CONCORD, N.C. -- Before Jimmie Johnson climbed behind the wheel of his No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet SS at Homestead-Miami Speedway back in November, his crew chief noticed something.
“He's definitely as calm as I've ever seen him going into any event, be it a championship, going to a Martinsville race, a Fontana race, whatever race it may be,” Chad Knaus said at the time. “He feels prepared, and I think his confidence and his calmness comes from being prepared.”
Looking back, that confidence proved well-placed, as Johnson secured his record-tying seventh career NASCAR Cup Series championship. With the title under his belt, Johnson reflected on his mindset and the atmosphere created by his teammates all week long when history was on the line.
"I definitely was able to enjoy Homestead," Johnson said. "It was probably the best I've ever felt dealing with that kind of pressure."
He said that the way the entire No. 48 team approached the championship week allowed him to keep his focus on the task at hand.
"It really created the environment and the experience that I wanted to have at Homestead," he explained.
Hear more from Johnson in the video above.