Jimmie Johnson Travels with a Fast Crowd
NASCAR’s Jimmie Johnson, who drives No. 48, the Lowe’s Chevrolet Monte Carlo, says that in races such as the Talladega 500 and the Daytona 500, he’s concentrating so hard on winning that he often forgets which cars are around him. “You spend so much time paying attention to what’s going on around you that you almost lose sight of who you’re racing with,” admits the El Cajon, Calif., native who turns 29 on Sept. 17. “You’re staring at the back glass of the car in front of you, and then in the rearview mirror, you’re trying to defend your position. You’re stuck, and just trying to work traffic.” But doesn’t he recognize when Dale Earnhardt Jr. is right on his tail? “Maybe there’s a car or two that you’re not too comfortable around and you recognize those guys,” he says. “But as a whole, you’re just using the traffic to try to make a move.”
