NASCAR Las Vegas Betting Preview: 2020 South Point 400

Let the quarterfinals begin!

The opening round has been completed and four drivers have been chopped to start NASCAR’s Playoffs.

Now it’s off to the Round of 12 which begins Sunday night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s 1.5-mile high banked tri-oval. It’s the third straight season the South Point 400 has been run in the fall as the second Cup Series date on the LVMS schedule.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
LAS VEGAS BETTING RESOURCES
Date: Sunday, September 27, 2020
TV-Time: NBCSN, 7:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada

The first Vegas race this season was the second points-paying race on the schedule and was won by Joey Logano, his second win in the last three Vegas races.

Here’s a quick reboot of what happened on that day in late February. Logano only won because of a tire compound that didn’t wear as much. He didn’t pit with five laps to go as everyone else did upfront, including leader Ryan Blaney. Staying out with Logano was Matt DiBenedetto finishing second, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. third, Austin Dillon fourth, Jimmie Johnson fifth, and Bubba Wallace sixth.

Almost all of them had their tires hold up. The drivers who pitted underestimated the need for new tires. Logano, who pretended he didn’t hear his crew chief tell him to pit, couldn’t be passed.

The old tires stuck to the asphalt. And those same tires also produced back-to-back triple-digit payouts with Cole Custer (300/1) winning at Kentucky Speedway and Austin Dillon (100/1) winning the following week at Texas Motor Speedway.

The left-side Goodyear tires will be the same as the Vegas race from February, but the right sides will be a different code to give the drivers more grip.

"Key to making the optimum tire recommendation is the review of all the data that is generated, whether it be from practices throughout a weekend, testing, or as is the only opportunity right now, from the actual races," said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing.

"What we’ve seen and heard at several of the low-wear tracks, is the Cup cars could stand to have a little more grip, so we have made a step in that direction for Las Vegas, as well as Kansas and Texas. Vegas and Texas shared the same tire set-up at their earlier races, and we brought that same right-side to Kansas as well, so they have been basically aligned all season. They remain so with this new right-side as we enhance the grip level at all three."

READ MORE HERE......TOP-5 FINISH PREDICTION ON VEGASINSIDER.COM

Jimmie Johnson is 30/1 to win Thursday night at Kansas

Jimmie Johnson has three wins at Kansas.

Driver Jimmie Johnson on Kansas Speedway:
“Kansas is one of my favorite tracks we go to. I’m so encouraged as to how we ran at Texas before we had the accident. It (the Ally Chevrolet) was such a rocket. Major kudos to the guys at the shop setting up these cars week in and out for us – without the ability to practice if the cars were way off we would be in big trouble. They are really close every week. Kansas has evolved so much and there is this aging that happens with the racing surfaces on these tracks to with they come into their own after 10 or 15 years and Kansas is now one of those tracks in its ‘prime’. I find it to be one of the most racy and competitive mile and a half tracks we race on right now.”


KANSAS WINS: Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson has seen plenty of success over the course of his 27 starts at Kansas Speedway, accumulating a record three wins at the 1.5-mile track. The driver’s most recent win there came on May 9, 2015, when he led the final 10 laps to edge Kevin Harvick for the victory. Johnson owns 28 career Cup Series wins on 1.5-mile tracks, the most of all-time. At Kansas, he also has the second-most top-five finishes (nine), the most top-10s (19) and the fourth-most laps led (601).

ABOVE AVERAGE AT KANSAS: Johnson had the sixth-best average finish at Kansas Speedway last season. He finished sixth in the spring event and 10th in the fall for an average finish of 8.0. Hendrick Motorsports was strong overall at Kansas in 2019, with Chase Elliott posting the top average result (3.0) and Alex Bowman the fifth-best (6.5).

TEXAS REWIND: Fast cars don’t always win. Mired by a pit road penalty after driving into the top 10 from his 20th-place starting position at Texas Motor Speedway, Johnson again drove back into the top 10 from 32nd after serving his penalty. As he continued his forward march, misfortune struck when Johnson got into the marbles and hit the wall on lap 117 causing significant damage. The team stayed the course even though they were multiple laps down and moved from 40th to 26th for the finish. All in all, Johnson passed 32 cars for position under green flag conditions throughout the race at Texas.

PLAYOFF PICTURE: With eight races remaining in the regular season before the NASCAR playoffs begin, Johnson is 15th in the point standings, two points above teammate William Byron in 16th. Johnson missed the event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in early July due to a positive COVID-19 test, but NASCAR granted the driver a playoff waiver if he were to otherwise qualify for the post-season.

