November 22/15 That time has finally arrived... the last Sprint Cup race of the season. This race also marks another occasion. It is the last Sprint Cup race for Jimmie's teammate and part owner Jeff Gordon. As NASCAR fans mourn the last race of the season, let us all join together to wish Jeff Gordon the best in his future endeavors. Thank you, Jeff, for all you have done for the sport.
Jimmie started the last race of the season in the 12th spot. By the time the first caution came out for fluid on the track, Jimmie was in the top 10. He brought the Lowe's 48 car in for a 4 tire pit stop. He lost two spots off of pit road but still managed to stay in the top 10 by restarting in the 9th spot on lap 19.
The competition caution (due to rain earlier in the day) had been pushed to around lap 30. It had initially been scheduled for around lap 25. Jimmie was running in the 5th spot at this time. He told Chad that the car needed more turn through the center. The Lowe's 48 car received 4 tires, fuel, and adjustments. After the restart on lap 36, Jimmie eventually took over the 2nd spot behind Jeff Gordon around lap 39.
Jimmie stayed out on the track during the next caution period. The 5 car of Kasey Kahne had right rear tire issues in turn 1. Jimmie ended up dropping back to the 3rd spot before the 4th caution of the race. This caution period was due to a multi-car wreck that started when the 15 car of Clint Bowyer made contact with the 88 car of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. A total of 5 cars were involved in this incident.
Jimmie brought the Lowe's 48 car in for a 4 tire and fuel pit stop. Then the team was hit with a penalty for manipulating the car's bodywork when the jackman slammed into the side of the car during the competition caution pit stop. The team was ordered by NASCAR to bring the car back down pit road for repairs. After the restart on lap 54, the team was ordered to serve a pass through penalty. Jimmie ended up back in the 38th spot after serving the penalty.
Jimmie began his advancement towards the front of the field. By lap 90, he cracked the top 20. After a round of green flag pit stops, Jimmie was back in the top 20 by lap 100. During the next round of green flag pit stops, Chad chose to have the Lowe's 48 car stay out. As a result of this move, Jimmie ended up in the 5th spot by lap 140.
Jimmie was in the 9th spot when the caution flag came out on lap 151 due to debris on the backstretch. He brought the car in for a 4 tire pit stop and restarted in the 10th spot on lap 155. Jimmie ended up coming down pit road three more times for 4 fresh tires. Two of them were under the caution flag. He ended up with a 9th place finish in the race and a 10th place finish in the Sprint Cup standings.
Chad Knaus on Jeff Gordon: "Not having Jeff Gordon in the No. 24 is going to be a huge pill to swallow for everyone but definitely for me personally. I was fortunate enough to be one of the original members of the 'Rainbow Warriors' when I first moved to North Carolina and got into racing. I'm a huge Jeff Gordon fan – always have been. I started changing tires for him back in 1994 and we accomplished a lot together – got our first wins and championships together, too. When the checkered flag falls at Homestead it's going to be emotional for all of us. It's the end of an era."
November 15/15 Yes, boys and girls, it does rain in the desert. For a short time I was convinced that Mother Nature hated NASCAR. Just when we thought we could get started with the race, more rain would come falling down. This happened a few times. Then finally about 7 hours after the race was suppose to start, the drivers were told to get in their cars. And NASCAR fans rejoiced.
This week Jimmie raced in the Lowe's 48 Patriotic Chevrolet SS. This car was last seen in July at the The Coke Zero 400 in Daytona where Jimmie finished in the 2nd spot. The car was chosen this week in honour of Veteran's Day. Lowe's has a long history of supporting the military since its beginning after World War II. The company was founded by military veteran Carl Buchan in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. Today more than 14,000 veterans work at Lowe's.
Jimmie snagged his third pole at this track. Shortly after the initial start, it looked like he lost the spot to the 41 car of Kurt Busch. But NASCAR penalized the 41 car for jumping that start. On the initial start of the race, the lead car must past the start/finish line first. So Jimmie was credited with leading the initial lap.
Jimmie maintained the lead until the competition caution came out on lap 42. He came in for a 4 tire and fuel pit stop. Sadly he was penalized for speeding on pit road. This meant he had to start at the tail end of the lead line and ended up restarting in the 29th spot on lap 48. Jimmie slowly moved his way forward through the field. He made it into the top 20 by lap 64 and then cracked the top 15 on lap 90.
Jimmie came down pit road for a green flag pit stop on lap 119. The Lowe's 48 car was running a little tight at this time. The car received 4 tires, fuel, and adjustments. Jimmie returned to the track in the 12th spot. Less than 10 laps later, Jimmie cracked the top 10.
The second caution of the race came out on lap 197 for an accident in turn 3 involving the 17 car of Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and the 32 car of Joey Gase. Jimmie brought the Lowe's 48 car down pit road for a 4 tire and fuel pit stop. He came off pit road in the 5th spot. Unfortunately, we never got to restart the race as rain soon hit the track. The race was red flagged on lap 219 and Jimmie ended up with a 5th place finish.
And finally I would like to take this time to thank the Lowe's 48 spotter, Earl Barban, for his service in the Marine Corps Reserve. He served from 1983 to 1988 before he started his career in racing.
November 8/15 Jimmie Johnson on racing at Texas Motor Speedway: "The last race in Texas showed some pretty fantastic racing. The surface of racetrack really allows for that to happen. It's going to be an exciting race and we are going for three in a row there."
Despite the fact that the team is not in contention for the Sprint Cup Championship this year, Jimmie Johnson and the Lowe's 48 team did not let this stop them from going for a win. Jimmie was in the top 5 for the majority of the fall Texas race. Then with 4 laps to go, Jimmie made his move pass the 2 car of Brad Keselowski and took the win.
But how did he do it? Well, let's start at the beginning.
Jimmie started the race in the 8th spot. He ended up dropping back to the 10th spot before moving back towards the front. The Lowe's 48 car was real tight running on the bottom of the track. When the first caution came out on lap 11 for the 22 car of Joey Logano blowing its tire and spinning out, Jimmie was in the 8th spot. He brought the car in for a 4 tire change but was unable to get fuel until the scheduled competition caution.
Jimmie came back out onto the track in the 20th spot for the restart on lap 18. He worked his way forward through the field and ended up in the top 10 by lap 22. The competition caution was supposed to come out around lap 25. However, the caution flag came out on lap 25 for the 21 car of Ryan Blaney blowing its right front tire and hitting the wall in turn 2. This became the competition caution and the Lowe's 48 car came in for a 4 tire and fuel pit stop. Jimmie gained one spot coming off pit road and was in the 6th spot for the restart on lap 30.
However, Jimmie dropped back to the 8th spot a few laps after the restart. About 5 laps later, the caution flag came out for the third time when the 4 car of Kevin Harvick had left rear tire issues. Chad chose to have the Lowe's 48 car stay out during this caution period and Jimmie was able to restart in the 5th spot on lap 42.
Jimmie managed to stay in the top 5 until the next caution flag came out on lap 53 for the 14 car of Tony Stewart going for a spin on the frontstretch and ending up in the grassy area. The Lowe's 48 car came down pit road in the 4th spot but lost two spots after a 4 tire change. Jimmie restarted in the 6th spot on lap 58. A few laps later, Jimmie was back in the top 5.
Around lap 87, Jimmie mentioned that the Lowe's 48 car needed more rear grip in the sunny areas of the track. For a brief moment he was concerned that debris had hit the nose of the Lowe's 48 car during the next caution flag period for debris on the frontstretch. But Chad assured him that the car's nose looked fine. Jimmie stayed in the top 5 throughout the next three 4-tire pit stops. He briefly went back to the 6th spot around lap 250 but was back in the top 5 by lap 300.
After the final caution of the race on lap 311 due to debris in turn 2, Jimmie took the 3rd spot with 18 laps to go. One lap later, he was in the 2nd spot and he was battling the 2 car of Brad Keselowski for the win. Then with 4 laps to go, Jimmie made a clean pass by the 2 car and took the lead earning his 6th win at the Texas track.
Jimmie's reaction after returning to winning form... "Yeah boys, we're back! Woo hoo hoo!". The last victory for the Lowe's 48 team was back on 31 May 2015 at the Dover track where Jimmie secured his tenth win at The Monster Mile.
November 1/15 Short track racing typically consists of cautions galore. This particular Martinsville race lived up to that description. There were a total of 18 caution flag periods for 109 total laps. And as a bonus, there was even a red flag period towards the end of the race.
Jimmie started the race just outside the top 20 in the 21st spot. By lap 17, he moved squarely into the top 15. When the competition caution came out on lap 52, Jimmie was in the top 10. At this point of the race, the Lowe's 48 car was running loose. Plus both the water and oil temperatures were increasing. So when Jimmie brought that car in for a pit stop, it received 4 tires, fuel, adjustments, and had some tape pulled off of the front grille. After the competition caution, he made it to the 5th spot by lap 60.
Jimmie managed to stay in the top 10 until after the caution on lap 128. He found himself outside the top 20 for the restart due to other cars remaining on the track. After the caution flag on lap 157, the Lowe's 48 car started having an increase in temps and was losing traction. Jimmie made it up to the 16th spot at this time. The car received a 2 tire change along with fuel and adjustments. Thanks to this pit stop, Jimmie ended up back in the 5th spot by lap 168.
The Lowe's 48 car started running hot but Chad opted to have the car stay out during the next two caution periods. Jimmie would bring the Lowe's 48 car down pit road for the caution period starting on lap 236. After the restart, he was in the 5th spot at the half way point of the race.
Then the car started getting tighter and started dropping backwards in the field. By the time the next caution flag dropped on lap 280, the Lowe's 48 car was really tight. The car received a 4 tire change, fuel, and more adjustments. Jimmie would hover just outside the top 10 for some time after this caution.
For the next caution on lap 380, Chad informed Jimmie that the car was back to the same condition it was at the beginning of the race. Once again, the Lowe's 48 car received 4 tires, fuel, and adjustments. Jimmie restarted in the 13th spot after this caution period.
The Lowe's 48 car continued to be plagued with tightness. It received more adjustments during a caution flag pit stop on lap 419. Jimmie managed to get to the 10th spot on lap 426. Thanks to another caution flag on lap 435, the Lowe's 48 car restarted in the 6th spot. But that would not help as the car started dropping backwards in the field once again. Shortly after this, Jimmie was battling for position but made contact with the wall. He managed to stay in line with the field but fell backwards to the 9th spot.
Then the biggest drama moment of the race happened. At this point, Jimmie had lost another spot and was running in the 10th spot. The 20 car of Matt Kenseth made contact with the 22 of Joey Logano. The 22 car hit the wall hard and the track went to a red flag period to clean up the extensive debris.
After the race was restarted, Jimmie continued his backwards movement and ended up finishing the race in the 12th spot.
October 25/15 Talladega is considered a wild card race in which pretty much anything can happen. The race ending proved this to be true once again. It started out pretty calm and most of the race was run under the green flag. But when the big one occurred, it brought about a ton of controversy.
Jimmie started out the race in the 3rd spot. After the first set of green flag pit stops, he took the lead on lap 42 and kept it for 22 laps. He ended up losing the top spot to the 88 car of Dale Earnhardt Jr. but stayed in the top 10 until the first caution of the race. After another round of green flag pit stops, Jimmie once again took the lead on lap 122 due to the 88 car receiving a "crew member(s) over the wall too soon" penalty on pit road. He kept the lead until the first caution of the race.
