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| Jimmie Johnson is 8/1 to win at Charlotte Sunday. |
“I’m thankful to everyone working so hard at Hendrick Motorsports that has put so much emphasis on giving me great cars for the Chase. Last week was a race that got away from us -- my team gave me the best car I’ve ever had at Dover -- but we are now heading to Charlotte, also one of our best tracks. We had a lot of speed a few weeks ago in Chicago and have led a lot of laps in the last three races. This Chase is tough. Every week we have to perform. This track is in Lowe’s corporate’s backyard, so it would be great to win at home.”
ROUND OF 12: With his seventh place effort in Dover, Johnson propelled himself and the No. 48 Lowe’s team into the second round of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series playoffs – the Round of 12. Johnson will have the next three races -- Charlotte, Kansas and Talladega -- to secure a spot in the Round of 8.
PAINTING WALL PINK: On Wednesday, Sept. 28, Johnson joined retired American professional soccer player Mia Hamm at Charlotte Motor Speedway to help raise awareness for a very important cause: Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Alongside partner Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina employees and many breast cancer survivors, the two athletes helped paint the pit wall pink to honor those who have fought and currently are fighting the disease. Click here to see photos from the event.
FIRST START: Charlotte Motor Speedway is special to Johnson for many reasons, one of which is the fact that it is the location of his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start on Oct. 7, 2001. Johnson started the No. 48 Lowe’s Power of Pride Chevrolet in the 15th position and was involved in an incident on Lap 192, forcing a 39th-place finish. Six Sprint Cup championships and 77 wins later, Johnson has been fortunate enough to maintain his partnership with Lowe’s and to carry the Lowe’s Home Improvement logo on his No. 48 Chevrolet for 536 starts since the first outing.
PINK HAT FOR BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH: In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Johnson and No. 48 team crew chief Chad Knaus will sport pink accents on their Team Lowe’s Racing hats.
CHARLOTTE DRIVER RATING: According to NASCAR's loop data statistics, Johnson has the series-best driver rating at Charlotte with a score of 109.6 during the past 10 years at the track. The driver rating is a formula that combines wins, top-15 finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, most laps led and lead-lap finishes. The maximum a driver can earn in each race is 150 points. The driver rating number is used pre-race as a prediction tool and post-race as a performance evaluator. Johnson also has the series-best average running position with an 8.310.
WHERE HE STARTS: Johnson’s last win in the 500-mile event at Charlotte Motor Speedway was on Oct. 17, 2009. Johnson started from the pole, led 92 laps and finished first. Twice in his career, Johnson has won the 600-mile event from the pole position. The first was in 2004 when Johnson started first and led 334 out of 400 laps en route to victory. The second time was in May 2014 when Johnson won the pole and led 164 laps on his way to the win. Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Charlotte with a 7.767.
SIX-TIME IS ALL-TIME AT CHARLOTTE: Johnson has a total of seven Sprint Cup wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway with four coming in the 600-mile event. His victory in 2014 broke a tie with NASCAR Hall of Famers Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip, making Johnson the all-time series points-paying win leader at Charlotte. He also leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Charlotte with 1,740 laps led in 30 starts.
JIMMIE JOHNSON WELLNESS VIRTUAL TRIATHLON: Being a part of #TeamJJF means staying involved and being up-to-date with the Jimmie Johnson Foundation and its events not only by participating, but also by following through social media. The Jimmie Johnson Foundation is launching its first “virtual triathlon." Joining #TeamJJF is a perfect way to support the Jimmie Johnson Foundation’s mission of assisting children, families and communities in need while taking on a personal athletic challenge. The Jimmie Johnson Foundation Virtual Triathlon takes place during the month of the month of October. The challenge is to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run 26.2 miles. Learn more here.
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