitors than I ever did. So the environment we’re in is I think very productive and it’s great to have a voice.
Q. (No microphone.)
JIMMIE JOHNSON: Have to be early in the year after everybody’s forgot about the previous years, yeah. It might work.
Q. They say drivers, even if you all get to know each other better, you can’t get too close. Is that true?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: You can’t. It’s tough. I don’t know. There’s some weird energy there that you only get so close. You’re closer to teammates, form deeper relationships and bonds with. But competition does things that you don’t even realize.
I mean, you put your best foot forward to be open, but competition does strange things.
Q. (No microphone.)
JIMMIE JOHNSON: 100%. I maybe said it a little differently. I said, Once he learns how to win a race, he’s never going to stop. Once he learns how to win championships, he’s never going to stop.
I feel like he has more championships in his future for sure. I think Kevin said it perfectly. He’s stood in his own way many times. He’s done a lot of growing. How old is he now? 28 maybe?
Q. 30.
JIMMIE JOHNSON: Is he 30? One thing I was going to try to touch on is I’m thankful I came in, my first year, I was 25, then turned 26. I can’t imagine coming in at 18. I was overwhelmed at 25.
He’s grown up in the spotlight.
Q. (Question about being young in NASCAR.)
JIMMIE JOHNSON: The aspect of driving the car is one dimension to a Cup driver’s job duties. To your kind of question there, to manage pressure, it’s easy when it’s simple, when you first get started. Everybody gives you the space you need. Your sponsors, we’re just going to let you find your way, the team, all of that.
After eight months go by, you get to the end of the first year, have you won and can you win? You’ve won, can you win again? You’re 15th in points, can you be 10th? You’re 10th, can you be 5th? The machine starts, and that part grinds on you and wears you down. That’s the part that’s hard.
I think that’s why you’re seeing drivers retire and step down at an earlier age. It’s just the grind, it’s everything. If it was just simply showing up and driving like you did your rookie year, you’d never get Stewart or Jeff Gordon out of the seat. They’d go forever.
Q. What is your role in the car dealership?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: The dealership, when I had my opportunity, was as much or as little as I wanted to participate in. With it being so far away from where home is now, it’s really kind of a West Coast swing. We try to do fan club events. With our golf tournament, we’ve built some time to come into the dealership and be around.
I’ve really fallen on Rick’s management group to run and operate the dealership.
Down the road someday when I retire, I would have the opportunity to be more involved if I wanted to. But schedule, proximity. My name is on it more than anything. It’s really Hendrick Automotive group running it behind the scenes.
Q. You won the 500 and the championship, the biggest prizes in this sport. Does having one affect the way you feel and need to win the other?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yeah, for sure. My first for both came in the same year. So to win my first 500, it was the first time I had a title. Way back then, it was rookie or youngster Jimmie Johnson. Then all of a sudden I would go out to driver intros, it was Daytona 500-winning driver Jimmie Johnson. This race is the only race that bestows a title on its winner.
For IndyCar, it’s obviously the Indy 500.
But it’s very special. Guys that are on their way to at least the Hall of Fame ballot by winning, it’s not really championship related. This race is massive and can completely make a career whole for someone.