FONTANA, Calif. -- It is actually possible to get under Jimmie Johnson's skin. He may be cool, calm and collected on the outside, but there are things that can rankle the three-time Cup Series champion.

Growing up together in El Cajon, Calif., younger brother Jarit Johnson would certainly know how to push big brother Jimmie's buttons.

"There's definitely things that always get under people's skin," Jarit said. "It's just Jimmie. He gets fired up and stuff gets under his skin. But there's no point of bad-mouthing somebody on camera. Jimmie doesn't take it to that level. He'd rather wait until Monday and talk to them then, or in the garage the next week. That's just the way Jimmie's mentality is."

The Johnson brothers were certainly competitive growing up, but Jimmie's meteoric success didn't start until he left California and turned to stock-car racing. And now Jarit is hoping to follow a similar path.

"It really all took place after he got into the off-road stuff," Jarit said. "Back in the early days, truck racing and motorcycles, it was just a family outing, to keep us all together doing stuff. But once he grew and moved away from it, and all the success was coming, it was pretty phenomenal.

"Growing up in El Cajon, Calif., you can't explain how nice is to is to be in a sport this big. I never expected it, by all means. Back in North Carolina or Florida, they're racing late model races on Wednesday and Thursday nights. There's a lot of racing going on and they're in the middle of it."

Jarit made his NASCAR national touring series debut in 2005 with a pair of starts in the Truck Series, but didn't have an opportunity to get more than his toes into the water until this season, when he ran seven Camping World East Series events, including finishing 10th at Dover last month. One of the best pieces of advice Jarit has received from his big brother is the value of staying in control.

"The biggest thing is just patience and don't put yourself in a position to tear stuff up," Jarit said. "I ran the Camping World East deal this year out of a 26-foot enclosed trailer. I knew I had to go qualify, practice and race with one car. I didn't have a backup car. That's the biggest thing with these things. Get it in the show solid and just not tear up equipment."

Jarit Johnson also qualified for Nationwide Series races at Dover and Kansas, posting finishes of 33rd and 34th, and was attempting to make the field for Saturday's Copart 300. However, his qualifying lap of 172.687 mph Saturday was 44th-fastest of the 46 cars entered.

Still, having an experienced veteran like Jimmie as a brother allows Jarit to ask questions and get a better understanding of what he needs to do to make gains on the track.

"I talk to him a lot," Jarit said. "He actually took me out in the pace car [Friday] and showed me around. All of these places are new to me. I've lived an hour and a half away but have never been around this place. All the corresponding races, we go sit down and talk. He tells me the dos and don'ts, all the good things and bad things that can happen at these race tracks."

While Jimmie is in the thick of the Chase, Jarit's already planning for 2010.

"Right now, we're focused on trying to get something together for next year," he said. "If something would happen, and there's stuff in the works, hopefully it'll all come together and we can be at Daytona next year."

And the best advice Jimmie has given Jarit?

"Stand on it," Jarit said. "Patience and just getting the feel of these cars. I really haven't had that much time on this tire. With these cars, you can slide around pretty big but it's all patience and putting it all together."