Johnson: 'We're off to a good start'

As Jimmie Johnson did burnouts in his Lowe’s Chevrolet SS at Charlotte (North Carolina) Motor Speedway on May 25, the No. 48 team breathed a sigh of relief; they were virtually guaranteed a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. But if history repeats itself, Johnson may be winning more than one race before the Chase rolls around in September.

“We're off to a good start,” Johnson said. “If we can take advantage of the next few tracks that are great tracks for us, it would be great momentum.”

Johnson heads to Dover (Delaware) International Speedway this weekend, a track where he is the all-time leader in wins with eight victories. Following that, he’ll pay a visit to Pocono, where crew chief Chad Knaus will sit on the No. 48 pit box with plenty of confidence.

“We have [something] on our side,” Knaus said. “We're going to Dover, which is by far one of Jimmie's favorite race tracks. Then we're going to Pocono, which is one of my favorite race tracks. It doesn't hurt. So I think over the next couple of weeks, we're going to be in pretty good shape.”

The driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS also will make a trip to Daytona (Florida) International Speedway in July, where he has three wins and is the reigning champion for the summer race at the 2.5-mile speedway. Next, Johnson will visit New Hampshire Motor Speedway (three wins) and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he ties teammate Jeff Gordon for the most victories all-time with four wins.

With a win under his belt and confidence going into the upcoming races, Johnson’s previous winless drought may turn into a winning streak by the time summer ends.