BUSY IN THE PITS: The No. 48 crew ranks ninth in the NASCAR Cup Series with an average four-tire stop time of 14.21 seconds. The team is coached by Jon Carvin and consists of veteran gasman Brandon Harder, tire carrier Allan Stallings, jackman Kyle Tudor and tire changers Calvin Teague and Donnie Tasser.

ALLY SALUTES: On Thursday night in Kansas, primary sponsor Ally will honor Airman First Class and United States Airforce reservist LaToya Freeman with her name on the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet. Freeman, a Jacksonville, Florida, native is stationed at Duke Field, 919th Special Operations Wing, and has been a supervisor in Ally’s Jacksonville office for the last 10 years.

Jimmie Johnson cleared to race at Kentucky

That was fast!

CONCORD, N.C. (July 8, 2020) – Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson has been cleared to return to competition. He will drive the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for Hendrick Motorsports in this weekend’s Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway.

After testing positive for COVID-19 Friday afternoon, Johnson did not compete at Indianapolis on Sunday, marking the first time he has missed a race in his Cup Series career. He tested negative twice this week – on Monday and Tuesday – and was cleared by his physician Tuesday evening in accordance with NASCAR guidelines. The driver never experienced symptoms.

“My family is so grateful for the incredible love and support we’ve received over the last several days,” Johnson said. “I especially want to thank Justin Allgaier for stepping in for me at Indy and being a true pro. I’m excited about getting back to business with my team this weekend.”

Following Johnson’s diagnosis, four Hendrick Motorsports crew members were tested for COVID-19 with all four receiving negative results. The No. 48 team will have its regular personnel roster for Sunday’s event at Kentucky (2:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1).

Johnson, 44, is currently 15th in the driver standings, 46 points above the cutoff for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.

Hendrick Motorsports has implemented detailed procedures to protect the health of its team members. They include daily COVID-19 screenings at the team facilities; the separation of facility operations and traveling personnel; split work schedules; stringent face covering and social distancing requirements; and an increased level of disinfecting and sanitization of all work areas.

Jimmie Johnson goes for ninth career Charlotte win

This looks like a winning car.

Jimmie Johnson on the meaning of racing on Memorial Day weekend: 

“Memorial Day is a special time, and I’m so thankful that everyone associated with NASCAR puts out a big effort for all the men and women who have served our country. Both my grandfathers served, and my brother-in-law served. To have Cpl. Deans on my car and run a special paint scheme is a big honor for me to recognize the individual and all those who have lost a loved one.”

Johnson on how special Charlotte Motor Speedway is to him and running what are likely his final two points races on the oval:
“It’s hard to pick one thing that I love about Charlotte. Driving-wise, it’s a lot like Dover, ironically. It’s similar in the straightaways and the corners. I took well to it. Chad (Knaus) took well to it, and Hendrick Motorsports historically always has had good cars there. Chad's crew chief style and my driving style really just put the icing on the cake, and we just made it work. There has always been a neat ‘Hendrick experience’ as a Hendrick Motorsports driver to go to that track and know you’re going to have more power than anyone and a better car. Mr. H (car owner Rick Hendrick) just glows when we’re able to perform the way we have in his backyard for him. It makes me smile every time I think about him jumping on the door of the car when I gave him a lift to victory lane. Another good Mr. Hendrick story is that I won a free car from him for winning the pole in the 600. He leaned in at qualifying and wished me luck and said, ‘You win the pole, you can have the car of your choice.’ So I won the pole and called him on the way home and held him to it, which was super cool. My first Cup Series start was there. Gosh, I lost one of my best friends there, Blaise Alexander. I will always have a lot of really good thoughts and memories there, and a pretty sad one, but there is no doubt I'll have a flood of emotions when we start our engines these next two races. I'm going to miss it."

Army Cpl. Patrick Deans posted the following on his Facebook page about one month prior to his death:
“A Veteran is someone, who at one point in their life wrote a blank check payable to the United States of America for an amount up to, and including, their life. That is beyond honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer remember that fact.”


