So we sat down and tried to look at what had happened to us and how we can be better and giving more guys responsibility and trying to take a deep breath and I just applaud both of them. They made that decision, and they have just ?? when things got tough this year, they cinched it up between the two of them. I've seen Chad tell Jimmie, "Hey, man, things are going to be great." And I've heard Jimmie tell the same to Chad. I think it's just one wanting to make it work and making that decision at the end of the year last year, and I'm real proud of them because we went through some pretty tough times and some times where you could point fingers or get just ?? let the pressure get to you and they never did this year. I think that's why they rebounded so tough in the case, and that's as good of a combination as I've ever had in racing.
Q:
Jimmie, the last two winners of the Chase have struggled to defend their title. This year you managed to win the sport's three biggest prizes; The Championship, Daytona and Indianapolis. What do you guys do for an encore, how do you keep that fire burning, and not let what happened to the last two champions happen to you and not defend your title?
JJ:
Better answer that that question in
Daytona. Right now I'm just worried about getting a cold beverage and celebrating. I'm not even considering next year. We are going to enjoy this and just focus on what we've done tonight and this season.
Q:
From the very beginning, actually before the very beginning, you have repeatedly said, this was your year, and even when you fell down in the Chase, you didn't concede as so many people did wrongly. Is this the way you feel every year, is it a matter of if at first you don't succeed, try, try again, or is it something beyond that in this conquest that this is your year that you've expressed all season long?
JJ:
I'm not sure I necessarily called it as my year, but I can say that our fifth season being together, and maturing together, Chad and I, last year at the end of the season, we just pushed so hard that there was no question that we were going to come back and work together. Just we needed to figure out a new format to do it. He has the utmost trust and faith in me and I have the same in him. This year we needed to have a different approach.
![Jimmie Johnson's 2006 championship winning team. [Pic Credit image.net]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/281326.jpg)