The first caution of the race came out on lap 133. The 51 car of Justin Allgaier blew its motor and left fluid on the track. Jimmie brought the Lowe's 48 car in for a 2 tire and fuel pit stop. He ended up losing 4 spots on pit road and came out in the 5th spot. However, Crew Chief Chad Knaus chose to have Jimmie bring the car in one more time with one lap to go before the green to top off on fuel. As a result, Jimmie ended up back in the 25th spot for the restart on lap 140. He managed to crack the top-5 with 35 laps to go. However, Jimmie ended up outside the top-20 after the final round of green flag pit stops. He went to work at moving forward and ended up in the 11th spot with 8 laps to go.
Caution number two came out with 5 laps to go setting up a G-W-C scenario. This time the caution flag came out after the 1 car of Jamie McMurray blew its engine and left fluid on the track. The Lowe's 48 car was in the 7th spot for the restart and attempt at the G-W-C.
NASCAR officials had decided that there would only be one attempt at a G-W-C. So what happens? For a moment it looked like there was a clean start, but before the field was able to get to the start/finish line a wreck occurred that involved the 78 car of Martin Truex Jr. making contact with the back of the Lowe's 48 car and sending it into the grassy area. The 78 did pass on an apology and claimed that he was pushed from behind. Well, NASCAR in its infinite wisdom decided that this attempt didn't count since the field never crossed the start/finish line. So there was another attempt at the one G-W-C.
And now for the "official" attempt at the G-W-C... This time the field actually crossed the start/finish line. But the 4 car of Kevin Harvick, which had been having issues, was unable to get up to full speed. He ended up making contact with the 6 car of Trevor Bayne. This contact started a chain-reaction involving 10 other cars in a massive wreck. The caution flag was dropped and NASCAR found themselves in the position of having to figure out which car was out front. Eventually they declared that the 22 car of Joey Logano was out front and he was scored as the winner of the race.
As a result of this crazy ending, Jimmie finished the race in the 18th spot.
It's always good to have a motivated Crew Chief. Good luck to Jimmie Johnson and the entire Lowe's 48 team!!!
Front-tire carrier R.J. Barnette hails from nearby Pinson, Alabama. He used to play football at Samford University which is located in Birmingham, Alabama. He has been on the Lowe's 48 team for six seasons. R.J. has earned two championships with Johnson behind the wheel.
Jackman Andrew Childers hails from Tucker, Georgia. He also played football at Samford University.
October 18/15 After two weeks of bad finishes, Kansas went much better for Jimmie. He started in the 21st spot but quickly moved forward and had cracked the top 15 by lap 10. On lap 19, Jimmie reported that the Lowe's 48 car was a little free into turn 3 but felt pretty awesome.
The first caution came out on lap 31 for the 26 car of JJ Yeley hitting the wall in turn 2. Jimmie brought the car down pit road for 4 tires, fuel, and adjustments. He was able to restart in the 12th spot for the green flag on lap 40. Two laps later, Jimmie was back in the top 10.
The 14 car of Tony Stewart brought out the second caution of the race. The car got loose and spun out on the backstretch. Jimmie brought the Lowe's 48 car down pit road for 4 tires, fuel, and more adjustments. He ended up losing 4 spots this time and restarted in the 8th spot for the green flag on lap 70.
Twelve laps later, Jimmie cracked the top 5. Around lap 104, he snagged the 2nd spot. Lap 109 brought out the third caution when the 42 car of Kyle Larson spun out in turn 2. There was another trip down pit road for 4 tires, fuel, and adjustments. The car was in need of more front grip. Thanks to a really good pit stop, Jimmie was able to maintain the 2nd spot for the restart on lap 115.
The fourth caution came out on lap 156 when the 3 car of Austin Dillon spun out and hit the wall in turn 2. Jimmie's concern at this time was a possible vibration in the right front tire. He brought the Lowe's 48 car down pit road for 4 tires, fuel, and more adjustments. He came off pit road in the 2nd spot for the restart on lap 160 but ended up being shuffled back to the 4th spot.
The 15 car of Clint Bowyer brought out the fifth caution of the race on lap 172 when he hit the wall hard in turn 3. Jimmie stayed out during this caution flag period. After the green flag restart on lap 179, Jimmie worked his way back up to the 2nd spot by lap 204. Ten laps later, Jimmie took the lead for one lap when green flag pit stops began. He came in for his final pit stop of the race and the Lowe's 48 car received 4 tires and fuel.
The sixth caution flag came out on lap 244 when the 51 car of Justin Allgaier hit the wall in turn 2. Once again, the Lowe's 48 car stayed out during the caution flag period. Jimmie restarted in the 1st spot on lap 248. He ended up dropping back to the 3rd spot because the car was on older tires.
And then with 5 laps to go... the final caution came out setting up a Green-White-Checkered finish. The 22 car of Joey Logano made contact with the rear bumper of the 20 car of Matt Kenseth. The 20 car ended up spinning out. The Lowe's 48 car stayed out and eventually finished the race in the 3rd spot.
October 11/15 Jimmie Johnson has seven wins at the track once referred to as "The House that Jimmie Built". But for the second race in a row, Jimmie did not have a good day. Another part failure with the Lowe's 48 ended in a DNF for Jimmie.
Once again the Lowe's Red Vest Chevrolet makes an appearance at the track. This paint scheme celebrates the 265,000 Lowe's employees. The paint scheme's initial debut came last year in November at the fall Texas race where it finished first.
The Red Vest is what Lowe's employees wear and has become a symbol of the company's commitment to its customers and the community at large. Just recently, Lowe's donated $500,000 to the American Red Cross to help those that were affected by Hurricane Joaquin.
The race was suppose to be run on a Saturday night. But thanks to Mother Nature, it was postponed to a Sunday afternoon. Jimmie started in the 7th spot and by lap 21 he was reporting that the Lowe's 48 car was tight all the way around. After the competition caution on lap 27, Jimmie restarted in the 14th spot on lap 31 and started moving forward through the field.
The third caution of the race came out on lap 62 after the 5 car of Kasey Kahne hit the wall in turn 2. Jimmie brought the Lowe's 48 car down pit road for 4 fresh tires and fuel. He lost one spot for the restart on lap 66.
Lap 76 brought out the fourth caution that involved the 88 car of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. It hit the wall after a tire went down. The Lowe's 48 stayed out on the track and Jimmie advanced up to the 4th spot. He quickly jumped to the 3rd spot after the restart on lap 81.
The first two lead cars would come in for green flag pit stops around lap 123. This brought the Lowe's 48 car to the lead for the first and only time for one lap. Jimmie came in for a pit stop the next lap and came back out on the track in the 16th spot. By lap 129, Jimmie was back in the 5th spot. By lap 134, Jimmie was back in the 3rd spot.
Lap 169 brought out a caution for debris on the back straightaway. Jimmie stated that the Lowe's 48 car was too tight but was turning good through turns 1 and 2. He came in for a 4 tire, fuel, and adjustments pit stop and gained one spot. Chad advised him to save some fuel. Jimmied ended up losing the 2nd spot to the 42 car of Kyle Larson shortly after the restart.
Three laps later, the caution flag came out once again. This time it was for the 20 car of Matt Kenseth. The 20 car was going up the track and contact was made with the 31 car of Ryan Newman before the 20 went on to hit the outer wall. Then as the 20 car was coming back down, it made contact with the 55 car of David Ragan. Jimmie was a bit puzzled on how the 42 car of Kyle Larson managed to get past him for the restart on lap 174. Chad calmly told him that this restart was a chance to take the 2nd spot back. Jimmie was in the 3rd spot for the restart on lap 182.
The next lap brought yet another caution. This one was due to the 51 car of Justin Allgeier and oil on the track. The Lowe's 48 car stayed out and maintained the 3rd spot for the restart on lap 190. Once again, Chad advised Jimmie to save fuel.
Lap 195 brought yet another caution due to possible oil on the track in turns 1 and 2. The 9 car of Sam Hornish, Jr. also hit the wall in that area. Jimmie stayed out for this caution period. So Jimmie was able to restart in the 2nd spot on lap 201. He then lost that spot to the 4 car of Kevin Harvick.
The crazy part was between the 18 car of Kyle Busch and the 42 car of Kyle Larson. KyBu looked like he was going to pit. KyLar looked like he was going to stay on the track. Then at the last moment, both drivers changed their minds and ended up crashing into each at the entrance to pit road. How many times does that happen? KyLar ended up taking responsibility for that incident.
Green flag pit stops started around lap 233. Jimmie came in for 4 tires and fuel. He wanted the car to turn a bit better but had been using the panhard bar to help that situation. By lap 237, Jimmie was back in the top 5.
The next caution came out on lap 241 for the 20 car of Matt Kenseth hitting the wall in turn 3. Jimmie stayed out once again. At this time Jimmie reported that he was seeing smoke in the mirror but didn't smell any. Chad did confirm that there was a bit of smoke and he would continue monitoring the situation. Jimmie was in the 4th spot for the restart on lap 247. At that point the 48 Spotter reported that he saw no smoke coming from the Lowe's 48 car while the car was a race speed.
Ten laps later, on lap 257, the car's engine gave up and Jimmie took the Lowe's 48 car straight to the garage. It was determined that an oil pump issue was the cause. As a result of this, Jimmie was scored with a 39th place finish.
So what happened to the Lowe's 48 car? Here's what Jimmie had to say about it after the race ended for the team.
September 15/15 There is a superstitious old saying that trouble comes in threes. It basically means that bad things come in groups of three. This was certainly the case for the Lowe's 48 team at the second Michigan race of the season. You know it's a bad day when the best you can come up with is... at least they finished the race.
The same high drag package that was used at the Indianapolis race was also used at this Michigan race. Super-speedway qualifying was used as well. Each driver did a warm-up lap, a timed lap, and then a cool-down lap before heading down pit road. The top 12 drivers advanced to the second round. Jimmie was able to qualify in the 8th spot.
Gasman Brandon Harder is from Oak Harbor, Ohio (90 miles from the track) and he went to Bowling Green State University. He has been with the team since 2009.
Rear-tire carrier Ryan Patton is from Delphos, Ohio (105 miles south of the track) and has played football at Ohio State University. He has been with the team since 2012.
"We've had to overcome some crazy things the past few weeks on the track. Last weekend at Watkins Glen we had a fast car – had to overcome a pit-road speeding penalty and then getting wrecked. We qualified better than we have in a while and it just shows my Lowe's team isn't giving up. We want to enter the Chase strong and have a few more weeks to work some things out. Michigan is a good track for us."
Jimmie joked that NASCAR would have to throw a caution flag before the start due to the 98 car of Timmy Hill leaking oil off of pit road. It actually looked like it had leaked all of its oil on the track. Not long after the green flag dropped to start the race, the 55 car of David Ragan got loose and spun out going into turn 1. Jimmie had managed to jump to the 2nd spot before the caution flag came out and was there when the green flag came back out on lap 6.
The second caution of the race occurred on lap 11 for debris in the backstretch near turn 3. The debris was an oil drain pan from the 98 car. The Lowe's 48 car was running loose at this time. The green flag came back out on lap 14 and Jimmie dropped back to the 3rd spot after losing the 2nd spot to the 22 car of Joey Logano.
The competition caution came out on lap 22. This time it was because the track needed to be cleaned after the truck race the night before. Jimmie reported that the car was loose especially off of turn 2 and into turn 3. He brought the Lowe's 48 car in for fuel and 2 fresh right side tires. Jimmie was in the 9th spot for the restart on lap 25 because some cars received fuel only while other cars remained on the track.
Then Jimmie began a slow backward slide through the field. He was out of the top 10 by lap 28 and out of the top 15 by lap 39. At this point of the race the temps inside the cars were already exceeding 150 degrees Fahrenheit thanks to the high drag package.
