Good Odds for Jimmie Johnson to win the Auto Club 500 this Sunday

Jimmie Johnson Blog by Gary Heinlein IMD jjchevy.com

Jimmie has always done well at the Auto Club Speedway because as one blog stated. “This track features lots of green flag runs where usually the best car does win because they’re able to put such a big gap between them and second place. This is an elitist track where 15 of the 19 races run have been won by either a Roush or Hendrick driver who were listed as one of the favorites” Here are the odds given for the Hendrick drivers to win the race at the Auto Club Speedway this Sunday.

JIMMIE JOHNSON 9-2

MARK MARTIN 8-1

JEFF GORDON 8-1
DALE EARNHARDT JR 25-1

Here at Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet in San Diego we’re of course pulling for Jimmie to win in what is considered his home turf. The race is this Sunday at around 12 noon. I believer it will be televised on Fox Sports. Better yet, plan on coming out to the race in person, it is a great experience!

Dale Earnhardt Jr. looking forward to the upcoming Race Season

Jimmie Johnson Blog by Gary Heinlein IMD jjchevy.com

Looking at the blogs and various articles most of them are all saying the same thing about Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the upcoming racing season. “It’s time for him to win.”

As Earnhardt Jr. gets ready to start his third season as driver of the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet, the responsibilities and expectations remain unchanged. He is expected to win races and to contend for championships.

Earnhardt, NASCAR's most popular driver has only one Cup victory in his last 57 starts, and has not had a multiple-win season since 2004 while finishing 25th in points for the Chase for The Sprint Cup in 2009. From those stats it was clear that getting Earnhardt's team back on pace with the other Hendrick Motorsports drivers needed to be the top priority of the offseason.

Rick Hendrick’s plan was to get Earnhardt’s team communicating better with all of the Hendrick Motorsports teams especially between Earnhardt’s crew chief, Lance McGrew, and Mark Martin’s crew chief, Alan Gustafson. Gustafson helped lead Martin to five wins last season and a runner-up finish to Jimmie Johnson in the standings.

The two crew chiefs are now approaching this season as if they were one team, using plans and procedures as if everything and everyone were interchangeable. Both drivers are on board, which clearly helps in executing the new structure.

Mr. Hendrick had this to say about the situation. "It's amazing to watch these two guys work on this together, and I guarantee you they are going to have their stuff together this season."

With all that is happening, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is looking forward to this upcoming season and knows that there is nowhere but up for him and his team. “We cannot go back to the track and perform like we did last year,” he said. “I was embarrassed, the team was embarrassed and none of us want to go through that again. I think that willpower alone and our determination will not let that happen again.”

All of us here at Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet in San Diego want Jimmie Johnson to repeat as the Sprint Cup Champion but we also want all the other Hendrick drivers to succeed, especially Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Hendrick Motorsports looking to bring up the rear for the 2010 season

Jimmie Johnson Blog by Gary Heinlein IMD jjchevy.com

After a great season of NASCAR racing for the Hendrick Motorsports organization their attention will be on keeping the top three contenders competitive. Our own Jimmie Johnson finished first, with Mark Martin second, and Jeff Gordon third. Next year should be a great challenge for Jimmie with his teammates as his greatest competition.

But one thing that the Hendrick organization is concentrating on for next year is to get Dale Earnhardt Jr. back in the race. Most of the offseason will be dedicated to finding a way to make Earnhardt and the No. 88 team more competitive in 2010. Several strategic plans are already being implemented for the upcoming season that should boost Jr. in the Sprint Cup standings.

I read an interesting article by Pete Pistone posted on CBS Sports Auto Racing. The article summed up this past season for the whole Hendrick team. Very interesting article that is worth reading.

I have to say that the team here at Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet in San Diego is very proud to be a part of the Hendrick organization. We want to say thank you to Rick Hendrick and the entire crew that makes up the Hendrick team. Thanks for all of your hard work.

