But I can't really comment on that because I didn't see. I watch our cars. If our car's involved, you know, I think I'm familiar with it. But I think if Jeff said that he thought they took the air off the front of the car, got into the wall, he said it was probably partially his fault. I don't think in that situation that was the case.
Q.
Darian, I wanted to find out what your normal race day duties would be and what was the toughest decision you had to make today?
DARIAN GRUBB:
Normal race days, I hang out in the two seats over from Chad. We have an engineer in between us that runs fuel mileage, keeps up with the race, keeps up with all the laps, green and yellow laps, things like that. I just kind of try to pay attention to what's going on in the race, see who takes two tires, how they work out, who takes the four tires, who can make it on fuel, who can't, pay attention. I scan other teams, see what they do for track bar adjustments, weight adjustments, see how it's affecting their cars.
I try to pass that information along to Chad so he can use it and make his decisions for the adjustments.
Q.
What was the move of the race, as far as you're concerned?
JIMMIE JOHNSON:
I guess what got me the lead, which was the 2 and the 12, if I remember right, were on the top lane making the top work. I got up to block it. Brian stayed on the bottom. Just edged me ahead in front of Brian before the caution came out. Once I was at the point, that was my goal, if we could get the lead after the last pit stop, be leading late in the race. I feel like the racing that takes place in the closing laps, everybody prefers the bottom. Things happen from second on back that really protect the leader. I wanted to be in that position, be the leader in the closing laps. It really worked out. We were able to get our nose ahead of Brian. The caution came out, got the lead, I could control the race at that point.
Q.
Were you happy to see Newman pull out and try to go with you? They had no momentum at that point, you could just take off.
JIMMIE JOHNSON:
When he pulled out, I was nervous. Once the 42 got inside of him and they stalled out side by side, at that point I felt pretty good about the victory. Trying to understand what Ryan was going to do, he was trying to get me off the bottom so he could take that spot. I was trying to block him to a certain degree, but not leave the inside open. So it was pretty nerve-wracking at that point. I was just waiting for his move looking in the mirror. He made it. The 42 stayed with me.
Q.
You said that maybe you guys would be better well-served to not give as much, maybe you were pushing too hard. Do you mean you didn't give 110% because you didn't think after the challenges of the weekend you would have these opportunities? Why did you hold back or did you just soften up?
JIMMIE JOHNSON:
No, the hardest thing being a driver, especially on a plate track, is when you have some momentum and you feel like you can pass someone, you want to take advantage of that and try to pass. But there's more to the pass than the energy that you have in your excitement, your desire to win and race.
![Jimmie Johnson (Lowes/Hendrick Motorsport Chevrolet) celebrates his win in the 2006 Daytona 500 [pic GM Media/Dorsey Patrick]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/194780.jpg)