Jimmie was running in the 16th spot when trouble number 1 hit the Lowe's 48 team. The right rear tire was going down towards the end of lap 48 forcing Jimmie to come in for an unscheduled pit stop. The Lowe's 48 car received 4 fresh tires, fuel, and an air pressure change to fix the looseness of the car. Jimmie went back on the track and ended up in the 42nd spot and 2 laps down.
Jimmie worked hard and managed to get up to the 23rd spot and one lap down when the fourth caution of the race came out. This occurred on lap 73 due to debris in turn 2. The Lowe's 48 car came in for a 4 tire and fuel pit stop. Jimmie returned to the track in the 34th spot and one lap down for the restart on lap 77. By the half way point he had moved up to the 22nd spot but still one lap down. Twelve laps later, he would finally crack the top 20.
And then Trouble number 2... On lap 116, Jimmie was coming in for a pit stop and overshot the pit stall due to the car's rear tires locking up. The Lowe's 48 car received 4 tires, fuel, and a wedge adjustment. Jimmie returned to the track in the 29th spot.
Caution number 5 came out on lap 121 for debris in turn 1. At this time, the Lowe's 48 car was running in the 27th spot and two laps down. Chad would opt for the wave around so the team was able to regain one of the laps. Jimmie ended up in the 18th spot and one lap down when the green flag lap was dropped on lap 126.
The next lap brought out caution 6. It looked like there was contact between the 15 car of Clint Bowyer and the 31 car of Ryan Newman. The 15 car ended up hitting the outside wall and then came back down and eventually hit the inside wall. Newman claimed that he had no where to go when the 15 car came back down the track. The Lowe's 48 car stayed out and restarted in the 22nd spot and one lap down when the green flag came back out on lap 131.
Caution number 7 came out on lap 137 due to the 14 car of Tony Stewart sliding out in turn 4. The Lowe's 48 stayed out on the track during this caution period and restarted in the 21st spot and one lap down for the green flag on lap 142.
Jimmie managed to get to the 20th spot and one lap down with 46 laps to go. At 35 laps to go, he brought the Lowe's 48 car in for a green flag pit stop. The car received 4 tires and fuel. Jimmie went back out on the track and was in the 30th spot and two laps down.
There was 17 laps to go and Jimmie was sitting in the 22nd spot and one lap down. The Lowe's 48 car got loose through turns 3 and 4 bringing out the final caution of the race. The car ended up in the grassy area and suffered damage to its nose end. The team was also hit with a penalty for pitting too soon. Pit road was not yet open.
The team would spend quite a few laps fixing the car on pit road. Jimmie ended up coming back in for another pit stop due to tire rubbing. The team got hit with two penalties during this pit stop. The first was for too many crew members over the wall and the second was for the crew members over the wall too soon. Jimmie would have to do a pass through as a result. When the race finally ended, Jimmie ended up in the 39th spot.
September 8/15 Watkins Glen is one of two road courses where the Sprint Cup cars race. The other road course is at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California. Although Jimmie has 74 career Cup wins, none of them are at this track. The other winless tracks include Chicago, Homestead-Miami, and Kentucky.
This race also has the fun "backwards" pit stops. Normally the cars come down pit road with the driver side near the pit road wall. This time the drivers will be coming in the opposite direction. Plus, due to the layout of the track, each team utilized two extra spotters to help their drivers move through the field.
And for this week's hometown connection... Longtime engine tuner John Boydston is from Oswego, New York (about 95 miles north of Watkins Glen).
"We would like to check Watkins Glen off the list of winless tracks for the No. 48 team. As far as road courses go, we had a good run in Sonoma. Watkins Glen is a little different. The elevation changes aren't as severe. The track is a lot wider. The track has a lot more grip in it. I like the area and enjoy racing there."
Jimmie started this year's race at the Glen in the 9th spot. It then started getting crazy for Jimmie on lap 5 when he completely missed the inner loop. As a result he had to come to a complete stop on the track and he dropped from the 9th spot to the 22nd spot. If he had not come to a complete stop, he could have been hit with a penalty. The penalty would have been serving a pass through down pit road.
48 Spotter, Earl Barban: "Did you wheel hop or lock anything up?"
Jimmie Johnson: "No, sir. Just didn't want to take out the 88."
The first incident of the race occurred on lap 10. The 43 car of Aric Almirola got loose while around the 16 car of Greg Biffle. The 43 car spun out and got hit by the 27 car of Paul Menard who had no place to go. However, no caution flag came out for this one since all cars managed to get moving again.
The first caution flag did not come out until lap 25 for debris from the 16 car of Greg Biffle between turns 6 and 7. Jimmie was in the 14th spot at this time. He brought the car in for a pit stop for 4 tires, fuel, and adjustments. However, he was busted for speeding on pit lane (too fast in section 1) and had to serve a pass through penalty. Jimmie restarted in the 27th spot for the restart on lap 29.
The next crazy event would eventually lead to the 2nd caution of the race. On the very same lap as the restart (lap 29), the hood flap of the 11 car of Denny Hamlin came up and covered the front windshield of the car. This was the second time the hood flap had come up on the 11 car. The first time was at the Indianapolis race due to the hood pins not being secured correctly. This time it happened as a result of contact made with the 38 car of David Gilliland on the restart. On the next lap (lap 30), the 11 car was black flagged and Denny had to bring the car down pit road for repairs. Two laps later, the caution flag came out for debris from the 11 car in the esses. The Lowe's 48 car stayed out during this caution period and restarted in the 21st spot on lap 36.
Two laps later, the Lowe's 48 made contact with the 51 car of Justin Allgaier and the 51 car spun out in turn 1. No caution came out for this incident since Justin was able to get the car turned around properly. However, Justin was not too happy with Jimmie and had some colorful words for him along with promising some revenge for the contact. That revenge never took place even though the two cars ended up near each other later on in the race. Cooler heads did prevail and the two drivers were able to discuss the incident after the race and both agreed that it was just a racing thing and nothing personal.
The third caution of the race came out on lap 46. The 3 car of Austin Dillon had an issue with its left rear tire on the backstretch. The tire carcass came completely off. This was a result of contact with the 42 car of Kyle Larson from a few laps earlier. The 42 car got into the back of the 3 car into turn 1. Austin had been concerned with a tire rub during this entire run. Jimmie brought the Lowe's 48 in from the 14th spot for a 4 tire and fuel pit stop. At this point of the race, the biggest issue was the drive off. Jimmie restarted in the 16th spot when the green flag came back out on lap 50.
The next caution came out shortly after the green flag of the last restart. It all started when the 9 car of Sam Hornish, Jr. had trouble getting going and apparently missed a shift. This caused a bottleneck of the cars behind the 9 car. Quite a few cars were damaged as a result. The red flag came out on lap 52 and stayed out for about 9 minutes. The Lowe's 48 car came in when the caution flag came back out. It received only fuel even though the initial call was for 4 tires and fixing the slight nose damage. The green flag came back out on lap 55 and Jimmie was way back around the 30th spot.
The fifth and final caution of the race came out on lap 58. The 14 car of Tony Stewart came to a complete stop on the track before he was able to head into the inner loop. Tony said the car just broke when he got to the top of the esses. Also the 11 car of Denny Hamlin made contact with the Lowe's 48 car and the 48 car got turned around. It's not often that Jimmie gets angry but he did and Chad had to calm him down after this incident. During this pit stop, the Lowe's 48 team got hit with a penalty for too many crew members over the wall. Jimmie had to start at the tail end of the longest line in the 34th spot for the restart on lap 61.
Jimmie would slowly work his way forward and manage to crack the top-20 with 20 laps to go. He cracked the top-15 with 12 laps to go. Jimmie ended up finishing the race in the 10th spot.
August 29/15 The flat-black and white Kobalt Tools 48 Chevrolet SS made its fourth appearance this season at the track nicknamed "The Tricky Triangle". Pocono races typically consist of long green flag runs. Not this time. This time it was more like a tale of two races. During the first 72 laps there were 7 caution periods including the scheduled competition caution. There was also a brief red flag period. Then it was all green flag racing from lap 98 on.
This race was also one of the craziest ones I've seen in quite some time. Crazy in the opening laps. Crazy in the ending laps. The crazy even invaded the Happy Hour practice on the Saturday before the race both on the track and in the garage area. On track craziness included a car hitting the pit road wall. Garage area craziness included a guy being clipped by the Lowe's 48 car. Thankfully he was not injured. This should remind everyone that constant vigilance is needed in the garage area... especially when the race cars are moving.
For the second race in a row, Jimmie started in the 12th spot. The race went pretty smooth for the first four laps and then the first caution came out on lap 5. It's not often that a car spins out and hits the pit road wall. But this is the second time it happened during this race weekend. This time it was the 5 car of Kasey Kahne that got loose, spun out, and ended up hitting the pit road wall. A piece of the 5 car embedded itself into the wall and actually went through the wall.
The strange thing was that the 26 car of Jeb Burton also hit the pit road wall. Jeb's car spun out in turn 3 during Happy Hour practice on Saturday before the race. The even stranger thing was the 5 car traveled pretty much along the same skid marks that the 26 car took. Thankfully no one on pit road was injured and both drivers came through the crashes just fine. The Kahne incident brought out a 14 minute, 43 second red flag period so that repairs could be made to the pit road wall section that got hit. The Lowe's 48 car stayed out and restarted in the 15th spot when the green flag came back out on lap 10.
A competition caution came out on lap 16. The reason for it this time was because rear end grease was left on the track from the ARCA race on Saturday night before the Cup race. Track officials decided that the affected area needed to be cleaned. This competition caution gave all the teams a chance to check out tire wear on their cars. At this point Jimmie was feeling a bit frustrated that he couldn't make a pass work. Chad did his best to calm his driver down and assure him that they would work on it. Chad opted to have Jimmie stay out and he advised him to save fuel.
The Lowe's 48 restarted in the 8th spot when the green flag came back out on lap 20. The very same lap would bring out the next caution. The 4 car of Kevin Harvick blew its engine going into turn 3. This incident ended the day early for that team. Jimmie stayed out and restarted in the 6th spot on lap 24.
Jimmie was still in the 6th spot when caution number four occurred on lap 28. It started when the 9 car of Sam Hornish Jr. missed a shift and went off pace. The 17 car of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was unable to avoid him and spun out and hit the wall. Jimmie stayed out again because they were not in their fuel window and he was able to restart in the 4th spot for the green flag on lap 34. Six laps later, Jimmie moved up to the 2nd spot after the two leading cars came in for pit stops.
Jimmie came to pit road on lap 43 for the first pit stop of the race. The car had very good balance with tremendous fuel mileage. Jimmie was very happy with the car's performance at this point in the race. The Lowe's 48 car still received a wedge adjustment along with 4 tires and fuel. This put the car in 39th spot and on the lead lap.
And now for another crazy incident. The 2 car of Brad Keselowski was coming in for a pit stop on lap 57. The car's brakes locked up and Brad overshot his pit stall. Two crew members were hit by the 2 car... a front tire carrier and the jack man. The jack man actually got hit by his own 35lb jack. Thankfully neither of them were seriously hurt. One of the tires from the 2 car got away and went flying down pit road. Crew Chiefs started bringing in their cars since they were anticipating a caution being thrown at any moment due to the loose tire on pit road. Chad had the Lowe's 48 come down pit road on lap 58 for 4 tires and fuel.
And I'm going to take a moment to talk about the 2 car... Yes, I realize that this is supposed to be all about the Lowe's 48 team. But this incident with the 2 team is pretty important. To all of those who got pissed at Brad on Twitter... I seriously doubt that Brad intentionally hit his own pit crew guys. It was an accident. It's that simple. These guys know the dangers of working on pit road. And yet they still do it. At one time these guys didn't wear helmets. And now they are required to wear helmets along with all fire proof materials. It is incidents like this that remind everyone just how dangerous pit road can be.
