Confident Johnson says he's ready for grueling 600

CONCORD, N.C. -- As full-time NASCAR spokesman and part-time comic Kerry Tharp pointed out, Jimmie Johnson showed up at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Thursday "sporting a new aero package."

Not on the No. 48 Chevrolet he drives for Hendrick Motorsports, mind you, but on top of his head. Let's just say that Johnson's scalp is looking lean and mean these days, with not much meat on it.

Coca-Cola 600

Practice 1 Speeds

Pos.	Driver	Speed
1.	Mark Martin	185.217
2.	Jimmie Johnson	185.128
3.	Denny Hamlin	184.533
4.	Juan Montoya	184.502
5.	Brian Vickers	184.401
6.	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	183.855
7.	Joey Logano	183.798
8.	Kasey Kahne	183.667
9.	Ryan Newman	183.499
10.	Kyle Busch	183.474

• Practice 1 Speeds

He definitely looked a whole lot different than when he left LMS following last Saturday's All-Star Race.

"I was at a friend's house for a barbecue Sunday. And his kids thought -- well, there were a bunch of neighborhood kids there -- but they all thought it would be a great idea to shave our heads," Johnson said. "And one of the fathers agreed to do it. Then once he pulled it off, he started harassing me to shave my head. The kids were there and they wanted to do it so bad. So I let them shave my head. We got some great photos and the kids all had a great laugh."

The kids, who ranged in age from 4 to "7 or 8," thought it was downright hilarious. Johnson's wife, Chandra, wasn't so sure when she walked back into the room a few minutes later.

"She just stood there staring, with her hands held up over her mouth, for like 10 minutes," Johnson said. "But what the heck, it will grow back."

It's a new look for Johnson, but he's looking for the same old results at his favorite track this Sunday in the Coca-Cola 600. In 15 career starts at LMS, Johnson has won at the 1.5-mile oval five times. Perhaps more impressively, he has finished outside of the top 10 just three times.

His LMS resume includes three consecutive wins in the 600, NASCAR's longest race (2003, 2004 and 2005). That's no coincidence, as Johnson said he believes his No. 48 team is built for the long haul.

"You know, during my career I've had to work harder on qualifying and harder on sprints than anything else," Johnson said . "I feel that where I am now, I can do both really well. But in the early years of my Cup career, definitely the longer races worked better. I think we showed that. Our stats would reflect that.

"I still think the 600 is a good race for us. That's what we're known for: the long, grinding races and always staying on top of adjustments for the car. Hopefully we can do that again and make it happen this weekend."

• Sound Off: Jimmie Johnson (Continued)