Jimmie Johnson does a post-race burnout after winning last year's Southern 500 at Darlington. Credit: Autostock

Johnson goes for three in a row at Darlington

A trip to Darlington Raceway couldn't have come at a more opportune time for Jimmie Johnson.

Johnson, who won both races at Darlington in 2004, is coming off consecutive races in which he was involved in controversial accidents. At Phoenix, he tapped Tony Stewart, setting off a multi-car pileup. At Talladega, he was in the middle of the two major crashes, which led Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Greg Biffle to implicate him as the instigator.

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"When you're out there in the cars and you're drafting, bump drafting three-wide and four-wide, the cars are being moved around," Johnson said. "Imagine being on a boat and the wake coming off of a boat. When you try to cross that wake in another boat, it's difficult. It throws you all over the place.

"If you want to think of being out there with 42 other boats, and you stay an inch or two apart from each other, stuff happens."

Johnson faded to 15th at Phoenix. He escaped damage in the first Talladega wreck -- but was caught up in the second and wound up 20th. Still, he's 130 points ahead of Kurt Busch heading to some of his better tracks.

Johnson believed the recent incidents were more indicative of the new aerodynamic package than any change in his driving style.

"There are a lot of things that are a little bit different," Johnson said. "The cars are a little bit tougher to drive. Everybody's trying hard. I think the competition is a little bit tougher than it's been. A little of everything, to be honest with you."

Johnson said the 25-car accident at Talladega was more a result of restrictor-plate racing than any other factor.

"NASCAR's in a corner where they can't allow us to run any faster to separate us because of safety issues of the cars taking off and we just kind of concede," he said. "We know that we're going to Daytona or Talladega and there will be a 20-car wreck and we just hope we're not in it.

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"It's what we have to do there, unfortunately, and I don't think it's anybody's fault. We're racing hard. NASCAR, for safety reasons, has to keep the rules like they are. And we just hope we're not in the big wreck."

Now it's on to Darlington for the first night race in the track's storied history, Saturday night's Dodge Charger 500. Last year's Southern 500 finished after the sun set, with Johnson taking the checkered flag.

"After our finish under the lights there last year, I thought everything was fine," Johnson said. "I thought you could see the track well, shadowing didn't seem to be a problem.

"The hardest thing was the twilight hours racing into the sun. Racing into Turn 3 was tough, but when the sun went down, everything seemed fine."

So does that mean Johnson has tamed the Track Too Tough to Tame?

"No. The day that you believe that or felt like you have, she'll bite you," he said. "I don't think I've tamed her. I've become decent friends with her and we'll just try to keep it that way."

Johnson said there are so many variables involved in a race at Darlington to ever consider himself a favorite to win for the third time in a row.

"In looking at the Darlington track, it's tough to do better than what we did," he said. "The track itself is so unique. There' s so many different things we have to deal with throughout the course of the day.

"Pit stops are very important as far as how many times we hit pit road in a Cup race for the cautions. There's a lot of factors that play into it. And it's a place where everyone has to focus on their individual jobs and do that job.

Jimmie Johnson celebrates in Victory Lane after his win last March. Credit: Autostock

"If I get too busy racing other cars, you'll make a mistake. If they guys get worried about doing something else on pit road, being the fastest all the time, mistakes are going to be made. So, it's really about racing the track. You hear that old cliche but it's really true. You can have to stay focused on your deal and race the race track."

Johnson has certainly had the opportunity to learn Darlington from one of its masters -- Jeff Gordon. Gordon has six wins at Darlington, including five Southern 500s.

"Darlington is a place where his patience and knowledge really has helped him out in so many ways," Johnson said. "And I've noticed that and brought that into my program.

"Two years ago, maybe, I got into a little thing with Sterling (Marlin) from racing too hard and not being patient. And from that point on, going back to Darlington, I've really watched Jeff and paid attention to the line that he runs and how he approaches the race -- when he races and why he races people -- and applied that to what I do."

So what would a third win at Darlington mean?

"To be able to win a race at Darlington is a huge accomplishment," Johnson said. "Personally, I know it doesn't have the luster of say, the Daytona 500 and some of the other races from an outside standpoint.

"But when you leave that race track and you know that you won and you were the guy that everybody chased, that means a lot. It's top of the list."