The fifth caution came out on lap 62 due to debris (tire from the 2 car) on pit road. It didn't come out sooner because the tire had rolled to a safe area. Then the tire bounced off the wall and came back onto the pit road. And this is why the caution flag was dropped. Since the Lowe's 48 car came in before the caution flag dropped, Jimmie stayed out this time and was able to restart in the 21st spot for the restart on lap 66.
On the very same lap another caution flag would come out for an accident in turn 1 involving the 9 car of Sam Hornish Jr., the 27 car of Paul Menard, and 41 car of Kurt Busch. The 27 car moved up into the 41 car. The 41 car was then spinning out and got tapped by the 9 car which had no place to go. Jimmie managed to get past the 41 car as it was going back up the track. He stayed out on the track and restarted in the 17th spot when the green flag came back out on lap 72.
Once again a caution flag would come out on the restart lap due to an incident in turn 1 and towards the back of the field. This time it involved the 13 car of Casey Mears catching the right front of the 88 car of Dale Earnhardt Jr. sending him around. The 35 car of Cole Whitt was also involved and got the left rear quarter panel of the 88 car. The green flag came back out on lap 76 and Jimmie restarted in the 17th spot.
Jimmie came down pit road on lap 89 for 2 tires and fuel pit stop. Three laps later... the caution flag came out for the eighth time due to the 33 car of Alex Kennedy hitting the wall hard in turn 1. Jimmie was in the 29th spot when the caution flag dropped. Since he had already come in for a pit stop a few laps earlier, he stayed out and restarted in the 8th spot on lap 98.
After this final caution it was back to green flag racing which lasted for the rest of the race. Jimmie cracked the top 5 on lap 99. Another green flag pit stop occurred on lap 123 due to a loose car. The Lowe's 48 car received 4 tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment. The car was not doing what Jimmie needed it to do and he needed help turning in the corner. Jimmie returned to the track in the 26th spot. With 34 laps to go, Jimmie returned to the top 10 and two laps later he was back in the top 5.
And now for the crazy finish. The leaders started running out of fuel. The 22 car of Joey Logano ran out of fuel with 3 laps to go. The 78 car of Martin Truex Jr. ran out of fuel with 2 laps to go. And the 18 car of Kyle Busch ran out of fuel on the final lap. A lot more cars also ran out of fuel and had to come in for a splash just to finish the race. Sadly the Lowe's 48 car was running out with 3 laps to go so Jimmie had to pit for a splash of fuel. He still managed to recover nicely and pull off a sixth place finish.
Four members of the Lowe's 48 team have connections to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Engine tuner John Boydston is from Oswego, New York but he attended Luzerne County Community College in nearby Nanticoke, Pennsylvania. Shock specialist Mike Ellershaw is from Levittown, Pennsylvania. Pit crew members Matt Wilps and Zach Thomusseit both graduated from the University of Pittsburgh and both were members of the wrestling team.
August 21/15 The Indianapolis track is very special to Jimmie Johnson. His whole world was the Indy 500. As a small child, Jimmie would use couch cushions to pretend he was racing in an open wheel car. But his racing career took him to stock cars instead of the open cockpit Indy cars. So far, Jimmie has been able to kiss the famed 'Yard of Bricks' a total of four times. The first time occurred in 2006 when he was able to overcome a flat tire and a faulty radio. Jimmie was the first driver to win the Brickyard 400 in consecutive years when he won both the 2008 and 2009 races. His last win came in 2012 and he celebrated with a victory lap in the pace car with his family and crew all on board.
This year's race at the Brickyard also brought a high drag package. One of the bigger changes was the spoiler height being increased to nine inches. Everything else in the platform was to encourage more balance in the car. It was also supposed to take away the clean air advantage that the lead car enjoyed. NASCAR officials had made these changes in an attempt to lessen the aero impact and allow for more passing on the flat 2.5 mile Indianapolis track.
One of the side affects of this new high drag package was increased temperatures inside the race car. The cars had an extended bumper cover on the back which didn't allow for airflow underneath the car. The temperatures inside the car were up to, and exceeding, 150F. Many of the drivers were left physically drained after the race. Teams did everything they could to keep the drivers cool and hydrated.
Jimmie started this year's Brickyard race just outside of the top 10 in the 12th spot. He came in for his first pit stop on lap 28 because the Lowe's 48 car started off loose but kept getting tighter as the run went on. The car received 4 tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment to help Jimmie get the feel that he needed. Jimmie was then able to crack the top 10 for the first time on lap 33.
And now for the oddest moment of the race... The first caution came out on lap 46 due to balloons on the backstretch. You just can't make this stuff up. Apparently the balloons were from the pageantry events before the race started. Balloons go up. Balloons come down. The Lowe's 48 car stayed out on the track during this caution time and restarted in the 3rd spot when the green flag came back out again on lap 50.
The second caution of the race came out on the very same lap when the 15 car of Clint Bowyer got free as it was running by the 4 car of Kevin Harvick. The 24 car of Jeff Gordon had no place to go and made contact with the outside wall in turn 3. Once again the Lowe's 48 car stayed out on the track and was able to restart in the 4th spot when the green flag dropped on lap 55. He quickly jumped to the 2nd spot. This would not last long as Jimmie came in for a pit stop on lap 60. The Lowe's 48 car received 4 tires, fuel, and wedge adjustments on both sides and returned to the track in the 24th spot.
Jimmie worked his way forward through the field and managed to get up into the top 15 by lap 84 when the next set of green flag pit stops began. He brought the car in for a pit stop on lap 90 for 4 tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment. They almost ended up a lap down when the third caution of the race came out for debris on the frontstretch on lap 91 while they were still on pit road. Thanks to the speedy pit stop by the Lowe's 48 crew, Jimmie was sitting in the 5th spot when the green flag came back out on lap 97.
On the restart, the 2 car of Brad Keselowski got very loose which forced Jimmie to go way down on the apron to avoid the 2 car. As a result, Jimmie ended up settling into the 7th spot. The fourth caution of the race came out on lap 108 when the 43 car of Aric Almirola got loose and spun out in turn 2 and ended up making contact with the inside wall. The Lowe's 48 car stayed out during this caution period and restarted in the 5th spot when the green flag dropped on lap 112.
Jimmie lost a few spots on the restart and ended up in the 9th spot when the fifth caution flag came out with 40 laps to go. The 33 car of Brian Scott made hard contact with the outside wall in turn 2. The Lowe's 48 car came in for a pit stop and received 4 tires and fuel. Jimmie restarted in the 14th spot when the green flag came out with 36 laps to go.
With 34 laps to go, the 17 car of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. got into the outside wall and there was concern that the caution flag would come out. No caution flag came out but a few teams came in anyways for fuel and fresh tires. Jimmie came down pit road with 33 laps to go to top off the Lowe's 48 car with as much fuel as possible. He then came back out on the track in the 24th spot.
The sixth caution of the race came with 20 laps to go for debris on the backstretch. The 43 car of Aric Amilrola and the 6 car of Trevor Bayne decided to play demolition derby on the track as the caution flag was being thrown. Apparently they had a disagreement of some sort going on with on track action. The Lowe's 48 car was running in the 24th spot at this time. Jimmie came in for a pit stop and the car received 4 tires and fuel. He restarted in the 24th spot with 14 laps to go.
Jimmie's teammate, Dale Earnhardt Jr., would bring out the seventh caution with 13 laps to go. The 88 car ended up in the grass around turn 1 and spun out eventually hitting the outside wall in turn 1. The Lowe's 48 car stayed out during this caution flag period. The green flag came back out with 8 laps to go and Jimmie restarted in the 19th spot. The eighth caution came out for debris off of the 13 car of Casey Mears in turn 2 with 6 laps to go. Once again, the Lowe's 48 car stayed out on the track. Jimmie restarted in the 19th spot when the green flag dropped with 2 laps to go.
Green flag racing didn't last long as shortly after the restart, the 6 car of Trevor Bayne spun out and went into the wall in turn 1. This set up a green-white-checkered finish since the white flag had not been shown for the leader.
The day could have been better but then I'm just happy it wasn't worse. Jimmie and the Lowe's 48 team took home a 15th place finish.
August 11/15 One of my favourite memories of living in the New England area was the lobster. It was oh so very good. My first Navy station, other than school, was at the now closed Naval Air Station Brunswick in Brunswick, Maine. I do have some fond memories of that station even though I never got the chance to see a race when I was up there in the area. So, every time I watch the New Hampshire races, I remember the times spent in Maine and the entire New England area and... I smile.
Jimmie started the race in the 7th spot. The first caution came out on lap 23 for debris in turn 1. When the caution flag dropped, the Lowe's 48 car was sitting in the 8th spot. Jimmie would stay out this time and gain one spot for the restart on lap 27. Then the handling of the car started to go and the Lowe's 48 car started going backwards. By lap 45, Jimmie was in the 16th spot. He came in for a pit stop on lap 85 to get some adjustments for a car loose into 3 and tight in the center. The car also received a fresh set of four tires along with a full tank of fuel.
The second caution came out on lap 98 due to debris in turn 4. When the green flag came out on lap 108, Jimmie had moved up to the 22nd spot. The third caution of the race came out on lap 118 due to debris in the frontstretch. Jimmie was running in the 17th spot at this time. He brought the Lowe's 48 in for four tires, fuel, and more adjustments. The green flag came out on lap 122 and Jimmie was running in the 23rd spot for the restart. On lap 129, Jimmie cracked the top 20.
Around lap 152 Jimmie was in the 18th spot and still not happy with the handling of the Lowe's 48 car. It was still tight in the center.
"There've been small steps." ~ Jimmie Johnson.
The next pit stop for the Lowe's 48 team occurred on lap 178. Jimmie brought the car in for another big chassis adjustment, air pressure adjustment, 4 tires, and fuel. But he was busted for speeding (too fast exiting) and had to serve a pass through penalty. This is the second time this season that the Lowe's 48 had a speeding penalty on pit road. Jimmie ended up back in the 32nd spot as a result of the speeding penalty.
The fourth caution came out on lap 189 for debris in turn 3. Jimmie brought the Lowe's 48 car in for a pit stop on lap 191 and the car received 4 tires and fuel. The green flag came back out on lap 194 and the Lowe's 48 was in the 31st spot and one lap down.
The fifth caution came out on lap 200 for the 27 car of Paul Menard. It came to a stop in turn 4 after suffering a tire rub. Paul was unable to make it down pit road the first time. The green flag came back out on lap 204 and Jimmie was sitting in the 28th spot and one lap down.
The sixth caution came out on lap 252 for potential oil in turn 2. Jimmie was running in the 29th spot at this time. The green flag came back out on lap 258. The seventh and final caution came out on the last lap for the 7 car of Alex Bowman hitting the wall in turn 2. But since the white flag had already been dropped, the caution flag ended the race.
Let's face it. This was not the kind of day the Lowe's 48 hoped to have at Loudon. It's days like this that make you realize how humbling NASCAR can be. One week you could be in victory lane and the next week all heck could break loose and you end up with a poor finish or not finish at all. But all you can do is brush it off and focus on the next race. And that is one of the things this team does best.
In the bigger picture... the Lowe's 48 team managed to officially clinch a spot in this year's Chase for the Sprint Cup despite the 22nd place finish.
August 6/15 Once again Mother Nature makes her presence known. Earlier in the week testing was affected by rain. There was limited practice time on Friday due to rain and qualifying was rained out. The teams would not see sun at the track until the day of the race. Add in a new rules package and you get a caution filled race. The caution flag came out 11 times including the one for the scheduled competition caution.
