Johnson keyed in on Richmond

RICHMOND, Va. (May 1, 2009) -- Practice and patience have helped, but for Jimmie Johnson, it took studying teammate Jeff Gordon's track strategy at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway before everything clicked for the three-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion at the D-shaped oval. "I really did have one of those moments,” said Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet. “I tried for a lot of years to get it right, from the (NASCAR) Nationwide through the Cup Series and all of the sudden it clicked. The way Jeff [Gordon] drives the car, I had to really consciously think about that and change my style to run better at those tracks -- Phoenix, Richmond and Martinsville (Va.) -- and it worked.” Recently, Johnson has been especially successful at the short track, scoring three wins in his last four trips there. In 14 Sprint Cup starts, he has scored three wins, four-top five finishes, four top-10s and two pole positions at Richmond. Johnson is looking forward to making his 15th start during this weekend’s 300-mile event at Richmond after getting caught up in a wreck last week at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Coverage of the Sprint Cup series event starts at 7 p.m. ET on FOX on Saturday. “You leave Talladega where you can't get away from anyone and the rules are so tight; where it doesn't matter how the car handles, and everybody is going to go the same speed,” Johnson said. “And you go to Richmond where you have all of the adjustments to work on the car and can create your own passing opportunities and control your own destiny."