KING OF THE QUEEN CITY: Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson will make his final two starts on the Charlotte Motor Speedway oval on May 24 and 27. With eight total victories there – half of them coming in the marathon 600-mile race – he is the track’s all-time wins leader. In Cup competition, Johnson has led 1,930 total laps (second all-time to Bobby Allison) and posted three pole positions, 16 top-five finishes and 22 top-10s there.
DO IT FOR DEANS: This weekend, Johnson’s No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE will feature the name of Army Cpl. Patrick Deans on the windshield. A native of Winter Garden, Florida, Deans served in the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team based in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He died in action on Dec. 12, 2010, in Afghanistan when a suicide bomber attacked his unit, killing five other soldiers and wounding 11. Posthumously, Deans received the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Bronze Service Star, Iraq Campaign Medal with Bronze Service Star, and the Combat Infantryman Badge. He died two days before his 23rd birthday.

HERO PREVIEW: Last week, Johnson and primary sponsor Ally gave troops stationed in North Carolina a sneak peek at the special No. 48 paint scheme the driver will race in the Memorial Day weekend event at Charlotte as part of the NASCAR Salutes and 600 Miles of Remembrance tributes to military heroes. Johnson interacted with 16 representatives of the Air Force, Coast Guard, Army, Air National Guard and USO during a video conference. The seven-time NASCAR champion thanked the troops for their sacrifice, answered questions and previewed the olive drab-colored paint scheme. During the virtual gathering, Johnson was joined by David Shevsky, chief operating officer for Ally Auto Finance, to announce a $20,000 donation to the USO of North Carolina’s Protect the Force 2020 initiative to support military families facing additional difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Johnson and Ally are each donating $10,000 to the USO’s charitable fund.

SINGLING OUT THE 600: With a fifth win on Sunday, Johnson would tie NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip for the most ever in the Charlotte 600. Johnson’s total of 1,030 laps led in the race is third all-time behind two Hall of Famers: David Pearson (1,252) and Allison (1,176).

DOUBLE TROUBLE: With four on his resumé, Johnson has twice as many Charlotte 600 wins as the next active drivers. Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick each have two.

BROKEN RECORD: Johnson, 44, has won an all-time best eight points-paying races on the Charlotte Motor Speedway oval. He has also gone to victory lane four times in the NASCAR All-Star Race at Charlotte, the most in history.

1.5-MILE MASTER: With a total of 28, Johnson is the all-time leader in NASCAR Cup Series wins on 1.5-mile intermediate tracks – with 11 more than his closest competitor. On 1.5-milers, he holds the all-time records for top-five finishes (76), top-10s (117) and laps led (5,877). His average finish of 11.67 is the best of all drivers with more than 25 starts. He also has 14 pole positions (fourth all-time) and 18 runner-up finishes (tied with Harvick for the most) on mile-and-a-half tracks.

CROWN JEWELS: The Memorial Day weekend race at Charlotte is considered one of the four crown jewels of NASCAR alongside the DAYTONA 500, the Southern 500 at Darlington and the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. Johnson, who has 12 crown jewel wins, is one of only four drivers with a career grand slam. The others are Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt and Harvick.

NOT ‘TOO TOUGH’: At Darlington Raceway on Wednesday night, Johnson drove through the field from a 37th-place starting position to finish eighth and capture the third top-10 of the season for the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet team. He and crew chief Cliff Daniels were on a mission after an early exit in the Sunday, May 17 event at Darlington when the team was involved in an accident while leading the race. Johnson is a three-time winner at the track “Too Tough to Tame.”

HELMET OF HOPE TO ADDRESS COVID-19: Now in its 13th year, the Jimmie Johnson Foundation’s Blue Bunny Helmet of Hope program assists non-profits that directly support K-12 public education. In 2020, non-profits that provide services to school-age students who have been directly impacted by the COVID-19 crisis are also eligible to be nominated. Until 3 p.m. ET on Friday, June 5, individuals 18 and older can nominate qualified organizations to receive a $25,000 grant, a Blue Bunny Ice Cream party and their logo featured on Johnson’s helmet during a 2020 NASCAR Cup Series race. A total of five organizations will be selected as 2020 Helmet of Hope grant recipients. Since the Blue Bunny Helmet of Hope program launched in 2008, more than $1.3 million has been awarded to 121 charities. Visit helmetofhope.org to nominate a charity.

​

​

​

​

2020 Season 12th in standings 6 starts 0 wins 0 pole positions 1 top-five finish 3 top-10 finishes 22 laps led      Career 657 starts 83 wins 36 pole positions 228 top-five finishes 367 top-10 finishes 18,856 laps led     Track Career  35 starts 8 wins 5 pole positions 16 top-five finishes 22 top-10 finishes 1,930 laps led

​

​

​

​

Jimmie Johnson is 30/1 to win 2020 Darlington 400

Jimmie Johnson has three wins at Darlington.

