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."
![Alex Gurney/Jon Fogarty/Jimmy Vasser/Jimmie Johnson - GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Riley-Pontiac [pic credit: Grand-Am]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/401749.jpg)
