HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- With Jimmie Johnson racing for a seventh championship Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, HendrickMotorsports.com followed the driver throughout the morning and early afternoon leading up to the race.
Below is a glimpse into the driver's day as he readied himself to compete for a title.
7:48 a.m.: Johnson's day begins at a very specific time for a bit of good luck.
10:30 a.m.: After a morning spent with his family inside his motorcoach, a special guest stops by to wish Johnson luck -- Kyle Petty.
11:28 a.m.: The first interview of the day is on the books, as Johnson steps in front of the ESPN cameras for a live hit on "SportsCenter."
11:30 a.m.: Johnson holds a meet-and-greet at his motorcoach for his teammates at Lowe's. As the meet-and-greet begins to wrap up, Johnson gets another surprise. His dad, Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick and former teammate Jeff Gordon all three drop by to spend some time with the driver.
11:50 a.m.: The driver heads to a special question-and-answer session with kids as part of a special ticket package for the race. There, he is asked a variety of hard-hitting questions. Some of the highlights: "What's your favorite color?" "Do you have a big house?" and "Will you do a front flip if you win?"
12:15 p.m.: Next on the docket for Johnson is a trip to the FOX Sports 1 set for another live interview.
12:30 p.m.: Johnson heads down the red carpet to enter the drivers' meeting for the final race of the season.
12:45 p.m.: A Hendrick Motorsports team meeting is next up.
2 p.m.: One final live interview awaits, this one onstage with NBC.
2:15 p.m.: Driver introductions begin. Johnson is the second-to-last driver to be introduced, as the Championship 4 contenders are saved for the end of the festivities.
2:35 p.m.: Johnson arrives at his No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet SS and chats with crew chief Chad Knaus about the race at hand.
2:49 p.m.: Hendrick joins Johnson and Knaus at the No. 48 Chevy.
2:59 p.m.: Gordon greets Johnson for some final words of encouragement before engines are fired. Shortly thereafter, cyclist Lance Armstrong drops by for a quick chat.
3:03 p.m.: Johnson hugs his family before climbing into the car. The race to a championship is moments away.
3:18 p.m.: Gordon and Hendrick both climb atop the No. 48 pit box to take in the race.
3:22 p.m.: As the pace laps wind down, the No. 48 team gives Johnson a final salute before the green flag waves.
Now, it all comes down to 267 laps to determine a champion.