Jimmie Johnson on racing without qualifying or practice sessions:
"Its hard to say how things are going to go. But the depth we have in the No. 48 team and at Hendrick Motorsports, this is a great challenge for us. It could be beneficial for us. I think my physical fitness and knowledge of hydration will also certainly come into play racing twice a week – these racetracks are tough. I’m very excited for this opportunity."

On what he has been doing at home:
"We are highly organized around the house. We have checked things off the list that we haven’t been able to get to for a very long time. I am an educator and homeschooler dad now, as I assume most people out there have become. As things have opened up I have been able to take some laps in a go-kart with my girls, done some pedaling and dirt biking and obviously I have done the iRacing thing."

ONE FINAL TIME RESUMES: Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 Ally team built momentum in the first four races of the 2020 season. Following a premature exit in the DAYTONA 500, Johnson, crew chief Cliff Daniels and team have recorded two top-10 finishes and one top-five. They are fifth in the points standings entering the May 17
Darlington Raceway event.

ABOUT MAY: Historically, May 17 has been a good day for Johnson. He scored the first of his record four All-Star Race wins on May 17, 2003, and recorded the first of his four Charlotte 600 victories the following weekend for a Charlotte Motor Speedway sweep. Over the course of his career, 10 of Johnson’s 83 wins have come in the month of May.

ODDS IN HIS FAVOR: Johnson is pretty good at the Darlington and Charlotte racetracks. At both venues, he has a combined 11 wins in 56 starts. Johnson has three runner-up efforts, 25 top-five finishes and 34 top-10 results while leading a combined 2,484 laps across his career. His average finishes are 12.1 at Darlington and 12.2 at Charlotte.

JOHNSON'S LUCKY CHARM: Johnson has gone 99 races without a win, but Darlington in May has proven to be lucky for the driver of the No. 48 Ally Camaro. Twice Johnson has gotten his first win of the season at "The Lady in Black" -- in 2004 and 2012. He also has recorded 10 of his 83 career wins in the month of May, the second-best month for him after October (14).

CHAMPIONSHIP POTENTIAL: Johnson's resume at Darlington puts him in good company. Over the course of its history, Hendrick Motorsports has sent six drivers to victory lane at the South Carolina track. Three of them have gone on to win championships while driving for the organization. They include former teammates and NASCAR Hall of Famers Jeff Gordon, who has seven wins at “The Lady in Black," and Terry Labonte, who drove the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports to his final career win at Darlington in 2003.

200TH WIN FOR HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS: Johnson is the most recent Hendrick Motorsports driver to win at the track “Too Tough To Tame.” In the process, he captured the organization's milestone 200th NASCAR Cup Series victory. Starting the May 12, 2012, event on the outside pole, Johnson led 134 of 368 laps, including the final 44, en route to the victory.

NOT DONE YET: There are some huge milestones on the horizon for Johnson. The next time he crosses the finish line first he will have scored his 84th points-paying Cup Series win to tie Hall of Famers Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison for fourth all-time. Johnson currently is 10 wins behind former teammate Jeff Gordon, who has 93 victories and is third on the list. Johnson has the most wins of all active drivers with 83.

#DEARSPORTS: Over the hiatus, Johnson participated in a #DearSports social media video project and shared his feelings about how much he misses sports and competing. For the heartfelt video, click here.

​

​

​

​

2020 Season 5th in standings 4 starts 0 wins 0 pole positions 1 top-five finish 2 top-10 finishes 13 laps led      Career 655 starts 83 wins 36 pole positions 228 top-five finishes 366 top-10 finishes 18,847 laps led     Track Career  21 starts 3 wins 0 pole positions 9 top-five finishes 12 top-10 finishes 554 laps led

​

​

​

​

Jimmie Johnson starts his last Cup season at Daytona

Jimmie Johnson is 25/1 to win Daytona 500.

Jimmie Johnson on his final season:
“I absolutely can’t wait to get in my race car in Daytona. I’m as fired up for a season as I have ever been, and I’m mentally and physically ready to win races and compete for a championship in my final season. I had a great off-season, its been a ton of fun, but now I am ready to get back to business.”

NEW LOOK: Jimmie Johnson's No. 48 Ally Chevrolet was unveiled in late January on social media and, for the second season, will take to the track with a black base and Ally’s signature colors of plum and grapefruit. The Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE is now a matte black, as opposed to the gloss finish as seen in 2019.

