But it's hard to argue with the success that we've had with the Chase, but I do think it's all about winning races, and I think both in the regular season and in the Chase, I think that there should be more points for wins.
JJ:
I think it's tough to really evaluate. I mean, you look back to Kurt Busch's season, he didn't have the best getting started but in the Chase he was rock solid. I really think that if you have ten cars and you rerack, and you give all ten an opportunity, or next year it opens up to 15 or whatever it may be, there are a lot of great race teams in this sport and when you start it over after 26 races and such a small spread, anybody is dangerous, anybody has potential to win.
Q:
In 2004 and 2005, you had led most of the season in the points, like 26 weeks atop the points, it was always during the month of February, March, April, May, June, July; to have not been able to close it out those years, how hollow did it feel at the end of those and can you compare it with this year where you led and this time you were able to get it done?
JJ:
2004 was tougher on me because I felt we were very competitive had some bad luck but we were racing our way back into it and I felt like 2004 was the year for us. Last year we got a decent start and we kept pace with Tony and those guys were just out performing us and we were ?? it wasn't a big hollow empty feeling and it felt terrible not having a chance to fight for it. But 2004, there were periods in the race out here, where I thought, this is it, it's going to happen, I have a tingling feeling and I look up in my mirror with the closing laps and the 97, I couldn't get rid of him. That year was more painful than last year.
Again, I just want to say it again, we have been building a team to be a championship team, and take the expectations as a compliment. 2004 we were close, and last year we felt we should be there; and that's three of four of our existence. We've done an awesome job in a short period of time.
Q:
Being a champion, what does that mean to you not only on the track but now you become the face of Nextel Cup next year, doing all of the interviews and stuff, how do you feel about?
JJ:
It's a huge honour to represent our sport and to be the champion. It's going to sink in and I'm really, really going to enjoy this experience. I've been jealous the last four years watching the different champions go through banquet week and the things that go on, and I've just wanted to be in that position.
![Jimmie Johnson's 2006 championship winning team. [Pic Credit image.net]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/281326.jpg)