With a new rules package on display this weekend for NASCAR, and limited practice time on Friday due to rain, it took Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus a good part of the race to find something that worked for their No. 48 Lowe's ProServices Chevrolet SS.
Jimmie started the Kentucky race in the 6th spot. He managed to stay in the top 5 until the first caution came out on lap 19. It involved both the 23 car of JJ Yeley and the 98 car of Josh Wise making contact in the middle of turns 3 and 4. The Lowe's 48 car did not pit during this early caution. Jimmie restarted 5th when the green flag came back out on lap 24. JJ ended up going all the way down to the apron of the track and started dropping back in the field.
Jimmie found himself in the 8th spot by the time the competition caution dropped on lap 32. He brought the car down pit road for a 2 tire (right tires) and gas pit stop. He restarted in the 7th spot when the green flag dropped on lap 36. One more time Jimmie slowly started drifting backwards in the pack and by the time the third caution dropped on lap 82 due to debris in turn 4, the Lowe's 48 car would be in the 11th spot. The car was running extremely free at this time. Jimmie brought the car in for a 4 tire and gas pit stop. Also work was done on the car's panhard bar. As a result of an extended stay on pit road, the Lowe's 48 car restarted in the 24th spot when the green flag dropped on lap 87.
The fourth caution of the race came out on lap 99. The 41 car of Kurt Busch got loose and spun out in turn 4. Once again Chad called for some major adjustments to the 48 car with 2 rounds in the left rear and 2 out of the right rear. The green flag came out on lap 105 and the Lowe's 48 restarted in the 21st spot. The fifth caution of the race came out on lap 122 due to the 23 car of JJ Yeley making contact with the wall at turn 4. At that time, the Lowe's 48 car was running in the 19th spot. When the green flag came out on lap 129, Jimmie was running in the 15th spot.
The sixth caution came out on lap 137 due to the 88 car of Dale Earnhardt Jr. in turn 3. Dale Jr. reported that the car was loose and had no brakes. He ended up in the wall. The green flag came out on lap 141 and the Lowe's 48 car was running in the 25th spot.
The seventh caution came out on lap 144 and involved several cars around turn 2. They were the 14 car of Tony Stewart, the 17 car of Ricky Stenhouse Jr., the 26 car of Jeb Burton, and the 83 car of Matt Dibenedetto. Jimmie came in for a 4 tire and gas pit stop. The car also received a slight chassis adjustment. When the green flag came out on lap 147, the Lowe's 48 car was running in the 28th spot.
Lap 153 would bring out the eighth caution due to debris in turn 4. At this time the Lowe's 48 car was running in the 19th spot. Jimmie ended up in the 7th spot at the restart on lap 157. Lap 187 brought out the ninth caution due to debris in turn 3. The Lowe's 48 car was running in the 9th spot at this time. Jimmie brought the Lowe's 48 car in for a 4 tire and gas pit stop. On lap 192, Jimmie restarted in the 7th spot.
The tenth caution came out on lap 208 due to the 10 car of Danica Patrick hitting the wall on turn 4. The 10 car was hit in the rear by the 88 car of Dale Earnhardt Jr. due to the 88 car still having brake issues. The 10 car then got into the 88 car while both were coming down pit road. She voiced her displeasure with the driver of the 88 car with some colourful language. Jimmie brought the car in for a 4 tire and gas pit stop. When the green flag came back out on lap 213, the Lowe's 48 car was running in the 13th spot.
The eleventh and final caution came out on lap 225 due to the left rear tire of the 42 car of Kyle Larson going down and then hitting the wall in turn 2. Jimmie was running in the 10th spot when the caution dropped and he stayed out on the track during this period. When the green flag came back out on lap 225, the Lowe's 48 car was running in the 10th spot.
Although Jimmie made his way back into the top 10, he was unable to make a run to the front of the field and ended up with a 9th place finish.
August 5/15 Chad Knaus - The mere mention of his name can elicit strong emotions. What other crew chief can be so dividing? Fans either love him or they hate him. It's that simple. But the fact remains that he is one of the most successful crew chiefs in the Sprint Cup series of NASCAR.
Chad was born in Rockford, Illinois on 5 August, 1971. He grew up around the race tracks in the Midwest states and helped his father John with his race car. At the tender young age of 14, Chad served as his father's Crew Chief at the Rockford Speedway during his championship season. The duo went on to win the Great Northern Series championship and came in second in the NASCAR Winston Racing Series. Chad moved to North Carolina in 1991 to continue his racing career.
Chad spent some time working with Stanley Smith's stock car team as a mechanic and fabricator. Two years later, he moved to Hendrick Motorsports to work on the 24 car under Crew Chief Ray Everham. He was the rear tire changer during the championship years of 1995 and 1997 on the original Rainbow Warriers pit crew team. In 1997, he joined Dale Earnhardt, Inc. as a car chief for driver Steve Park. In 1998, he moved to Tyler Jet Motorsports. In 1999, he got a call from Ray Everham to lead a Dodge development team and he worked with driver Stacy Compton. This lead to Chad becoming Stacy's Crew Chief in 2001.
In 2002, Chad would become the Crew Chief to rookie driver Jimmie Johnson. The two would open the season by winning the Daytona 500 pole. Over the years, their partnership would continue to grow and this duo would go on to win an unprecedented 5 Cup championships in a row and would get the 6th championship in 2013. They also were able to secure the 200th Cup victory for Hendrick Motorsports and the first points win for the Gen-6 Chevy SS.
Personally, I think he is a genius. He might even be too clever for his own good. And let's face it; he is easy on the eyes. He has amazing eyes, a charming smile, and a laugh that is simply contagious. But Chad Knaus is more than just a pretty face. He is cunning, clever, ambitious, and highly competitive. He has a knack for finding the grey areas of rules. And when he finds them, he exploits them. As far as I am concerned he is just doing his job. It's the same job that every other crew chief is trying to do... win races. Sure, this has gotten him into trouble on more than one occasion. But what crew chief hasn't gotten into trouble for bending the rules on occasion?
He also has a passion for the sport which is just as strong as ever.
"You know, just don't settle. I fear the fact that one day, we'll never win a race again. I fear the fact that one day I won't work with Jimmie again. I fear the fact that one day, I won't have this amazing facility at Hendrick Motorsports to work in. And I try to work as hard as I can every single day to go out there and win races, because I know at some point in time, it's going to go away. And you just can't take anything for granted."
Enjoy this video I made for you, Chad!
July 25/15 Once again Mother Nature wrecked havoc with the start of another Sprint Cup race. The fun would begin about 3 hours later than the scheduled time at approximately 11:42 p.m. EDT. For a moment I didn't think we would get it in. And yes, I stayed up for the entire race. It was completely worth it. I am still amazed that I managed to get up the next day to get my 12 year old boy off to summer school.
It was the Patriotic Lowe's 48 that hit the track for the very late start of the Coke Zero 400. The last time this paint scheme raced was for the All Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600 back in May of this year. Qualifying had been cancelled due to rain and Jimmie would start the race in the 12th spot. This was set by practice speeds during the 1st practice session from the Friday before the race.
The first caution of the race occurred on lap 3 and involved multiple cars. It all began with the 38 car of David Gilliland coming out of turn 4 and attempting to come down the track to change lanes. But unfortunately there was no room for this maneuver. The Lowe's 48 car stayed out and restarted 6th when the green flag dropped on lap 9.
Nine laps later... the 18 car of Kyle Busch got loose and hit the wall in turn 1. He was able to get his car safely to pit road so no caution flag dropped.
The competition caution dropped during lap 26. At this point, the Lowe's 48 car was running in the 2nd spot. The car was running well and received a wedge adjustment and splash of gas then it was back out onto the track. Jimmie gained one spot due to this quickie pit stop.
Those two make me laugh every single time they quarrel this way. It reminds me of an old married couple. I like to joke that Chad is Jimmie's work wife. The green flag dropped on lap 31 and Jimmie lost the top spot to his teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the 88 car. That didn't last long as Jimmie re-took the lead on lap 33.
The third caution came out on lap 53 due to the 19 car of Carl Edwards. The car lost rear grip and got really loose. It then hit the inside wall with its rear bumper. It would be a two tire stop and splash of gas for Jimmie. He restarted in the 2nd spot when the green flag dropped on lap 58.
Green flag racing didn't last long this time. The fourth caution flag came out one lap later on lap 59 due to the 38 car of David Gilliland. It developed a cut right rear tire and the car lost control in turn 4. The green flag dropped on lap 64. Jimmie stayed out during this caution and restarted in the 2nd spot.
The Lowe's 48 car took the lead on lap 76 for the first time. On lap 85, the fifth caution of the race happened. This was another multiple car incident and it occurred in turns 1 and 2. It started when the 42 car of Kyle Larson got loose and went completely sideways and ended up going back up the track. Jimmie came to pit road on lap 86 for 2 tires and fuel. The Lowe's 48 car was running pretty good at this time. The green flag dropped on lap 93 and Jimmie restarted in the 5th position.
The sixth caution of the race was yet another multiple car incident. It occurred on lap 105 coming out of turn 4. The Lowe's 48 was running in the 2nd spot at this time. It all started when the 20 car of Matt Kenseth came down in front of the 5 car of Kasey Kahne and got loose. Both cars went back up the track and the cars behind them had no place to go.
Jimmie would come into pit on lap 110 for fuel only. When the green flag dropped on lap 115, he would jump to the lead. That didn't last long as the 88 car took it right back. The two teammates would continue to battle back and forth until Jimmie got caught alone and dropped back to the 9th spot on lap 121. On lap 127, the 10 car of Danica Patrick would spin out and hit the wall in turn 2. The car ended up going straight to the garage with a broken suspension. The Lowe's 48 car would stay out during this caution flag time.
The green flag came out on lap 132 and the Lowe's 48 car was running in the 9th spot. Jimmie would manage to get back to the 2nd spot by lap 144. The eighth caution of the race occurred on lap 147 due to the 55 car spinning out on the backstretch and into the grass. The Lowe's 48 car would stay out and would maintain the 2nd spot when the green flag dropped with 9 laps to go.
The ninth and last caution of the race occurred with 6 laps to go, setting up a green-white-checkered finish. The 9 car of Sam Hornish Jr. and the 1 car of Jamie McMurray would make contact on the backstretch. The green flag dropped on lap 159 and Jimmie would not be able to pass his teammate for the win. He would finish the race with a solid 2nd place finish.
This was a crazy wreck-fest of a race. There were 3 different times during the race where the caution flag came out due to multiple cars (more than 3 cars) wrecking. The fourth one occurred as the checkered flag dropped and it was the scariest. The 3 car of Austin Dillon went airborne and crashed into the catch fence. Thankfully he was able to walk away from the badly torn up race car and wave at the crowd. Crew members from different teams rushed out to see if he was alright. A few fans in the stands were injured but nothing serious. Once again, this is a reminder of how dangerous this sport is for both the drivers, the crews, and the fans.
QUOTING JIMMIE: "Great performance for this Lowe's team, happy to be 1 2, but clearly thinking about the accident that happened and the people in the stands. It sounds like things are well out there, which is shocking. I'm shocked that Austin Dillon is even alive, what he went through. Just a frightening moment. I saw it in the mirror, and man, I expected the worst when I came back around."
The last Daytona race won by Jimmie was the Daytona 500 on 6 July, 2013. Jimmie lead 94 laps. He would go on to win his 6th championship cup.
The pace car was sporting a new light on its rear window. This let the drivers know if pit road was open or not depending on the colour of the light. It was green for open and red for closed.