DANIELS AT THE HELM, SAUNDERS UNDER THE HOOD: Cliff Daniels, a 31-year-old native of Smithfield, Virginia, will call his first DAYTONA 500 as a crew chief on top of the No. 48 Ally Racing pit box on Feb. 16. Daniels became Johnson’s crew chief last July. Since taking over the top spot, he accumulated four top-10 finishes with the seven-time champ throughout the 2019 season. Veteran Jesse Saunders, a 34-year-old New Glarus, Wisconsin, native also is back with the No. 48 this season, working as Johnson’s car chief. Both Daniels and Saunders have worked with Johnson in different capacities since 2014.

TWO-TIME DAYTONA CHAMP: Johnson has two victories in the “Great American Race” as he powered to wins in both the 2006 and the 2013 DAYTONA 500s. To his credit, he has three wins at Daytona during regular-season events, as he also won the 400-mile race at the superspeedway in July 2013 to sweep the year at the Daytona Beach track.

TWO-TIME CLASHER: In addition to the three wins in the DAYTONA 500, Johnson now has two wins in the Clash exhibition race at Daytona International Speedway. The most recent was the start of the 2019 season in which Johnson took the lead before rain ensued cutting the race short from its expected distance. Johnson also won the event 2005 when the race format was reserved for NASCAR Cup Series pole position winners who qualified from the previous season.

TWO-TIME DUEL WINNER: Johnson has fared equally as well in the Duel qualifier races leading into the DAYTONA 500. He has two wins in the 60-lap events, which came in 2010 and as recently as 2015. Both wins were exciting finishes. In 2010, Johnson edged Kevin Harvick by only 0.006 seconds, while the 2015 Duel went into overtime and ended under a green-white-checkered flag finish.

TWO-TIME POLE SITTER: As a rookie in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2002, Johnson found success right out of the gate. At 26 years old, he scored the pole position in his very first attempt in the DAYTONA 500 with a qualifying lap of 185.831 mph. His second pole for “The Great American Race” came in 2008. Johnson also earned three second-place starts for the race – in 2005, 2010 and 2015. Last season, he took part in a 1-2-3-4 sweep of Hendrick Motorsports at the front of the pack by qualifying third for the prestigious event.

NEW DECADE: Spanning Johnson’s 83-win career, he has accumulated quite a resume. From 2002-09, Johnson won 47 races, making him the winningest driver of that decade. From 2010-19, he won 36 times, making him the third winningest driver of the decade.

DAYTONA HALF-MARATHON: Before Johnson climbs aboard the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet for qualifying and the Clash on Sunday, Feb. 9, he will run 13.1 miles as he is entered in the Daytona Beach Half-Marathon. Johnson competed last year and brought home a time of 1:34:18, which was second in his age group and 15th overall in a field of 763 competitors. Additionally, the Jimmie Johnson Foundation is proud to host a team of 10 runners at the event. The team will try and keep up with the seven-time champ as they run one of the “seven scenic half marathons in America”. #TeamJJF runners have committed to raising a minimum of $1,000 each to benefit the Jimmie Johnson Foundation’s Champions Grant and Team Up For Technology programs. Funds raised will allow K-12 public schools to address their critical needs, ranging from updating classroom libraries to school-wide technology makeovers, plus everything in between.

CHAMPIONS RIDE: The NASCAR cycling community remains strong. On Thursday, Feb. 13, Johnson, along with other drivers, crew members and personalities in the cycling community will participate in the annual Champions Ride for Bicycle Safety, organized by fellow competitor Scott Lagasse. The event, aimed at creating awareness for road cycling safety, is a 45-mile ride beginning at 7 a.m. ET from Gatorade Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway. Media interested in covering should contact Amy Walsh Stock.

HAVE CAR, WILL WIN: There are some huge milestones on the horizon for Johnson. The next time the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crosses the finish line first, he will have scored his 84th points-paying series win. A win would tie Hall of Famers Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison for fourth all-time. Johnson currently is 10 wins behind former teammate Jeff Gordon, who has 93 victories and is third on the list. Johnson has the most wins of all active drivers with 83.

TEAM CHEVY STAGE: Johnson will make a public appearance at the Team Chevy stage at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 16, at 10:25 a.m. ET for a question-and-answer session.

