“But my role I think, is going to change. Chad is such a great leader and cheerleader for our team and obviously is there when the garage opens until it closes – keeping everybody's energy up and keeping them focused on the right things. I think that Darian Grubb who is going to be filling in as crew chief and Ron Malec (car chief, rear tyre carrier). It's going to be their jobs to really stand up and lead the team along with myself.
“I'm obviously not going to be there and going in with them in the mornings when the gate opens. So these guys really have to step up. I have all the confidence in the world in them. I think they're going to do an amazing job. It's going to be quite a loss not to have Chad here, but he's done a great job of training us all and hopefully we can be out on the track and perform as if he were here.”
Q
DOES IT CONCERN YOU THAT OVER THE COURSE OF TIME THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL VIOLATIONS CALLED AGAINST CHAD AND BY EXTENSION, THAT YOUR TEAM IS DEVELOPING A REPUTATION OF SOMEBODY THAT PUSHES THE ENVELOPE BEYOND THE LIMITS AND THEREFORE SOME OF THE SUCCESS YOU HAVE ENJOYED OVER THE YEARS HAS BEEN TAINTED BECAUSE OF THAT REPUTATION?
JIMMIE JOHNSON
“No, I don't think so, it just depends upon how you want to look at it in my opinion. We look at what took place last year; we had an appeal overturned. That, I thought, would have sent a big message out to the racing world that said 'Hey, look. They were accused of something, then it was overturned.' Because, as we all know, the appeal process is never overturned. So, with that in mind, I thought that was a big credit to our team.
![Jimmie Johnson addresses the media in Las Vegas. [Pic Credit Todd Warshaw/Getty Images]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/192828.jpg)