July 19/15 What kind of wine goes with a Sprint Cup race? For a few days before the race, I was trying to figure that one out. I even asked friends. The funniest answer was "none since Miller doesn't make wine". I'm guessing my friend thinks I should just stick with beer. But, if you want to drink wine like the one the winning driver drinks in victory lane then... I'd go with a California red.
Jimmie started the road course race in the 13 spot. It didn't last long as he was inside the top ten by lap 11. He cracked the top five by lap 18. The first caution came out on lap 22 due to the 38 car of David Gilliland hitting the tire barrier at turn 10. The left front tire had let go. Jimmie was in the 4th spot when the caution flag dropped. He came into pit on lap 24 for 4 tires and fuel. The green flag dropped on lap 27 and Jimmie restarted in the 12th spot due to some drivers remaining on the track because of different pit strategies.
Lap 29 brought out another caution number two due to the 78 car of Martin Truex Jr. ending up in the tire barrier at about turn 8. The 55 car of David Ragan made contact with the 78 pushing it hard into the tire barrier. On lap 31, the red flag came out so repairs can be made to the tire barrier and the concrete barriers behind it. The green flag dropped on lap 34 and Jimmie was in 8th place. He quickly passed the 2 car of Brad Keselowski to take the 7th spot. On lap 36, he cracked the top five.
Jimmie moved up to 2nd place by lap 52 and one lap later he took the lead when the leader hit pit road. The Lowe's 48 waited to pit on lap 67 for four tires and fuel. Jimmie informed Chad that the car was starting to stumble at the start of the last lap. He returned to the track and settled into the 4th spot by lap 69.
The third caution came out on lap 73 due to the 23 car of JJ Yeley getting loose in the exit of turn 10. Jimmie stayed out on the track to regain the lead when the green flag dropped at lap 78. At that point, Jimmie was one lap shy on fuel.
The fourth caution came out on lap 80 with 31 laps to go. The 55 car of David Ragan and the 19 car of Carl Edwards made contact around turn 8 pushing both cars into the wall hard. Jimmie stayed out to maintain track position. The green flag came back out on lap 84.
The fifth and final caution came out with 12 laps to go. This time it was due to the 13 car of Casey Mears having a broken rear axle housing coming out of turn 11. Once again Jimmie chose to stay out. Most of the leaders behind him came in for fresher tires. The Lowe's 48 car managed to maintain the lead until 5 laps to go. The cars on fresher tires caught and passed him with little trouble.
Sadly, that was not the case as the cars on fresher tires begin to catch up to him. Sometimes a gamble pays off and sometimes it doesn't. But ya never know until you try. That was the position the Lowe's 48 team was in with five laps remaining in the race. Thanks to the previous four wins this season, the team was able to make such a gamble. The gamble didn't work out this time but they still managed a pretty good finish in 6th place. Not too shabby.
Longtime No. 48 team mechanic Zack Miller from Mission Viego, California. Zack is responsible for the interior of the Lowe's ProServices Chevrolet SS and Johnson's personal equipment and comfort.
Race engineer Julian Pena is from Aliso Viejo, California, and graduated from Stanford University with a degree in mechanical engineering.
JJ's one win at this road course came on 20 June 2010 when he led 55 laps en route to Victory Lane.
July 8/15 Once again, Mother Nature would pay a visit to a Sprint Cup race. This time it would be at the Quicken Loans 400 held at the Michigan International Speedway. If we were still living in Wisconsin then chances are we would have been at the track. But I can honestly say that I'm glad we were not able to attend. As much as I loved attending last year's June race and seeing Jimmie win in person, I would not have been happy in the rain. And I'm fairly certain my boys would have complained loudly.
Jimmie started the race in the 8th position. The first caution came out on lap 12 for a small rain cell that popped out over turn 2. The drivers were allowed to pit but were not allowed to refuel until the scheduled competition caution on lap 30. Jimmie was in the 11th spot at this point. One lap later, the red flag came out for the first time.
About an hour later, the caution flag was displayed and the race restarted on lap 14. One little pesky rain cloud hovered over the track at turn 4 preventing the green flag from coming out. It would eventually move over to the front straightaway area and the red flag came back out on lap 19. This time the red flag period lasted for about 34 minutes and the competition caution was pushed to lap 35.
On lap 24, the 7 car of Alex Bowman had some issues coming off of pit road. The right rear tire was cut down and debris was left on the track down the back straightaway. The 7 car was taken to the garage to allow cleanup. The green flag finally dropped on lap 29 and the competition caution was once again bumped. This time it was changed to lap 40. The Lowe's 48 car was running in the 12th position at this time.
On the restart, there was slight contact from the 22 car of Joey Logano. By lap 30, Jimmie dropped back to the 15th spot as a result of that contact. Two laps later, the Lowe's 48 car dropped out of the top 20 and found itself back in the 21st spot. The competition caution would come out at the beginning of lap 41 and the 48 car would crack the top 20 by being in 18th spot. Jimmie brought the car down for a pit stop for fuel, tires, adjustments, and repairs to the left quarter panel. He would end up restarting in the 42nd spot. Another red flag would come out on lap 45 due to another brief rain shower. This time the red flag period would last about 35 minutes.
After the caution flag came back out and with one to go before the green flag was dropped, the 48 car came down pit road to top off on fuel. He really had nothing to lose since he was already in 42nd spot. Pit road was officially closed at that time so Jimmie had to drop back to the 43rd spot. See? Not much lost there. And the green flag dropped once again at the beginning of lap 52.
One lap later, on lap 53, the 18 car of Kyle Busch ended up in the wall around turn 4. The car got loose under the 41 car of Kurt Busch and took a hard right into the wall. There was extensive damage to the right front of the car and it went straight to the garage area. The green flag dropped on lap 60 and the Lowe's 48 car would be in the 36th spot at this point.
Jimmie slowly made his way forward. On lap 82, he cracked the top 20 and on lap 83 he would be in the top 15. On lap 84, Jimmie had some concerns about stalling issues with the Lowe's 48 car and he came in to pit and the crew changed the left side tires. By the end of the green flag pit stop cycle, the Lowe's 48 car would be in the 17th spot on lap 98. At the midway point on lap 100, it would be in the 15th spot.
On lap 120, Jimmie brought the Lowe's 48 car in for another pit stop for fuel and 4 tires. The caution flag came out on lap 125 due to debris in turns 3 and 4 and the Lowe's 48 car was in the 24th spot and a lap down. There was speculation that the debris might have come from the 4 car of Kevin Harvick. The green flag came back out on lap 130 and Jimmie was in the 21st spot and still one lap down.
The last caution flag of the race came out towards the end of lap 137 thanks to more rain. One lap later, the red flag came out again for a fourth time. When lightening was spotted in the area, the race was declared official.
Jimmie and the Lowe's 48 car ended up with a 19th place finish.
July 1/15 The Lowe's 48 car sported the Jimmie Johnson Foundation paint scheme. This foundation was started in 2006 by Chandra and Jimmie Johnson. Currently, the foundation is focusing on funding K-12 public education. So far it has contributed more than $7.7 million to various organizations. Each year the foundation picks 5 charities that support K-12 public education and they are featured on Jimmie's Blue Bunny Helmet of Hope. This year the chosen charities included: 9 Dots (Los Angeles), BackPack Beginnings (Greensboro, North Carolina), Big Brothers Big Sisters of Siouxland (Sioux City, Iowa), Carolina Raptor Center (Charlotte, North Carolina) and The Be Kind People Project (Phoenix). This program has donated more than $801,000 to different charities.
For this race, Chad Knaus picked chassis 48-891 which was last raced at the March Fontana race for a ninth place finish. The backup car was last raced at the June 2014 Pocono race.
Jimmie would start the race in 9th spot. He would fall out of the top ten for a short time but be back in the 10th spot by lap 5. On lap 26, he would make his first green flag pit stop for 4 tires and fuel. The team was pleased with the lap times so far. Jimmie would end up in 11th spot on about lap 37 after the green flag pit stop cycle.
The first caution of the race would happen during lap 49 due to the 27 car of Paul Menard. Earlier in the race, on lap 32, the car had a left front tire cut down due to a lug nut hitting the valve stem. The car would end up with damage to its splitter leaving a piece of it on the track, bringing out the caution flag. At this point Jimmie made it back into the top 10. On the restart, he would be in 10th spot on lap 55. One lap later he would dart up to the 4th position.
The second caution of the race would happen on lap 69. The 17 car of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. got loose and would end up pounding the outside wall. Ricky reported that the car lost brakes going into the tunnel turn (turn 2). The Lowe's 48 team chose to stay out during this round of caution flag pit stops and would end up taking 2nd place on the restart. Jimmie would settle back to the 3rd spot on lap 74.
The Lowe's 48 car would be the cause of the third caution. On lap 87, it would suffer a cut left front tire. Thankfully, the car did not hit the wall as the tire went flat in the middle of a very long straightaway. Jimmie would bring the car down to pit road for fresh tires and damage assessment. There was minimal damage to the splitter and Chad assured Jimmie that the car did not look too bad. Although Jimmie would return to the track in the 26th spot with 68 laps to go, he was able to stay on the lead lap which helped him greatly.
Caution number four would come out on lap 94. The 7 car of Alex Bowman would go for a spin in turn 3 due to possible contact by the 34 car of Brett Moffit. The Lowe's 48 car did not pit during this caution period and would gain 4 spots. Jimmie would move into the 20th spot by lap 97 after the restart.
With 62 laps to go, Jimmie would advance to being in the top 20 with a 19th place spot. By lap 109 he was back in the top 15 by being in the 12th spot. Caution number five would happen on lap 121. The 9 car of Sam Hornish Jr. would have smoke coming out of the left front tire and end up in the wall in turn 1. After coming in for a pit stop, the Lowe's 48 car would end up back in the top 10 for the restart, 35 laps to go in the race.
Caution number six would occur on lap 129 between the 2 car of Brad Keselowski and the 34 car of Brett Moffit. The 34 car got loose and the 2 car couldn't get turned out of the way in time as he was already committed to the outside line. The Lowe's 48 car would be in the 7th spot at the restart with 27 laps to go.
Jimmie would advance up to the 5th spot before the seventh caution of the race which happened on lap 135. The 10 car of Danica Patrick had a right tire go flat and she would end up in the wall in turn 1. Jimmie would be in the 6th spot for the restart with 21 laps to go.
The eighth caution of the race would occur on lap 142 with 20 laps to go between the 31 car of Ryan Newman and the 47 car of AJ Allmendinger. The 47 car got loose and made contact with the 31 sending it into the wall in turn 1. The Lowe's 48 would stay out during this round of caution flag pit stops as Jimmie felt they had nothing to lose.
After the restart and with 15 laps to go, the Lowe's 48 car would dart to 2nd. Jimmie then dropped back to 3rd after being passed by the 4 car of Kevin Harvick with 13 laps to go. The 10 car of Danica Patrick would spin out on turn 3 with 7 laps to go but since she ended up on pit road then the caution flag did not come out.
Jimmie would end up with a 3rd place finish. Considering the car suffered a cut left front tire and minimal splitter damage, the team ended up with a pretty good finish. It just proves that the team has a "never give up" attitude.
Jimmie also graciously thanked Lowe's for allowing him to use the Jimmie Johnson Foundation for the car's paint scheme during this race. It's always good to see a driver show gratitude toward his major sponsor. It was also good of Lowe's to support Jimmie and his wonderful foundation.
- Front tire changer Cam Waugh was out due to a hand injury. His replacement was Kevin Novak from the 38 team (supported by HMS pit crews).
- The Lowe's 48 team received a warning due to having to go through pre-race inspection 3x (fourth warning of this season).
- The 48 team had a very special honourary member. Twelve year old Beau Smith first met Jimmie at the Dover race last month and had given his favourite driver 3 hugs. I'm sure this little boy will never forget his experiences with the Lowe's 48 team.