ALLY AT VOLUSIA MALL: Once again this year, Ally is bringing the fun, 48 swag and even a giant cornhole game to fans at Daytona. Look for activation on Saturday, Feb. 15 and 16 at the Volusia Mall, which is across the street from the speedway on International Speedway Boulevard in Daytona Beach. Johnson will make an appearance on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 10:45 a.m. ET for a question-and-answer session.

ONE FINAL TIME: Last week, Johnson took to social media and explained that he "isn’t chasing anything." Meaning, he is no longer using the #Chasing8 to denote his final full-time season in NASCAR Cup Series competition, but rather he is looking at it as #OneFinalTime. Click here for the video.

​

​

​

​

2020 Season TBD     Career 651 starts 83 wins 36 pole positions 227 top-five finishes 364 top-10 finishes 18,834 laps led     Track Career  36 starts 3 wins 2 pole positions 12 top-five finishes 16 top-10 finishes 299 laps led

​

​

​

​

Jimmie Johnson is 50/1 to win at Pocono...Yes, 50/1

Jimmie Johnson has three wins at Pocono Raceway.

Jimmie Johnson on Pocono:
“Pocono is a great family-run track that really puts their heart and soul into the racetrack – they try to make it the best experience for fans and competitors. There are a lot of reasons I really like going up to the Pocono, for a few reasons people may not think about. We’ve enjoyed three wins there, I like the outdoors and the area. The racing there is very challenging, I think with the traction compound this weekend its going to make it even more interesting, and I think if the stars align, we can put on a heck of a show.”

START ME UP: Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, has a history of qualifying inside the top 10 at Pocono Raceway, where he has an average starting position of 11.0. In his 35 career races there, he has taken the green flag inside the top 10 a total of 20 times. Eight of his top-10 starts have been on the front row including three pole positions.

THREE-TIME TRIANGLE WINNER: Johnson is the proud winner of three Cup races at Pocono. The seven-time series champion swept back-to-back events there in the summer of 2004 and won again in 2013. He has finished in the top five 11 times and has 20 top-10 finishes.

MOST RECENT WIN AT POCONO: Johnson’s last win at the “Tricky Triangle” was June 9, 2013, when the El Cajon, California, native dominated the 400-mile event by leading 128 of 160 laps.

STREET CRED AT POCONO: Kevin Meendering, who will make his second Pocono start as Johnson’s crew chief this weekend, finished in the top 10 in all three Xfinity Series races with JR Motorsports at the "Tricky Triangle" and was also the lead engineer of the No. 88 team for the Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s “sweep” of both Pocono races in 2014 with former crew chief Steve Letarte.

FAN FESTS: Johnson will attend the Pocono Raceway Fan Fest on Friday evening, July 26, at 7:30 p.m. local time at the Pocono Infield’s Block Party Stage. For more info click here.

RACE DAY Q&A: Johnson will appear Sunday morning, July 29, at 11:45 a.m. local time at the Fan Fair stage for a question-and-answer session. The stage will be located between gates nine and 10 at Pocono.

​

​

​

​

2019 Season 17th in standings 20 starts 0 wins 1 pole position 3 top-five finishes 8 top-10 finishes 78 laps led     Career 635 starts 83 wins 36 pole positions 227 top-five finishes 360 top-10 finishes 18,781 laps led     Track Career  35 starts 3 wins 3 pole positions 11 top-five finishes 20 top-10 finishes 740 laps led

​

​

​

​

Jimmie Johnson is 35/1 to win at New Hampshire

Jimmie Johnson has won three times at New Hampshire.

Jimmie Johnson on New Hampshire:
“Loudon is one of the scrappiest tracks that we race at, great long straightaways, tight turns. The traction compound does seem to offer us some options but it seems to wear off during the race – it’s a tough little track.”

LOBSTER TROPHIES: In his storied career, Jimmie Johnson has found Victory Lane at New Hampshire Motor Speedway three times including a sweep of the 2003 events when the NASCAR Cup Series raced there twice a season. The seven-time Cup Series champion also has one pole position at the venue, which he scored in 2016. His three victories tie him with eight other drivers for the second-most at the Loudon, New Hampshire, track, behind only Jeff Burton's four.

RACKING UP TOP-10 FINISHES: Of the 33 starts Johnson has made at New Hampshire, he has finished in the top 10 an impressive 22 times. That total marks the second-most all-time at the "Magic Mile" behind only NASCAR Hall of Famer and former teammate Jeff Gordon. The driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 owns 22 or more career top-10 finishes at four additional tracks – Texas Motor Speedway (22), Charlotte Motor Speedway (22), Martinsville Speedway (24) and Dover International Speedway (24).

