Johnson getting a feel for flat-track racing

It seems like a pretty simple task. Jimmie Johnson won at New Hampshire International Speedway not that long ago, so he should show up this weekend for the Sylvania 300 at the 1.058-mile track and win again, right?

If only things were so easy. Remember, Johnson didn't exactly blitz the field in the New England 300 on July 20. Sure, he had a strong car, but fuel mileage and pit strategy played a role -- doesn't it every week? -- in Johnson's first victory at NHIS.

Now, seven weeks later, Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus are bringing back the same No. 48 Chevrolet that won in July. Sure, that makes Johnson a favorite, but there are no sure things in New England besides cold winters and the failure of another Boston Red Sox team.

	Jimmie Johnson

The six times NHIS has hosted two Winston Cup races in the same season, no one has swept both events.

"There is a reason no one has ever done it," Johnson said. "The two races there are pretty different in conditions, so teams just can't go back there with the same setups and expect to run exactly the same.

"With that said, Team Lowe's has shown that it can win at NHIS, so yes, we are capable of winning there again. It's very tough to win twice in any season on one track, but we were able to do it in Dover last year, and now we are hoping to be able to do it at NHIS."

Johnson did sweep both races at Dover International Speedway in his stellar rookie season a year ago, but Dover and New Hampshire are different 1-mile beasts. Where Dover is a banked concrete track, NHIS is flat.

Johnson and flat tracks didn't really get along too well, at least according to Johnson. He was 15th and ninth at New Hampshire last year, and Johnson was never exactly thrilled with going there.

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That's changed. Funny what a victory will do to your outlook.

"I'm really looking forward to going back to New Hampshire," Johnson said. "In our three races there, we've been all over the board as far as performance. Flat race tracks like New Hampshire haven't always been a strength for us. Last race we were able to come home with the victory by having a strong race car, good strategy and solid pit stops.

"I didn't think we'd win on a flat track so early on in my career. Flat tracks don't fit my style, but maybe I'm getting a better feel for them."

He certainly had a pretty good feel for the place in July. While his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jeff Gordon, set the pace for more than two-thirds of the race, Johnson and Knaus played the fuel-mileage game.

	Jimmie Johnson has won twice in 2003 -- the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's and the New England 300 at Loudon. Credit: Autostock

Trouble was, Kevin Harvick was playing the same game, and after a pit stop with 92 laps to go, Johnson was behind Harvick. NHIS isn't exactly the easiest place to pass, even with the improvements track owner Bob Bahre has made.

But Johnson made the move around Harvick, and when most everyone else stopped for fuel -- like Gordon -- Johnson moved up the ladder.

And now comes the chance to pull off a sweep. No pressure.

"The only pressure we feel is from ourselves," Johnson said. "We want to be competitive each race, stay on the lead lap and finish in the top-10 each week. Those are our main goals for each event."

Simple goals, of course, and ones Johnson has used to move to fourth in the Winston Cup standings. He won't win the championship this season -- unless he can make up three spots and 501 points -- but he's only 60 points behind third-place Harvick and 83 behind second-place Dale Earnhardt Jr.

"Yes, there is more pressure from outside sources when you go back to a track that you've won on, but really, that is other people trying to put pressure on us. Team Lowe's just needs to set its own pace," Johnson said. "As we are seeing this season, the points system rewards consistency over 36 races, so we need to keep that in mind and not push too hard and force ourselves into mistakes.

"We did that a little toward the end of last season. This year, we know what to expect from being in a tight race and know how to better conduct ourselves. You only get that by experience."