Rick Hendrick, Team Owner of the Year

Jimmie Johnson Blog by Gary Heinlein IMD jjchevy.com

Congratulations to our owner and team leader, Rick Hendrick from all of us here at Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet in San Diego. Rick was named Team Owner of the Year for the achievements that the Hendrick MotorSports Team was able to accomplish this year. The top three drivers in the Sprint Cup Standing were all Hendrick drivers. Jimmie Johnson finished first, Mark Martin finished second, and Jeff Gordon finished third. This was a historic feat never before accomplished by any NASCAR organization.

Mr. Hendrick also put his name in the NASCAR history books by winning a fourth consecutive Cup Series title, a record 12th national series championship and a record-tying ninth Cup crown. All this led to Rick Hendrick receiving the Bill France Award of Excellence at this year’s Cup Series awards ceremony. Many people likened his teams’ dominance in the sport to the great dynasties of the Green Bay Packers, Boston Celtics and the New York Yankees.

Jimmie Johnson comments on Hendrick teammate, Mark Martin

Jimmie Johnson Blog by Gary Heinlein IMD jjchevy.com

I read in the Motor Sports Digest blog about Jimmie Johnson’s quotes about his Hendrick teammate Mark Martin. I thought the comments were very interesting and that I would pass them onto you. This is what Jimmie had to say;

"He's too humble of a man, and doesn't understand what he's done in this sport, for this sport, how many young guys have respected what he's done,"

Then he turned to Mark Martin and spoke to him directly. ."You mentioned earlier how we weren't around each other for me to look at your style and want to drive like you. But coming up through ASA, everybody knew who Mark Martin was. I aspired at that time to have people speak of me as they did you. When I came to race in the Busch Series at the time, you were wearing us all out week in and week out. That was our chance to race against Mark Martin and to learn something from him. So ... I'm sure to all of us in this room, you are one of the greatest. We all think the world of you and respect the hell out of you."

I have never personally met Mark Martin but if he is anything like Jimmie Johnson then he is a very humble man. Whenever Jimmie comes here to Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet in San Diego, or I have gone to various functions to shoot pictures of him and Chandra I have always seen a very humble couple that gives their undivided attention to whomever they are talking to.

Jimmie and Chandra Johnson; keep up the good work on and off the track.

Jimmie Johnson finishes out Awards week in Las Vegas

Jimmie Johnson Blog by Gary Heinlein IMD jjchevy.com

The awards for NASCAR’s 2009 season were handed out this week in Las Vegas and four time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson won four awards. Chad Knaus won Crew Chief of the year and Rick Hendrick won the "Stewie" Lifetime Achievement Award. As an owner Rick Hendrick had three of his cars in the top 3 in the point’s standings. The other Hendrick driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., won the Most Popular Driver award for the seventh year in a row.

Jimmie got roasted by the other Chase Cup drivers, including his own teammate, Mark Martin who had this to say “Jimmie has gotten a lot better looking. As a kid he was ugly. He was so ugly that he had to trick-or-treat by telephone."

Kurt Busch said, "I figured out a new Chase format. Every Chase race, we pull out of a hat who gets to have Chad Knaus as their crew chief. Because it's certainly not your talent that wins you all these championships."

Overall it was a very exciting week. From Jimmie Johnson’s visit here in San Diego to the final awards banquets and ceremonies in Las Vegas, Jimmie and Chandra kept very busy. Jimmie did say that having the ceremonies in Vegas was easier on him for he was able to get more sleep.

Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet in San Diego would like to give one more big CONGRATULATIONS to Jimmie Johnson and the rest of the Hendrick team for a job well done all season long. Now go and rest and get ready for next season and a fifth consecutive championship.

The above photo was taken by Brian Cleary.

Superman, Jimmie Johnson, does it again! Four Straight Sprint Cup Championships

Jimmie Johnson Blog by Gary Heinlein IMD jjchevy.com

Jimmie Johnson has gone where no man has gone before. The NASCAR 2009 season just ended Sunday and Jimmie came away with his fourth straight Sprint Cup Chase Championship. That is something that no man has ever accomplished in the history of NASCAR. Mark Martin, runner up in the Cup Chase and teammate to Jimmie, has coined the term of “Superman” for Jimmie Johnson.

