Q&A: Johnson, Grubb, Hendrick

Tuesday, 21st February 2006

After winning NASCAR’s biggest race. Jimmie Johnson, his team boss Rick Hendrick and stand-in crew-chief Darian Grubb sat down to talk about their greatest triumph together to date.

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The team had a huge burden, huge amount of pressure put on them, and they've been able to step up. So really across the board, anything you could dream up, we've had as much pressure on this team for this weekend's race that we've ever had. I would say even more than the championship races that we've been in. We really needed to pull ourselves together and come out and do the best job that we could do here for the Daytona 500, and we did it.

Q.
You've come close to winning a championship and perhaps you've been overshadowed by your teammate, Jeff Gordon, Tony's championship, maybe even Junior. Do you wonder what it takes to establish a Jimmie Johnson era?

JIMMIE JOHNSON:
Well, I'm trying hard. You know, you're talking about the greats of the sport. In my eyes, it's not an overshadowing, it's just means that I've needed to go out and try harder and work harder and perfect my abilities, and the team as well, to work on some things. We've been able to step up and do it.

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When you talk about Jeff Gordon, his accomplishments, Tony Stewart, Dale, Jr., that's great company. I'm honoured to be up here as a champion of the Daytona 500 with these guys.

Q.
Are you superstitious? At the start of the week, did you realize it was a good omen that it was the 48th Daytona 500?

JIMMIE JOHNSON:
You know, Chad mentioned that before we came down, thought that the numbers may bring us some luck. Then the way the week started, I completely forgot about that, didn't pay a lot of attention to it until I talked to my dad in Victory Lane, and he reminded me of that on the telephone.

I don't think there's really a lot to it, but it's pretty cool it's worked out, being the 48th running of this race, and we're the 48 car.

Q.
How did it change what your input was today, how did it change your role in this? How did you have to step up in Chad's not being here?

JIMMIE JOHNSON:
Chad is such a leader, spends so much time really being around the guys, not only putting a set-up underneath the car, but also really keeping the morale up, keeping everybody focused on what they're doing.