LAST TIME UP NORTH: The last time Johnson was in New England was for a different kind of race. In April, the 19-year NASCAR veteran completed the famed Boston Marathon by running the 26.2-mile course in 3:09, which qualified the 43-year-old for the 2020 event. He documented his journey through a series of videos with longtime partner Gatorade.

HOMETOWN RETURNS: New Hampshire Motor Speedway is the home track claimed by two members of the No. 48 team. Engine tuner Steven Legendre hails from Danville, Vermont. Legendre is a second-generation driver who used to frequent White Mountain Motorsports Park’s quarter-mile racetrack while racing late models at the local short tracks in the northeast. As he got older, he advanced to the Pro All-Star Series North and then the PASS South series before moving to North Carolina to attend school at Rowan Cabarrus Community College. No. 48 team engineer Ben Lynch is from Derry, New Hampshire. He played ice hockey in high school in at Pinkerton Academy and went to college at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte studying mechanical engineering.

VOTE FOR HELMET OF HOPE: Voting for Johnson’s 2019 Helmet of Hope is now open and will take place until July 19. The five charitable organizations that receive the most votes during that time will each receive a $25,000 grant and an ice cream party, and will have their logo featured on Johnson’s helmet during the Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway on October 20. Visit helmetofhope.org for more information.

​

​

​

​

​

2019 Season 15th in standings 19 starts 0 wins 1 pole position 3 top-five finishes 8 top-10 finishes 78 laps led     Career 634 starts 83 wins 36 pole positions 227 top-five finishes 360 top-10 finishes 18,781 laps led     Track Career  33 starts 3 wins 1 pole position 10 top-five finishes 22 top-10 finishes 323 laps led

​

​

​

​

Jimmie Johnson is 25/1 to win 2019 Quaker State 400 at Kentucky

Jimmie Johnson has top-fives in his last two starts. Getting Better!

Jimmie Johnson on Kentucky:
“We are back to getting some top-fives and knocking on the door right now. These guys on my team have been working really hard. I think we’re starting to hit our stride as a group. While I’ve had a lot of success on 1.5-mile tracks, Kentucky has always seemed to be a challenge for me. It’s got bumps. Going into Turn 1 you are climbing up a hill and then quickly descend until you actually turn into Turn 3. The cars are very edgy and then you get some grip off of Turn 4 and then you are down the front straightaway again.”


SEASON BEST: Jimmie Johnson’s third-place result last Sunday at Daytona International Speedway was the best finish by the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team this season. On the heels of a fourth-place finish one week earlier at Chicagoland Speedway, Johnson is on his longest streak of top-five finishes since 2017. He last finished inside the top five in three consecutive races in 2015, when he went on to amass a five-race streak of top-five results.

LOOKING FOR VICTORY LANE AT KENTUCKY: Johnson has led 206 laps at Kentucky Speedway, the most laps led by a driver who has yet to find Victory Lane at the 1.5-mile track. The seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion's best finish at the Sparta track is third, which came in 2011 in his first start at the track. It is one of only four tracks where he has yet to win in the NASCAR Cup Series along with Chicagoland Speedway, Watkins Glen International and the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course.

LUCKY NUMBER NINE?: This weekend will mark Johnson’s ninth start at Kentucky, and as history has it, he’s scored his first win at a track in his ninth start five times. These tracks include Daytona International Superspeedway, ISM Raceway, Sonoma Raceway, Talladega Superspeedway and Texas Motor Speedway. He has gone on to win multiple times on four of those tracks.

TOP-10 STREAKING: Johnson currently has four straight top-10 finishes on 1.5-mile tracks in the NASCAR Cup Series, which is a series-best. Those finishes include a fifth-place result at Texas Motor Speedway, sixth-place at Kansas Speedway, eighth at Charlotte Motor Speedway and fourth at Chicagoland this season. It marks his longest streak of top-10 finishes on 1.5-mile tracks since he had six straight spanning the end of 2015 season and beginning of the 2016 campaign.

GAINING GROUND: In the past three races, Johnson has gained 35 points on the playoff bubble. Since the Pocono race on June 2, he has jumped from 17th to 13th in the point standings.