Jimmie Johnson thinks of it as not Superman but as SuperTeam. The team that is behind him is what makes the difference. From Chad Knaus, as Crew Chief, down to every single member, this team has been a tremendous part of the winning process for the last four years.

This is not to take anything away from Jimmie Johnson’s driving ability. He has proven through-out the eight years that he has been driving Sprint Cup that he is one of the best out there. But that is what has made him a winner, his driving ability and the talented and dedicated abilities of his whole team.

From all of us here at Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet in Kearny Mesa of San Diego we want to say CONGRATULATIONS to Jimmie and the whole team for such an amazing accomplishment that you have achieved. Now enjoy the Thrill of Victory for the time being, then take a rest in the off season, and be ready for next year as a new season brings about new opportunities to take greatness to an even greater level.

Jimmie Johnson looking forward to Sunday’s Finale

Jimmie Johnson Blog by Gary Heinlein IMD jjchevy.com

I heard that Jimmie Johnson was at game one of the World Series along with Jeff Gordon. I guess the cameras caught glimpse of Gordon but didn’t see Jimmie in the stands. Someone asked him afterwards if he was disappointed that he wasn’t on television and his comment was; "Man, I was up there eating peanuts and having a beer. I had a blast and didn't want to be on TV. We're on TV enough."

Well this Sunday he won’t be in the stands eating peanuts and having a beer at Homestead-Miami Speedway when he competes for his fourth straight Sprint Cup Championship. He has a 108-point lead going into the final race and all he has to do is finish 25th or better or a finish of 10th or worse by teammate Mark Martin who is in second place. As a matter of fact the only one that can take the Championship away from him is Martin. As soon as Jimmie shows up for the race on Sunday he will have eliminated the only other threat to him and that is his other teammate, Jeff Gordon. So the finale comes down to a two man race between two Hendrick teammates.

Here at Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet in Kearny Mesa of San Diego, we will be watching the race on a large screen TV, eating hotdogs and hamburgers, and rooting Jimmie onto victory. If you would like to join us you can give us a call at 858-560-9008 and put your name on the list (as long as there’s room left).

Otherwise I will be writing about the exciting finish to the 2009 Sprint Cup race season come this Monday. Hopefully, I will be writing about Jimmie Johnson’s fourth championship which joins him with Earnhardt, Gordon and Richard Petty as the only drivers with four or more Cup titles in NASCAR's 61-year history.

Jimmie Johnson Holds onto the Lead in the Sprint Cup Chase

Jimmie Johnson Blog by Gary E. Heinlein IMS jjchevy.com

Jimmie Johnson was involved in a multi-car accident in yesterday’s race at the Texas Motor Speedway. Sam Hornish Jr., lost control of his car after he was tapped from behind and ended up hitting Jimmie Johnson three laps into the Dickies 500.

The No. 48 Chevrolet was taken to garage; where Chad Knaus and the rest of the crew along with fellow Hendrick Motorsports crewmen from Jeff Gordon’s #24 and Dale Earnhardt Jr’s #88 teams were prepared to do the repairs.
The Hendrick teams worked hard to get Jimmie's Chevrolet back in the race. It took a little over an hour to rebuild the #48 back to being track worthy. Jimmie returned to the track on Lap 115 and was 112 laps behind the leaders. He went on to finish the race in 38th place, a total of 129 laps down.

Fellow teammate, Mark Martin, closed the gap in the Sprint Cup Chase with a fourth-place finish and is still in second. He is 73 points behind Jimmie with two races remaining. Jeff Gordon had handling problems throughout the race and finished 13th. He maintained his third place position in the standings, 112 points behind Johnson and 39 points down to Martin.

