For Johnson, even small victories can mean a lot (cont'd)

This time around, though, it was pure joy. "Yes, yes, yes!" Johnson screamed over the radio at ear-splitting volume after holding off Kurt Busch for the victory. "We did it, boys! Finally!" The sound of his celebratory burnout echoed to the highest levels of the grandstand.

"It was pretty high on his list," crew chief Chad Knaus said. "Jimmie and I write a little preseason summary of what it is we want to try to accomplish for the upcoming season. Among other things, Bristol was pretty high on his list. For him to say that he wanted to focus on that and get better at this race track, for us to be able to go out there and do what we did, I think it speaks volumes about the dedication and desire he's got inside. It's not different at any other race track. We want to win every single event. This one has eluded us. We're very proud to be able to have it."

And yet, despite his track record on the half-mile oval, it shouldn't have come as a surprise. Not after last season, when Johnson posted top-10s in both races on a track he once had to convince himself that he liked. Not after Saturday, when the No. 48 car led both Sprint Cup practice sessions. And not after an early part of the race where Johnson led 77 of 93 laps before getting shuffled back by cautions, pit strategy, and tire wear. When Knaus asked Johnson how he felt about the car, the driver responded with a simple answer that should have made everyone else shudder.

"Pretty happy," he said.

Knaus had a feeling. "For the first time in my career, walking out of Atlanta, I said, 'I can't wait to get to Bristol.' It was the truth," he said. "We were excited about coming here. We unloaded. The car was fast. Jimmie was comfortable in the race car. He was finding his way around the track well and was able to lead us, tell us what the car was doing to where we could make significant changes to it to make it better."

Of course, circumstances helped. As strong as he had been earlier in the race, Johnson seemed destined for another close call after a caution for debris turned the event into a shootout. He restarted sixth, behind Busch and several drivers who had taken two tires for track position. But Johnson was on the high side, and it was the quicker lane on the restart. Johnson muscled past Busch, and the tires made the difference.

"In reality, they weren't the best car, but they made it work," said Joe Gibbs Racing president J.D. Gibbs. "I think over a long period of time, what's valued is, just consistency and making the most of the opportunities you have. They made the most of those opportunities."

They always do. That's one of the things that makes the No. 48 team so strong -- open the door a crack, and they'll kick it down. Busch, who led 10 times for a race-high 278 laps, was visibly and understandably frustrated with the outcome. Again, there's talk about how "lucky" Johnson's team is, as if that blue and silver car drove to the front by itself. Johnson just smiles. He's got them right where he wants them.

"I get caught up in that mind game stuff, and find a lot of satisfaction in it," he said. "I told Chad, before the year was over, I don't have a number of wins, but I wanted to win a lot to frustrate the competitors. I think over the last few years, we've been able to get in some guys' heads, and I think it's been helpful. I don't want to lose that advantage if we can prevent it. Granted, it's awfully early in the year to think about that. If we can keep winning every month, every other month, stay at the tops of people's minds as we get into the Chase, you know, we know the Chase and those tracks are really good for us, and we withstand the pressure really well. The ultimate goal is to win another championship."

Knaus credited the physical as well as the mental "I think it falls back on preparation, it really does," he said. "You know, Jimmie ran [500] laps, got out of the race car, looked like he ran 20. Some of these other guys are falling over, whipped, could hardly drive."

On a smaller scale, though, challenges still remain. Now there are five Sprint Cup tracks remaining where Johnson has never won -- Michigan, Chicagoland, Homestead-Miami and the two road courses, Infineon and Watkins Glen. He's already road-course testing. "We're trying," he said. "It's a full-blown effort again."

Bristol was the same way. He used to walk into the East Tennessee facility thinking he was going to stink, going to wreck, going to struggle. Over time, that gradually changed. Sunday, he left Bristol Motor Speedway with a very different mindset. "Winning here," he said, "I think we've got something for [the competition] the rest of the year."

For the rest of the field, fateful words. Bristol was an especially painful gut-punch given that the Sprint Cup tour now travels to Martinsville Speedway, a track where Johnson has won six times. A second consecutive trip to Victory Lane seems a very strong possibility. Let's just hope that in his exuberance, he doesn't heave the grandfather clock.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.