Double NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson has warned his rivals in this month's Grand-Am season-opener that he will not be taking things easy in preparation for his title defence when he joins Rolex Series champions GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing for the Daytona 24 Hours.
In what will be his fourth career Rolex 24 start, Johnson is hungrier to win the race than ever and knows that, in teaming with Alex Gurney, Jon Fogarty and Jimmy Vasser in the #99 Pontiac Riley, he has a good chance of success.
“I'm here strictly to win,” the Californian said, “I will have fun during the event and all that, but this team is a championship-winning team, a race-winning team, and we're here to win the race.
“The first two years, it was more for fun, then I took a year off and I watched Casey Mears, a great friend of mine, win. I watched that event on television and said 'you know, I finished second in this thing and I've got to work hard to find a ride that I can go down there and have a chance of winning with'. Being a line-up with guys like this, it's really a dream come true to come down here and compete and be a favourite for this event.”
Johnson joined his new team-mates for the third and final day of the weekend's test, handling the majority of the driving as the team went through its final preparations for the 46th Rolex 24 at the end of the month, and quickly turning in comparable lap times.
"The team is working on different things but, from my standpoint, I was trying to get up to speed and not tear up their great race car," Johnson said, "I just wanted to get in some laps and get up to the pace that I need to be at. I think I'm there, and I think it's time to race. I feel great in the car and I got a lot of laps here today. I am really looking forward to coming back."
Team owner Stallings likes the all-star addition to his championship line-up, and was pleased with all of their work over the weekend. Last year's polesitter, Gurney turned the team's quickest lap of the test with a Friday time of 1min 41.761secs, the fifth best time overall, while Fogarty topped Saturday night's session.
"We had a good test and the guys did a real good job all weekend," Stallings said, "Jimmie Johnson did a great job coming in here today and getting right up to speed, Jimmy Vasser is real strong at Daytona, and Alex and Jon ran like the champions that they are.
"We will keep working with the new Pirellis - it is a great racing tyre, but much more sensitive than what we have run in the past. The Rolex 24 is going to come down to tyre management and who can get the most out of the new Pirellis and take care of them. We are up to the challenge."