Jimmie Johnson showed his determination when Crew Chief, Chad Knaus asked Jimmie if he still wanted to go the distance while the #48 was struggling to maintain minimum speed on the track. As we all know here at Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet in Kearny Mesa of San Diego that Jimmie Johnson is not a person who quits. He went on to finish 38th in yesterday’s race and next week he’ll be at the Phoenix International Raceway ready to battle for his fourth straight Sprint Cup Championship. Go Jimmie Go!

The Race to the Chase in on

There are two races remaining before the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field is narrowed down to 12 drivers. Most of the focus for these last two races will be on the top 12 making it to the Chase. Two out of the three who have clinched a spot are Hendrick drivers. One of those is our own Jimmie Johnson and another is Jeff Gordon. Tony Stewart and the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet, is the third.

That of course leaves nine spots left and mathematically, eight of those spots could be clinched this weekend but in reality only three likely will. Mark Martin, another Hendrick driver needs 136 points to clinch a spot. If Martin makes it in, he is currently 10th in the points standings, then he is in position to be the top seed in the Chase. Martin, with four wins, would have 40 bonus points going into the Chase's first race at New Hampshire. The battle for the top seed right now is between three drivers: Martin, Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson.

Once the field is set for the Chase, then each of the 12 driver's points will be reset to 5,000. 10 bonus points will be added for each win during the first 26 races to create the seeding. Both Stewart and Johnson have three wins for 30 bonus points apiece.

Jimmie had this to say about the final two races. If the chance presents itself, we'll take a risk, if it means winning. We did at Michigan. We're going for the win. We'll try to do the opposite of other teams strategy, if that opportunity is there to go for a win.

Jimmie Johnson has the best Driver Rating. He owns the top statistics in practically every key category. He also leads the series in Average Running Position (8.1), Fastest Laps Run (709), Laps Led (1,235) and Laps in the Top 15 percentage (84.0%).

So all of us here at Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet say; GO FOR IT JIMMIE! We are looking forward to a fourth consecutive Sprint Cup Championship.

Overall a Good Night of Racing for the Hendrick Motorsports Group

Overall it was a good night of racing for the Hendrick Motorsport team at the Sharpie 500 Bristol Motor Speedway this past Saturday. Our own Jimmie Johnson and his No. 48 looked to be heading for his first victory at Bristol when he had problems with the right rear of the car during a pit stop which forced him to return to the pits and he dropped from the lead to 21st position. He rallied back to finish eighth and is now in second in the standings.

Mark Martin had a great night after starting from the pole and he ended up finishing in the runner-up position. The second place finish took Martin from 12th to 10th in the Chase standings with two races remaining until the start of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship. He led five times for a total of 240-laps, the most of any driver. Mark Martin had this to say about the race;

"That was pretty exciting. I want to thank all the fans again for being so great tonight. Thank you guys. You brought a tear to my eye. What can I say? Kyle (Busch) gave me room and I didn't get the pass. We were both racing hard for it. That inside was tough and I took my shot at it. I just about slid up into him and wiped us both out. He gave me plenty of room there. He didn't crowd me at all and I needed the room because I slipped the back end and I did everything I could. I wanted to get him but just couldn't pull it off."

Teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and the No.88, finished in ninth place. He had this to say about the race; "Yeah it was a good finish for us. The car was working good in practice and when the race started we had some work to do. We made it better. I'm real proud of my team. My guys worked really hard. They had some awesome pit stops and we just had a pretty decent car. We just didn't have what we needed there at the end and the cautions fell a little too often for me.

Jeff Gordon and the No. 24 did not fare as well as he finished 23rd. Jeff had this to say about the race; "Yeah, we were making ground and moving forward. Maybe one too many adjustments I don't know. We just had one pit stop where we made some adjustments and the car got extremely loose. We lost a couple of laps and fought from there to get back where we ended up."

It is interesting to note that Chevrolet continues to lead in the Manufacturers' Cup Standings. And speaking of Chevrolet make sure you check out all our new inventory of Chevrolets right here at Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet of Kearny Mesa in San Diego.