1.5-MILE MASTER: Over the course of his 83 NASCAR Cup Series wins, Johnson has amassed 28 of them – the most of all-time – on 1.5-mile tracks. NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon is the second-most winningest driver on the track length with 17, followed by Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart (15), Dale Earnhardt (14), Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski and Richard Petty (13).

​

​

​

​

​

2019 Season 13th in standings 18 starts 0 wins 1 pole position 3 top-five finishes 8 top-10 finishes 78 laps led     Career 633 starts 83 wins 36 pole positions 227 top-five finishes 360 top-10 finishes 18,781 laps led     Track Career  8 starts 0 wins 1 pole position 1 top-five finish 5 top-10 finishes 206 laps led

​

​

​

​

Jimmie Johnson is 25/1 to win 2019 Coke Zero Sugar 400

Jimmie Johnson is a three-time winner at Daytona.

Jimmie Johnson on going from Chicago to Daytona:
“Chicago was a huge step forward for this No. 48 team. Huge. I’m proud of the organization. Everyone is working hard. This gives us some momentum, but this weekend in Daytona is such a different animal, you know. We go down there, want to be fast, hope to be lucky and good. We obviously had great cars in February, had fast cars at Talladega, you just have to hope not to get caught up in anything.”

SPARKLE AT CHICAGO: Although Jimmie Johnson did not win at Chicagoland Speedway, he led 10 laps and scored his best finish of the season. The seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion qualified fourth and jumped to an early lead on Lap 11, but was interrupted by a serious bout of inclement weather. Once the track dried and racing resumed hours later on the 1.5-mile oval, Johnson completed Stage 1 in fourth, Stage 2 in fifth and took the checkered flag in fourth. The driver had a 46-point day and moved from 17th to 14th in the point standings.

ONE MORE LOOK AT CHICAGO: How good was Johnson at Chicago? His average running position of 4.24 was his best in a race this season. He spent 97 laps in the top two, 238 laps in the top five, and 245 of the 267 total laps in the top 10, all of which marked his best performances of the season. In addition to his best finish of the year, he collected his third Stage 1 top-five finish and first Stage 2 top-five finish, leading laps for the fourth time this season.

APPLES TO APPLES: Compared to last season's performance at this time, Johnson has a pole, two top-five finishes and 78 laps led in 2019 after having no poles, two top-five finishes and 40 laps led in all of 2018.

FLASHBACK TO FEBRUARY: Right out of the gate, Johnson and No. 48 team crew chief Kevin Meendering won the non-points race “The Clash” leading into 2019 Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway. While Victory Lane has eluded Johnson since 2017, he is closing in on his 84th career victory and as history has it, two of the last three Daytona races were won by drivers who gave their crew chiefs their first career wins. Johnson was able to win the 2006 Daytona 500 with interim crew chief Darian Grubb, which was Grubb’s first win on top of the pit box.

HOT SUMMER NIGHTS: The last time Johnson won at Daytona in the summer was on July 6, 2013. He led 94 laps and scored his third victory at the 2.5-mile superspeedway under the lights after starting eighth. His best finish since then was on July 5, 2015, when he started 12th, led 35 laps and finished second behind former teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr.

TEAM CHEVY STAGE: Johnson will make a public appearance at the Team Chevy stage at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, July 6, at 4:30 p.m. local time for a question-and-answer session.

ROBERTS' TAKE: Jimmie Johnson (25/1) - He won the Clash at Daytona the week before the Daytona 500 and he raced like the most starved driver in the circuit scratching an clawing for any kind of win. His winless streak in points-paying races is now up to 76 races. I think we'll see the same thing here and I believe he'll have a good car like his Hendrick Motorsports teammates did at Talladega when they finished 1-2. Talladega was the first race on a superspeedway using the new package featuring aero ducts, taller spoilers and engines producing 550 horsepower. The second time this package will be used is Saturday night. He comes in with some momentum of finishing fourth at Chicagoland last week, but the top reason I'm supporting him this week is the desperation and him knowing this is a race he can win because of the randomness where most of the cars are equal. Look for him to run a smart race and be ready to make his winning moves in the last 10 laps. He's a three-time winner at Daytona. 

​

​

​

​

2019 Season 14th in standings 17 starts 0 wins 1 pole position 2 top-five finish 7 top-10 finishes 78 laps led     Career 632 starts 83 wins 36 pole positions 226 top-five finishes 359 top-10 finishes 18,781 laps led     Track Career  35 starts 3 wins 2 pole positions 11 top-five finishes 15 top-10 finishes 299 laps led

​

​

​

​