CONCORD, N.C. -- Due to his win at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Oct. 9, Jimmie Johnson automatically solidified his berth in the Round of 8 for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
The first two races of the round are at tracks where Johnson has found success many times throughout his career.
The driver of the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet SS has driven his race car to Victory Lane eight times at Martinsville and six times at Texas Motor Speedway.
This weekend, Johnson will not only compete for his ninth win at the Virginia oval but also for a position in the Championship Round of 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
“There definitely is a rhythm to this racetrack," Johnson said of Martinsville Speedway. "One for qualifying to put up a fast lap then you get into the race itself and have the short run and then the long run. To manage all of those things is tough."
The eight-time Martinsville race winner said that while it takes a bit to figure the track out, once that happens, it is fairly easy to get in a groove as the components of the track haven't changed much over the years.
"I would say restarts are probably the biggest concern," Johnson said. "I think once we get moving and get to three to five laps into a run it’s much easier to control your destiny.”
With four races remaining in the 2016 season, a win at Martinsville this weekend would solidify Johnson's presence in the final round of the Chase.
"You have to live in the now," Johnson said of tackling Martinsville with the Chase in mind. "You have to live in the present. The last couple of trips here we’ve been a decent car, but not a dominate car. We are hopeful to get that turned around and clearly winning here or Texas -- winning in general -- makes life so much easier looking forward to the Homestead race. It’s definitely a goal, a priority for us and we are going to go out there and get everything we can this weekend.”