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Jimmie Johnson insists there's no panic at Hendrick Motorsports over the slow start to the 2008 season.
But just to be on the safe side, some of the off week's vacation plans were scrapped in favor of testing.
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| Jimmie Johnson shoots for his fourth consecutive victory at Martinsville. (US Presswire) |
"It's uncharacteristic for us to start the season like that," Johnson said after a test session at North Carolina's Rockingham Speedway this week. "I think it's probably the first one for the No. 48 car, but it is what it is, and we feel like in the last few weeks we've identified the problem and the areas where we need to work and we're making good gains."
Johnson comes into Sunday's Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville Speedway 13th in the Sprint Cup Series point standings, outside the cutoff for the Chase. But Johnson has faith in his team's ability and, with 31 races left, is confident things will return to "normal" soon enough.
"I know what (crew chief) Chad (Knaus) can do and he knows what I can do," Johnson said. "It's not like those issues that you might have with a young team and driver pointing fingers at each other saying it's his problem (or) it's his problem," Johnson said.
"We're in this thing together and we're making it better each week. And the confidence carries us through the tough times. It questions you. But the confidence from success carries us through."
Success at the .526-mile Martinsville Speedway is a big part of Johnson's resume. He'll shoot for his fourth consecutive victory at the Virginia short track Sunday, and in 12 Cup Series starts, he has four wins, eight top 5s and 11 top 10s.
Needless to say, it's one of his favorite tracks on the schedule and the perfect place to end his current slump.
"There are certain rhythms at Martinsville that I fortunately found and picked up after my first year of being there," Johnson said. "My first race, I did not have the rhythm of the track, and there are a lot of components that go into it. There's really, in my opinion, a rhythm that's necessary. I still may struggle, even at the start of practice, to find the rhythm, but once the race starts, it always comes back to me now."
Johnson's Hendrick teammate Jeff Gordon is no slouch at Martinsville himself. They've combined to win eight of the past 10 races at the track and Gordon has visited Victory Lane there seven times.
Like Johnson, Gordon also struggled at Martinsville in the early days until he finally found the combination that clicked and has been successful ever since.
"I don't even remember what year it was -- maybe 1994," Gordon said. "We made a ton of laps but nothing was working for us. I couldn't get the car to turn the middle of the corner.
"So I tried some different things -- the way I drove the car, the way I attacked the track -- and we hit on something. Ever since then, my focus has been giving the DuPont team good information so that we can get the car to turn the middle of the corner."
A third member of the Hendrick group has to be listed on the contender list this weekend if only because of a change in address.
"Honestly, what has been between me and Victory Lane is Hendrick Motorsports," said Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has never finished better than third at Martinsville. "They have an amazing run going at Martinsville. I run well here due to my short-track background, but I seem to always find myself finishing behind my new teammates (Johnson and Gordon).
Earnhardt, fifth in the point championship coming into the weekend, hopes to change that scenario on Sunday at a track he considers vital to the sport as well as the season.
"The track is important to me with its deep history within the sport," he said. "This track and its importance in the season are often overlooked, and I continue to try to capitalize on that each year with consistent top five finishes. A win is our goal without a doubt."