The Top Twelve of NASCAR as we get close to the Chase

The Chase Cup Series is just a few weeks away and after three quarters of the season is gone here are the top twelve at the present time.

1. Tony Stewart
2. Jimmie Johnson Our own Jimmie Johnson I know is ready for the Chase Series. We are cheering you on right here at Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet in Kearny Mesa of San Diego.
3. Jeff Gordon Jimmie’s team mate, Jeff Gordon, totaled his No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet and suffered his first DNF of the year, finishing 37th in the last race and fell 342 points behind points leader Tony Stewart.
4. Kurt Busch
5. Denny Hamlin
6. Carl Edwards
7. Juan Montoya
8. Kasey Kahne
9. Ryan Newman
10. Greg Biffle
11. Mark Martin Another Hendrick Team mate, Mark Martin finished 23rd at Watkins Glen and dropped one place in the standing but is still in the top 12 heading for the chase
12. Matt Kenseth

Here at Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet we are looking for a fourth consecutive championship from Jimmie. No presure Jimmie, just good driving is all we are asking for.

Tough Day for Jeff Gordon at the Watkins Glen Sprint Cup Race

It was not a great day for the Hendrick Motorsports Team at the Watkins Glen International Raceway. Jeff Gordon was knocked out of the race by a accident that torn up his car after it got hit several times in Turn 9 of the 2.45-mile track. The accident happened right towards the end of the race and everyone walked away from the accident but Jeff Gordon is now having a lot of trouble with his already ailing back. The accident came when Kasey Kahne forced Sam Hornish off the track and into a tire barrier, causing the No. 77 car to ricochet back into traffic and strike the vehicles of Gordon and Jeff Burton. The impact was hard enough to send the No. 24 head-first into the guardrail on the opposite side of the race track, and send Hornish spinning into the air.

Gordon had this to say after the race. I tried to squeeze by him on the outside, and there was just no way. I just nailed him, spun him around like a top, and it took a toll on my back. Nothing else hurts. Everything else is good, just the back. Then I got into the outside wall, the other side, and was just sitting there on the track hoping nobody was going to hit me again."

Our own Jimmie Johnson finished 12th in the race and Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 39th without much left of the front end of his car due to an accident and Mark Martin finished 23rd. The good news is that Jimmie remains in second place in the points standing for the Sprint Cup Championship and the Chase Series is coming up very soon as Jimmie Johnson prepares to win his fourth consecutive Championship.

Superman Jimmie Johnson Does it again!

Our Jimmie Johnson did it again. It was Johnson's third victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, his third overall this year and the 43rd of his Sprint Cup career. He has actually won three of the last four years here at the Brickyard and this is his second consecutive Allstate 400 that he won. This win moved him up to second in the Sprint Cup points standings. There are just six races to go until the Chase for the Sprint Cup starts and it will be Jimmie Johnsons try at a fourth-straight Cup title.

It was a great battle at the end between Jimmie and teammate Mark Martin, who led on the restart at lap 136 before Jimmie quickly passed him on the backstretch. The two battled for the remaining laps but Jimmie came out on top. Martins comments were

He was better than me off Turn 4, and I was better off Turn 2, so I knew I had to do it there. We were both driving for all we were worth, and I just couldn't get him.

Johnson called it one of his toughest Brickyards and credited his victory to track position. Clean air is everything, he said. With these tires, you only have a few laps to take care of things… Geez, was he (Mark Martin) fast, Johnson said. For an old guy, he had me pretty worried. … Those last 15-20 laps, we had to drive it so hard just to stay ahead of the 5 (Martin). I was better in (Turns) 3 and 4 than he was, and he had me beat in 1 and 2, and it was kind of a give-and-take thing that was going on. Luckily we held him off.

With the second-place finish Mark Martin moved up two positions in the points to ninth place. Well, you know, I’m grateful to my race team, Alan, all the guys on the 5 car, Rick Hendrick, Martin said. You know, I was hoping to be in the fray, and we were definitely in that. Drove my heart out. Gave it everything I had. I’m actually just grateful that I had a chance to race for the win. Would have liked to have won it, but got beat by Superman (Johnson).

