Jimmie Johnson (center) is flanked by owner Rick Hendrick (left) and crew chief Chad Knaus (right). Credit: Autostock
By Marty Smith, Turner Sports Interactive
May 18, 2003
1:02 AM EDT (0502 GMT)
CONCORD, N.C. -- Jimmie Johnson showed up at Lowe's Motor Speedway this weekend and slipped into a white fire suit with red and blue trim. Down each leg was a Power of Pride banner flanked by a handful of random stars.
It was Evel Knievel meets "Super Dave" Osborne.
Though a bit reluctant at first, he opted to take one for the cause. Forty-eight hours later, he blasted into Victory Lane a la Super Dave himself.
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|  | Jimmie Johnson passes Jeff Gordon to win The Winston
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"This Super Dave Osborne suit -- Thank God I won in it," said Johnson, who won a cool $1 million for his efforts. "If I have to wear it, I'm at least glad I wore in Victory Lane."
By doing so, he eased a year's worth of frustration following last year's Winston Cup all-star event. Johnson utterly dominated the 2002 edition, only to have the required field inversion send him from first to worst -- an insurmountable deficit.
The following week, he led more laps than anyone in the Coca-Cola 600 but slid through his pit stall on the final stop, costing him a shot at winning NASCAR's longest event.
"I wouldn't say it necessarily erases it, especially at the 600 where it was all me that made the mistake and cost us the win," Johnson said. "I try to hang on to the mistakes I've made and learn from them, but you just learn from mistakes and you have to play strategy in this race and we were able to do it this time.
"I'm just very happy it all turned out."
Crew chief Chad Knaus wholeheartedly agreed that Team Lowe's had grown stronger following last year's misfortune. Moreover, he said they'd completely erased it.
"I think it definitely does erase that frustration," Knaus said. "The win we may have had in The Winston last year or may have had in the 600 last year, they would have been great to add to our rookie season.
"But to be able to come in here our sophomore year, win The Winston for the Power of Pride car and the USO is just tremendous.
"Jimmie drove the heck out of that car today, there's nothing else you can say about it. To come here with a car that was pretty good and have him take it another step further and win the race is really gratifying."
Must be the fire suit.
Rest assured, he'll be wearing it again next weekend.
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