June 17/15 Ten... Give me a ten. As in ten wins at the Dover Speedway. Once again Jimmie Johnson makes history with his tenth win at one track. This winning streak would begin back in 2002 during Jimmie's rookie season. During that year he managed to sweep both Dover races. He went on to accomplish this feat again in 2009. Can he do it again this year? We'll find out at the fall race in October.
For this spring Dover race, Chad Knaus selected chassis 48-937 which is a brand new chassis. The backup car was 48-824 which was last raced at the June 2014 Pocono race. Friday practice went well and JJ managed to win the practice with a speed of 163.867 MPH. He would end up with a qualifying spot of 14th after failing to make it to round 3.
After 12 laps into the race, he moved up in the top 10. He would crack the top 5 at lap 53. The first caution would come out on lap 74 due to debris in turn 1. This caution would end the longest green flag run to start a race during this season. Jimmie would keep his 5th place spot after coming in to the pits for 4 tires, fuel, and adjustments.
He would drop back to 6th after the restart but manage to get back to the 4th spot after a round of green flag pit stops. He would come in on lap 158 for 4 tires, fuel, and adjustments. Jimmie stated that the Lowe's 48 car was loose from the start of this run and he was killing the tires.
The second caution of the race would come out on lap 163. At this point Jimmie was running in the 4th spot. The 17 car of Ricky Stenhouse Jr went up in turns 1 and 2 and hit the wall. Jimmie would come out with a 3rd place spot after the pit stop cycle was complete.
The third caution of the race would come out on lap 175. There was contact between the 6 car of Trevor Bayne and the 46 car of Michael Annett. The 6 car would end up hitting the inside wall and the 51 car of Justin Allgaier would end up hitting the back of the 46 car. The Lowe's 48 car would stay out on the track during this cycle of caution flag pit stops. Jimmie would be in 5th place for the restart.
He would then bounce around between the 4th and 6th spots until the next cycle of green flag pit stops. JJ came in on lap 247. This time the car is now too tight so Chad had the car loosened up for Jimmie. After this cycle, Jimmie would shoot up to the 3rd spot. And then the fourth caution would come out. This time it was for a loose tire on pit road. Also for a short time pit road was closed due to damage to the concrete in the area between the pit stalls of the 14 team of Tony Stewart and the 55 team of David Ragan. Jimmie would be in the 3rd spot at the restart.
On lap 316, Jimmie would move up to 2nd place. Jimmie was on the prowl. There would be another round of green flag pit stops with about 40 laps to go. On lap 325 he would come in for a pit stop due to tightness on entry in the car.
With 25 laps to go, the caution flag would fly once again for the fifth time. This caution would involve the 18 car of Kyle Busch and the 33 car of Brian Scott. At this point Jimmie had made up a second on Harvick in about 6 laps and was about to battle for the lead when the caution flag came out. There was chatter about a possible issue with the right front of the 18 car. The Lowe's 48 car would stay out during the round of caution flag pit stops. At the restart, with 17 laps to go, Jimmie would take the lead for the first time during the race.
Two laps later and 15 laps to go ... the sixth caution of the race would occur. The 15 car of Clint Bowyer would get into the back of the 11 car of Denny Hamlin and send him spinning. The 11 car would go back up and hit the outside wall. The 41 car of Kurt Busch would also be involved after making contact with the 11 car while it was going up to the outside wall. Jimmie would retake the lead after the restart with 10 laps to go.
With two laps to go, there would be the seventh caution of the race. This caution would involve the 13 car of Casey Mears, the 47 car of A. J. Allmendinger, and the 16 car of Greg Biffle. The 13 car was smoking and slow when the 16 car hit him. The 47 car would then hit the 13 car as the 13 car came down to the inside of the track. This would bring out a G-W-C flag situation. It would be the first G-W-C finish during the spring Dover race in quite some time. There had not been one in the last 10 spring Dover races.
Jimmie would once again hold off the field and would earn his 4th trip to victory lane this season. This also means Jimmie won 3 of the last 4 Dover races.
Never count out the Lowe's 48 team.
This win makes Jimmie just one of five drivers with double digit Cup wins at a single track. The other drivers are Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt Sr., and David Pearson. However, Jimmie still ranks first in Dover cup races ahead of Bobby Allison and Richard Petty who both have seven wins each at the Dover track.
Jimmie Johnson is now only 1 lap away from leading 3000 laps at the Dover track. This is also Jimmie's 4th win of the season as well as his 74th Cup career win. It puts him 2 wins away from tying Dale Earnhardt Sr. at 76 wins.
This race... the FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks... has a personal meaning to me. I have two young boys. Both of them have been diagnosed with some levels of Autism. The older one has it more than the younger one. He also just happens to share a birthday with the winning driver Jimmie Johnson. So yes, this was a pretty special race for me.
June 1/15 Charlotte Motor Speedway is sometimes referred to as "The House That Jimmie Built". Jimmie has 7 wins in 27 starts at this track. The Charlotte track holds a special place in my heart. Back in 1997, I had the good fortune of being able to drive my car on the track. It was a charity event... 5 laps for $25.00. I consider it money well spent. Seriously, how often does a regular person get to drive on an actual race track?
Don't worry I didn't take the pic while I was driving. My friend took it for me.
The All Star race may not be a points race but every driver in it wants to win it. Other than bragging rights, there are about one million reasons to want to win it. That's right.. the winning driver gets One Million dollars. Bwahahahaha... ::clears throat:: Yeah, I just had a Dr. Evil moment. Jimmie has already won this race a record four times. The first win came in 2003 when it was called "The Winston". He then went on to win in 2006 and had back-to-back wins in 2012 and 2013.
Chad Knaus on the All Star Race: "If the All Star Race paid one dollar, I'd still want to win it." This year, Chad picked chassis 48-922 which had last raced at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway back in March. The backup car was 48-824 which had last raced at the Pocono Raceway in June 2014.
Qualifying for this race is just plain crazy. The drivers come zooming down pit road at top speed and have to stop right in the pit box. They are required to make a 4 tire pit stop. And just to add to the fun, there is no one to make sure that all 5 lug nuts are tightened. So you get teams making gambles with tightening just enough lug nuts so the wheels won't fall off. After all of the drivers went through qualifying, Jimmie ended up with a 12th place start for the race.
During segment 1, Jimmie would start out in 12th spot and finish it in the 9th spot. A four tire pit stop would take place before segment 2. In segment 2 Jimmie had moved up to 7th spot before the car got loose and he made contact with the wall. This made the Lowe's 48 car even more loose. He would drop back to 13th spot. Segment 3 went better for Jimmie and he managed to get into the top 10 three laps into the segment. At that point of the race, the Lowe's 48 car was faster than some of the cars ahead of him. Jimmie would manage a ninth spot by the end of the segment. At the beginning of segment 4, Jimmie started out 13th. He moved up to 10th by the 79th lap (4th lap of the segment). There was a mandatory 4 tire pit stop before the 10 lap shootout. Jimmie would start 9th. Unfortunately, he dropped back to 13th on the restart and would eventually finish in the 15th spot.
And then there were issues... On Tuesday after the race, NASCAR had issued a written warning to the 48 team for allegedly manipulating the side skirt during one of the pit stops. The manipulation of side skirts had been made illegal at the beginning of this season. I really wasn't worried about this so called issue. Chad Knaus had gone on record during the Race Hub episode the day before and explained that the crewman was repairing damage done to the 48 making contact with the wall during segment 2.
600 miles... the longest race of the season. This year NASCAR would do something totally awesome. Normally the cars have the driver names on the front windshield. But this year every Cup car had the name of a fallen military veteran on the windshield. The Lowe's 48 car honoured First Lt. Robert Lewis Henderson II of the National Guard.
For the second time this year, the Lowe's 48 would sport a patriotic theme I always enjoy seeing these paint schemes and would usually buy the tee shirt that gets sold during this time. This year is no exception. I've already got mine on pre order.
Unfortunately, it wasn't much fun. Jimmie would start out in the 13th spot and had jumped up one position by the time the competition caution at lap 25 came around. On the next restart, he would get up to the 9th position. He tried to run at the top of the track but that failed and he dropped all the way back to the 15th spot. On lap 90 he would move up 2 spots to 13th after a round of green flag pit stops.
But unfortunately, the car was getting looser and looser. Then the first spin of the race happened. The car spun out in turn 4 on lap 90. He managed to save it and he came down pit road in an attempt to remain on the lead lap. This earned him a pit road penalty for speeding which was assessed on lap 94.
Chad was getting frustrated. I could tell by the tone in his voice. It really was painful to listen to. I still believe that Chad Knaus has the most heart breaking sad puppy dog look I have ever seen.
He would drop back to the 36th spot but would mange to gain 10 spots by lap 110. At lap 136, he managed to get back to the top 20. At lap 189, he took the lead but only because green flag pit stops were going on. He would come in for a pit stop on lap 190. By the halfway mark of the race, he would be in the top 10. For a short time Chad was thrilled when he told Jimmie, "You look like a rocket there, keep it up!".
Lap 229 would find Jimmie up to 8th spot and he was able to follow teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr into the top five on lap 239. And then it happened. On lap 274 the 48 car spun out once again. This time he hit the wall near the 2 car pit stall. Thankfully, that section of the wall had the SAFER barrier installed earlier this year and Jimmie came out of the wreck just fine. The Lowe's 48 car would return to the track with 100 laps to go and ended up with a 40th place finish (30 laps down).
It's been a rough time at Charlotte for these past two races. But no matter what, Chad and Jimmie and the entire Lowe's 48 team have my support. Hopefully, Dover goes better for them.
May 20/15 When opportunity knocks, it's best to listen. Jimmie is known for being "vanilla" and driving "conservatively". But on this Saturday night he would throw caution to the wind and would be rewarded with his third win of the season.
Jimmie would start out in the 19th spot due to a not so great qualifying session. The first few laps went pretty good for Jimmie. He was able to move up two spaces before his car got really loose on lap 6 and he almost spun out. He lost a lot of momentum. As a result he lost quite a few spots and fell back to 28th spot.
It's safe to assume that Chad was not too thrilled at that moment.
Two laps later, a caution would come out for the 23 of JJ Yeley and the 26 car of Jeb Burton making contact while battling for the 41st position. Jimmie would make a pit stop at lap 9 for 4 tires and significant wedge adjustments to try to tighten up the Lowe's 48 car. Chad informed Jimmie that there was another issue. The right side roof flap tether had popped up slightly causing more aero imbalance and could have contributed to the car being way too free. He would return to the track in 39th spot and by the time the competition caution fell on lap 25 he was back up to the 25th position. He would end up in the 38th spot for the restart after the caution flag pit stops and two cars staying out.
Jimmie would battle his way through the field. By lap 60 he would find himself in the top 20 and after a cycle of green flag pit stops he would be in 15th spot on lap 90. Once again, rain would be an issue with the Sprint Cup race. At this point he was in 14th spot. Jimmie was in danger of going a lap down on lap 94 to the 78 car of Martin Truex Jr. But he got really lucky when a caution flag dropped when the 26 car of Jeb Burton got loose and spun out. On lap 98, the red flag dropped due to rain. The race would not start again until 2 hours and 16 minutes later.
When the race finally restarted, it wouldn't take Jimmie long to get into the top 10. He fell out of the top 10 for a restart but he would keep on moving forward. On lap 166, Jimmie would make it into the top 5. For about 6 laps his position would bounce around just outside the top 5 but still inside the top 10. With 60 laps to go, he would be back in the 5th spot. On the next caution flag pit stop, the team would make a speedy 2 tire pit stop and the 48 would be in 3rd spot. Jimmie fell back to the 7th spot on the restart but quickly made his way to the top 5 with 46 laps to go. Ten laps later... he was in the 4th spot. Nineteen laps remaining... he claimed the 3rd spot.