Congratulations to Jimmie, and teammate Mark Martin, from all of us here at Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet in Kearny Mesa of San Diego. Be sure to check out our service specials online so we can save you money whenever you stop by.

Martin wins, Johnson finishes eight

Our own Jimmie Johnson finished eighth at the Chicagoland Speedway this last Saturday. Teammate Mark Martin won his series-best fourth race of the season and the 39th of his career. Martin gained two positions to 11th in the standings. Martin took the checkered flag a half second ahead of Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon (one-two for Hendrick). Kasey Kahne was third, followed by Tony Stewart who still leads in the point’s standings of the Sprint Cup Championship.
“That was fun,” Martin said after the race. “That’s what life’s all about right there. These guys (Martin’s crew) deserved to win. We could have parked the car (Friday) with an hour left in practice. I knew it was awesome. But the best car doesn’t usually win. The double-file restarts are to mess the best car up so he doesn’t win, to make it good for the fans and it did, but luckily we pulled it off anyway.”
As the race neared its end, the action intensified and on lap 251 Jimmie Johnson led the field on the restart but the No. 48 Chevrolet was roughed up in traffic. Johnson, Hamlin and Vickers all were damaged as the cars were maneuvering for position during the next two laps.
“There was a lot of body-slamming out there, and guys were bump-drafting down the straightaways,” Johnson said. “I didn’t think we could do that at a mile-and-a-half track.”
So another exciting day in racing and even though the results were not as high as we would like to see for Jimmie, he is still in the hunt for a fourth straight Sprint Cup Championship. So that is our report right here from Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet in Kearny Mesa of San Diego where we have some really great deals just waiting for you.

Hendrick Motorsports Dominating

As I look at the standing this week for the Sprint Cup Championship I am amazed at the success that our company, Hendrick Motorsports, is having. Here at Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet in Kearny Mesa of San Diego we are proud to be a part of this fine organization. It is a top notch company from the very top with Rick Hendrick down to the many people who make up all the positions that make this organization work.

As I look over the many blogs out there I see many people think the same way. One blog said that Hendrick seems poised for a new level of dominance. There could be five Hendrick related teams battling for the title as we get ready to go into the season finale. Three of those five are Hendrick drivers including our own Jimmie Johnson who is now third place in the standing. Teammate Jeff Gordon is in second and Mark Martin is in 8th. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is 18th and with changes made to his team he seems to be climbing in the standings.

Of course we want Jimmie Johnson to win his fourth championship this year because we are a part of his team. He feels good about his changes and how things are going right now.

"I think we're doing great," Johnson said. "I really do. I think that the new tire we've had at a lot of the tracks, we're still catching (up) a little bit on that. ... So I think we're understanding where we can be better, and we're addressing that and doing a good job of it."

Lets all keep rooting for Jimmie Johnson and see him do what no other driver has done before. In the mean time be sure to check out our specials right here on our website jjchevy.com along with the huge inventory of new and used vehicles that we have just for you.

Hendrick Motorsports did well this weekend

This last Saturday night at the Darlington Southern 500 we had three Hendrick Motorsports teams finished in the top five. Mark Martin won the race, our own Jimmie Johnson finished second and Jeff Gordon finished fifth. The third, fourth and seventh place finishers also drove Hendrick engines as well. Hendrick Motorsports is dominating right now and should continue to do so through-out this year as it has done in past years.

After this last race, Jimmie Johnson is fourth in points standings, improving from sixth last week. Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart (who drives a Hendrick car) are now 1 and 2. Newman is in eighth place and Mark Martin jumped from 15th to 11th after his win. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is in 18th.

Lets keep rooting Jimmie and the rest of the Hendrick drivers on. If you have the race car bug be sure to check out the new 2010 Chevy Camaro. We have our first one on the lot and we are taking orders. You can get more info at Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet.