CONCORD, N.C. – The 2017 NASCAR Cup Series season did not turn out the way Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team had anticipated.
Although Johnson scored three wins and made it to the Round of 8 in the playoffs, he feels the team is capable of more.
“The expectation of being in the final four, being the champion is there and that’s what we build our year on and focus on – I don’t think it’s quite fair to think the No. 48 should or can win every championship but to have a shot at it and to be competitive I think is definitely the way I see it and where we should be,” Johnson said. “I know our team does and our fan base does and when I look at the 2017 season – we performed less than that.”
The bar is set high for the No. 48 team and Johnson sets it even higher for himself.
“No one can put more pressure on myself than me, and my expectations, I think, have always stayed true and realistic,” Johnson shared.
Despite the challenges of the past season, Johnson is prepared to use the experience as an opportunity to ensure better performance next season.
“It stinks to underperform this year but we’ll learn from the mistakes we made and take the lessons,” Johnson said. “I seem to always learn more from tough times than I do from good, so there will still be a lot of reflecting over the offseason and we’ll be much stronger in 2018.”