The last caution of the race would happen with 12 laps left. The 17 car of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. blew a tire and spun out.
Jimmie would take the lead with just 10 laps remaining and would not give it up. Once he got up front, he was able to hang on for the last few laps.
Jimmie already had two wins this season and could afford to gamble during the last pit stop. He was already locked into the Chase for the Sprint Cup this year so he really had nothing to lose.
This is his 73rd Sprint Cup and his 200th career top five finish and 300th career top 10 finish in the Sprint Cup series. This was also his 23rd career victory on a 1.5 mile track and ties him with Jeff Gordon with 3 wins at this track. And finally, this win puts him 3 wins shy of the late Dale Earnhardt Sr. who had 76 career wins.
Funny moment... Jimmie decided to call Chandra while he was in victory lane to wish her a Happy Mother's Day. But he accidentally hit the FaceTime instead. Jimmie joked that they either lost connection or she hung up on him.
May 8/15 In typical super speedway fashion, the Lowe's 48 started out with single car runs in the first practice. Later on they did a bit of drafting in the second practice. This shocked quite a few people including myself. It is well known that Chad Knaus does not normally allow JJ to run in the draft during practice at these speedways. This proved to be a good call and they managed a fourth fastest practice time with a speed of 197.175 MPH. Jimmie did much better in qualifying this week and snagged a 5th place starting spot. I'm sure Chad was thrilled to get a chance to pick a better pit stall this week. So, he chose pit stall 43 which had an open stall just to the left of it. Prior to this race, Jimmie had two wins at this speedway and he was aiming for win number 3.
Jimmie did pretty good during most of the race and managed to stay in the top ten spots for a majority of it. He did get caught in the middle a few times without help and dropped back some spots. But he always managed to get those spots back. Around lap 19, Jimmie was running 7th when the first wreck took place between the 33 of Brian Scott and the 55 car of Michael Waltrip. Jimmie reported during this caution that he could hear the splitter but the balance of the car was not affected. Chad did request that Jimmie keep him informed of any splitter contact. He did restart 14th due to some drivers choosing not to pit.
Around lap 34 it turned into a "let's play follow the leader" as a single file formed from the front all the way to the back. It was quite funny to hear Jimmie comment that he was getting bored. It took a few laps more before a second line started forming in the back. Eventually the second line started catching up with the leaders around lap 41.
Then there was the big one on lap 47. I can bet Jimmie wasn't bored anymore. Fourteen cars were affected in the wreck that started when the 6 car of Trevor Bayne got loose. JJ did state he felt much more comfortable with that run. Thankfully, he did not hit any debris that was left on the track.
On lap 52, Jimmie took the lead and stayed up there until around lap 104. Once again, he got caught in the middle and this time he dropped back to 8th spot. He went to work on getting back up to the front and got up to 2nd spot with about 26 laps to go. During the race the fast line slowly shifted from the bottom of the track to the top. As the laps started winding down, a single line formed again and then there was a 10 car breakaway from the rest of the pack. Eventually, it got to another single file line from the front to the back. This would make it very difficult for JJ to try to pass Dale Jr for the lead. There was always the chance that no one would follow him and he would have dropped back quite a few spots.
There was one more wreck on the last lap of the race but the white flag had already been dropped. The track was clear for the leaders and NASCAR chose not to drop the caution flag. Of course, Jimmie would have loved a chance to pass Dale Jr. for the win but the chance never happened. Instead, he took second place and went to congratulate his teammate for his win. Chad Knaus also went to congratulate the 88 team. It's this quality that I admire in both of them.
Jimmie Johnson has been on a roll his last four races. Let's see if the trend continues at Kansas.
He has 22 wins at mile-and-a-half tracks which includes seven wins at Charlotte, five wins at Texas, four wins at both Atlanta and Las Vegas and 2 wins at Kansas. If Jimmie finishes in the top five this weekend at Kansas, then it will be his 200th top five and 300th top ten finish in 482 career starts.
Chad has chosen chassis 48-910 which had just won at the Atlanta Motor Speedway back in March. The backup car is chassis 48-824 which hasn't raced since June 2014 at Pocono.
May 1/15 Saturday night racing under the lights. Or at least that was the plan. But Mother Nature had other plans. For the second race in a row, rain delayed the start of the race. I can't say I was too upset. It gave me a chance to enjoy the tenth wedding anniversary dinner with my husband without worrying about missing the race. So, the next day I got to watch a whole 50 laps of the Richmond race before we had to leave my mom's house to drive back home. As a result, I missed seeing the rest of the race. Thankfully, I was able to listen to the 48 team. But that is all I heard.
Once again the Lowe's 48 team had issues during practice. The car was way loose and Jimmie was only able to get a 36th place starting position. Once again he would have to battle his way up to the front. The car suffered some nose damage but got fixed during the competition caution at lap 50. After that, the Lowe's 48 car slowly made its way to the front and managed a 3rd place finish.
Jimmie has 2 wins at Talladega with 1 pole position, 6 top five finishes, and 10 top ten finishes. Chad has chosen chassis 48-915, which is a brand new car. The back up car is 48-853, which was last raced at Daytona for the Sprint Unlimited.
On a fun note... two crew members have local ties. The front tire carrier RJ Barnette is from Pinson, Alabama and played football at Samford University. He has been on the 48 team for six seasons. The jack man Andrew Childers is from Tucker, Georgia and also played football at Samford University. He's been with the 48 team since 2013. Barnette and Childers knew each other at the university.
April 25/15 Jimmie's only win at Bristol Motor Speedway aka "The Last Great Coliseum" came in the Spring 2010 race. This week, the team had a rough time qualifying and didn't make it past the first round. They ended up with a 28th place starting position. That night would be spent getting the car ready for Saturday's final practice. The team got the car fixed and JJ was able to get top tens in both Saturday practice sessions. JJ did make contact with the wall during the first Saturday practice. The right side of the car received damage and once again the 48 crew went to work on repairs.
Never give up and never stop improving. Those words certainly came into play during Sunday's race at Bristol. It was a slow start in Bristol due to the weather. After an hour and 18 minute delay, the race finally went green with the Lowe's 48 team starting 28th. Twenty two laps later... the race was red flagged due to more rain.
JJ slowly made his way to the front and managed to get into the top 5 before the caution came out for rain on lap 266. There was a brief red flag period before the green flag came out again. Sadly, green flag racing didn't last long as the 48 was involved in it's first wreck of the race on lap 278. The 41 car of Kurt Busch pushed up into the 48 and both cars went spinning. Busch claimed that the front end was plowing big time and the rear end jumped big time. The 48 car slid up the track and clipped the wall with the right rear quarter panel. Of course, Chad was not thrilled with the damage done to the 48 car. The 48 started 17th after this incident.
The next incident for the 48 car came on lap 311. Jimmie was trying to pass the 26 car of Jeb Burton. At that time, Burton was 4 laps down and was taking up a lot of space on the race track. Jimmie was getting a tad bit frustrated. He tapped the 26 car in it's rear and sent it spinning into the wall. It's amazing that the 26 car didn't hit the 48 car during that spin. Two other cars were also involved in this incident. The 26 car got hit by the 18 car of David Ragan. The 4 car of Kevin Harvick was unable to avoid it and slammed into the 18 car.
Jimmie slowly made his way toward the front and with 25 laps to go he managed to get into the top 10. The last caution of the race was for the 19 car of Carl Edwards. He was trying to clear the 24 car of Jeff Gordon. The 19 car got loose and spun out with 7 laps to go (lap 493). At this time, Jimmie was running in the 4th spot. Then, with 3 laps to go, Jimmie thought he may have run out of fuel and Chad got a bit worried about a fuel pick up issue. At that point in time, there really wasn't much they could do about it. Their last pit stop was at lap 477 and they shouldn't have been out of fuel unless the car didn't get filled.
Lap 500.. the rain was falling and the caution flag was still out. The 3 car of Austin Dillon pitted under the caution for gas and Jimmie found himself in 3rd place. The green flag dropped for the first attempt at a Green-White-Checkered finish and Jimmie shot past his teammate Jeff Gordon to take second place. Another lap or two and he might have stolen the win.
It was a good day for the Lowe's 48 team overall. They managed to overcome a 28th place starting position and two different wrecks to pull off a second place finish. And, once again, they proved that it's unwise to count them out no matter their starting position. It's not where you start. It's where you finish.
Now, onto Richmond... Saturday night under the lights.
The last Richmond win for Jimmie came in the Fall 2008 race. He won both Richmond races in 2007.
for the start of the race. Chad then chose pit stall 34 which has an entrance to the garage area to its left.
Not even a cold and a sore throat could keep the 6 time Champion from winning his first Spring race at Texas Motor Speedway. It did make it a little more difficult for Chad to hear Jimmie during the race but they just worked around it the best they could.
The car was running pretty steady and was in the top 5 for most of the first 3/4 of the race. Then at lap 259, the 51 car of Justin Allgaier blew a tire and hit the wall up in turn 3. There was debris left on the track in turns 3 and 4. The 51 car went back to the garage area leaving a bit of oil down pit road and in the area next to the 48 pit stall. Chad was not too thrilled with that and had the 48 crew assist in the clean up.
The caution flag dropped on lap 260 but it did take some time to clean up the area on pit row and JJ came in for a pit stop on lap 265. Chad was under the assumption that the 48 car would be lining up 8th for the restart. But nope. The 42 car of Kyle Larson had a penalty for driving through too many pit boxes and had to go to the tail end of the longest line. This would put the 48 car in the 7th spot and in the 4th row on the inside.
Chad wasn't too thrilled with this and voiced his displeasure with some extremely colourful language. He later revealed that he thought the outside row would have worked better for Jimmie as far as being able to get up to the front of the pack more quickly. But JJ got aggressive with his driving and was able to pass cars fairly quickly. Unfortunately, JJ ended up in 11th spot after the restart on lap 268 due to multiple drivers choosing not to pit.
Jimmie was able to get up to 6th spot before another caution due to debris in turn 4. Two more cautions later and pit stops for tires and adjustments and the 48 car restarted 7th. He had some issues getting past the 11 car of Denny Hamlin. Chad went into cheerleading mode and told Jimmie, "You can do it man. You just gotta get past the 11."
There were only 14 laps to go when JJ made the move on the inside to pass the 1 car of Jamie McMurray to take the lead. He never relinquished the top spot after that lap.
Yes, Chad, it was amazing to watch on tv. I have to admit that I was having breathing issues during the last few laps because I was woried about the 4 car of Kevin Harvick catching up. Thankfully, that did not happen.
The funniest part of the race was a rabbit running down the back straightaway around lap 264. I'm grateful the critter was able to get off safely. Perhaps he wanted to join in on the fun?
Jimmie led 128 laps out of the final 226 laps on his way to securing his 5th win at the Texas Motor Speedway. This race also marks his 72nd Sprint Cup victory, 2nd win of the 2015 season, and fifth time leading 100 laps or more at a Texas race. Jimmie also became the third driver to win both the Spring and Fall races at Texas Motor Speedway.
Congrats on the win boys!!! Y'all did great. Next stop... Bristol.
April 9/15 Greetings and Salutations! I'm Angela and I currently live in Greeley, Colorado with my husband and two young boys (12 years old and 9 years old). I was born in San Diego, California and grew up an Army brat. I've lived in quite a few places as a result. My folks split in 1981 and I grew up in Pueblo, Colorado. I spent about 9 1/2 years in the US Navy and worked on air traffic control radars as an Electronics Technician.