Charlotte makes May busy month for Johnson

CONCORD, N.C. -- Jimmie Johnson is all over the place, slammed, maybe busier than he'll be at any other time in the year.

It's mid-May, Charlotte, and Johnson is the Lowe's-sponsored driver at the Lowe's-sponsored track. He's signing autographs, meeting with bigwig executives, handing out tickets to unsuspecting fans at the box office, holding babies and tossing out quotes to reporters from all over creation.

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Oh yeah, and he's racing.

"It's definitely more intense," Johnson said. "It's the home track, and all the opportunities we have to reach out to the fans and thank our fans for coming to Lowe's Motor Speedway really takes a lot of my time.

"Also, it's a real big race, so my other sponsors use this opportunity at home to entertain as well, so it's not just the Lowe's side, it's with everybody. I'd say the three weeks in Charlotte are more busy for me than any other event we go to."

Make no mistake, for a racer, catching Zs in his bed is revitalizing. But for Johnson it's bittersweet.

	Johnson: I'd say the three weeks in Charlotte are more busy for me than any other event we go to." Credit: Autostock

"It's nice to sleep in your own bed at night, it's well documented that everybody really enjoys that," Johnson said. "But for me, being at Lowe's Motor Speedway, there's a lot more work that comes with being the Lowe's driver. So as much as I like being home, the workload goes up quite a bit."

Johnson, the defending winner of NASCAR's all-star event, swept all three segments last year en route to a million dollar payday. He won't divulge how he spent the loot, but did say if he goes back-to-back, he won't be quite so frugal this time around.

"I know I had a great off-season, and I enjoyed it, but I was trying to be smart," Johnson said. "This time, if I'm able to win, I'm going to spoil myself a little harder and definitely get something cool."

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Johnson is once again considered the man to beat -- he had the fastest car in practice Friday - but acknowledges the task won't be easy. Not only is he carrying a target on his back -- the residual effect of year's dominance in both the all-star race and the Coca-Cola 600 - but he's also in a new ride.

The car he steered to Victory Lane last season was commandeered by the boss man, and now resides in the Hendrick Motorsports museum on the team's Harrisburg, N.C., campus.

Regardless of the obstacles, one heartening aspect remains for Johnson.

It's an old-school shootout. No points. Big money.

"I think there are obvious reasons, a lot of bragging rights, and it hypes you up, pumps you up to the next level," said Johnson of the exciting format. "But really, we are all racers here.

"There's so much pressure put on us week in, week out, so when you come to a more laid-back situation, you can fall back and remember what it used to be like.

"Just chill out, have fun and drive your butt off. Everybody who's driving racecars and working on them love what we do, but there's so much pressure. So it's really nice to just let it all hang out."