Johnson doesn't fear sophomore jinx

CONCORD, N.C. -- Legendary basketball coach Al McGuire, never overly fond of fresh-faced youths serving notice on the collegiate hardwood, used to say "the best thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores."

	Jimmie Johnson was the first rookie to sweep both races in one season at a Winston Cup venue. This year, he's ready to hang with title contenders. Credit: Turner Sports Interactive

Hence, it's safe to assume McGuire would've been nauseated at the sight of Jimmie Johnson zooming past his elders and straight into the Winston Cup record book.

Scour the annals of NASCAR's storied past and you'll find but a single driver who reached the pinnacle of the points chart during his first season in the modern era.

That driver would be Johnson.

Look a bit closer, and you'll notice that Johnson is also the lone rookie to ever sweep both events at a single venue.

But these days, that's old news.

With the new year comes immense pressure. Backing up a Cinderella season with championship consistency is a daunting task, especially in today's parity-conscious NASCAR. And though it's haunted some of their peers, Johnson isn't overly concerned with the fabled sophomore jinx.

"It's definitely out there. You've seen it happen so much to guys in the sport here recently, so I know it's out there," said Johnson, leaned back on his couch during a break from posing at a recent photo shoot.

"But it hasn't been in the forefront of my mind or anything. I haven't been worrying about it. There's no reason to."

Agreed. Johnson's rationale is simple -- do what you do and don't get caught up in the fickle carnival of expectations.

JIMMIE JOHNSON Johnson gets the first of his two Dover victories. Play video Johnson completes the season sweep at Dover. Play video Johnson takes the points lead at Kansas. Play video  •  More Johnson Videos  •  Johnson's Driver Page

"I think during a sophomore year, what kind of happens is you come out of the gate and your intensity's up and you're comfortable at the tracks, so you're going to set the world on fire and suddenly you're overdriving it," Johnson said.

Johnson learned that lesson the hard way last season. As the battle for the championship intensified down the stretch, he began to overdrive his Chevrolet. The resulting fifth-place finish in the points was his lowest rank during the final 10 weeks of the season.

"When you drive the car beyond its capability, mistakes come and you sometimes don't get the cars set up correctly," Johnson said. "So I'll really try to start off conservative and smooth and see where that puts me. Hopefully we'll be able to dodge any problems that way."

Like his driver, Lowe's crew chief Chad Knaus doesn't foresee his team getting overzealous. Quite the contrary, in fact.

"The problem with second year teams that have been competitive is that they feel that they are on the same level as the teams that have been out there for a long time, doing this year in and year out," Knaus said. "In all honesty they are not.

"The good thing we have going for us is that we have great teammates like Jeff Gordon and the rest of Hendrick Motorsports to help us through the growing stages.

"I feel like we'll go through more of a learning curve with the new Monte Carlo than have problems with the sophomore jinx. A wise man once told me the definition of a sophomore was a 'wise fool.' Let's hope we don't fall into that."

Knaus' quest picks up steam this week during mandatory testing at Daytona, where Team Lowe's will take the first step towards revisiting last year's successful Speedweeks debut -- one that included the Bud Pole for the Daytona 500.

	Crew chief Chad Knaus says they fear getting used to the new Monte Carlo more than a sophomore jinx. Credit: Autostock

Though already plenty challenging, the difficulty of their task is compounded by the new Monte Carlo body style, which Johnson has yet to test. With both Gordon and Johnson vying for the 2002 title, Hendrick Motorsports was unable to put as much emphasis on the new template as some other Chevrolet programs, such as Richard Childress Racing and Dale Earnhardt, Inc.

In order to get caught up, they plan to test every week from now until the outset of the season.

So despite the grandeur of a record-breaking rookie campaign, there's plenty to prove in the Team Lowe's camp in 2003.

"That's why you climb in that racecar every time - to let your actions show the racing community and your peers what you're capable of," Johnson said. "The season, we felt, was an incredible season.

"Obviously with the goals we set as rookies, we blew past all that. But we also can't ignore the fact that we were championship contenders and let that slip away.

"That's why we'll be back next year and hungry. It's moments like those we experienced that put that desire and motivation in you, makes you want to come back and prove you're no fluke."