Conversation: Johnson

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Since Jimmie Johnson began his Cup-crowning 2006 season with a victory in the Daytona 500, it's appropriate the defending series champion began Speedweeks 2007 by sitting down for a conversation at Daytona International Speedway.

Johnson discussed several aspects of his Speedweeks, and his season -- including the impact of winning the championship and the pressure of defending it, his view of the future with teammate Jeff Gordon and how he can improve his overall program for his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team.

Q: Have you sought anybody's advice about the challenge of repeating your title, or has anyone offered advice?

Jimmie Johnson: No, certainly nobody has offered it and I really haven't thought about it all that much. I'm just looking at it as, what we did last year worked.

We look at last year and recognize a lot of areas where we could have improved on, so I'm just looking into last year and the mindset that we had and trying to pick up in the areas where we didn't perform as well as we needed to.

Q: Do you think you're in a better spot to win two in a row because you've been on the edge of winning one for the past several years?

Johnson: I haven't thought about it, but that's a good point. We've been close. We've been knocking on the door. I also look at it this year with all the changes and the Car of Tomorrow as a good year for the No. 48.

Chad [Knaus, crew chief] and I do a good job of learning things on a fast pace. And with the resources we have at Hendrick, I think we can sort out the Car of Tomorrow in a short period of time and hopefully get things moving in the right direction.

Q: The past couple of years, you've talked about getting over the hump and now you're talking about making a repeat, so isn't that a good problem to have?

Johnson: It is a good problem to have. I personally feel there is always pressure to do something. Each driver that is interviewed, there is pressure from some area [and] I think that carries over to the championship discussions as well.

Nobody puts more pressure on me to perform than myself. I know when I get out of the car if I gave 100 percent. I'm very honest with myself and I know the team is, too. (Continued)