For all of you Jimmie Johnson haters, I will give you fair warning, this week is about bragging rights.
Within a one week period Jimmie Johnson handed team owner
Rick Hendrick his 200th Nascar Sprint cup victory, then won over a
million dollars at the Sprint All Star Race this past Saturday May 19th,
2012.
The week prior, May 12th, Jimmie took the
checkered flag in the Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington ending a 16 week
drought for the driver. It was also his 56th career win putting him
just ahead of Rusty Wallace in eighth place in the overall all time driver
record.
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| The entire Hendrick stable of drivers, crews and family celebrating their 200th Cup win Photo courtesy of Nascar.com |
It was an exciting final restart where defending champion
Tony Stewart raced Johnson hard in an attempt to delay that 200th
win. Unfortunately his lost fuel pressure and was passed by Denny Hamlin for
the number two spot. Stewart, co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing gets his chassis,
engines and tech support from Hendrick Motorsports had nothing but praise for
Mr. Hendrick and his organization following the race.
“I
think it's phenomenal, especially with the competition over here getting
tougher and tougher. It's getting harder and harder to win these races”
"Especially for it to
happen in the Southern 500 -- it's such a historic race. It's a pretty cool
milestone”, said Stewart.
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| Rick Hendrick, Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus celebrate the 200th win for Hendrick Motorsports at the 2012 Southern 500 Photo courtesy of Nascar.com |
One week later Jimmie Johnson
would earn a record tying third All-Star race after leading the entire final
ten lap shootout in Charlotte, NC.
Johnson and his crew chief Chad Knaus had one
heck of a strategy and it paid off in a one million dollar cheque. It might
have seemed strange to see Johnson intentionally cruising slowly at the back of
the field, which he did for about 60 laps. He drove the car hard for the first
and last segments and just poked along for the three in between. That strategy
placed him in the ranks of the late great Dale Earnhardt Sr and fellow Hendrick
team mate Jeff Gordon as the only three time winners of the All-Star Race.
Of course credit must
also be given for this win to Johnson’s Pit Crew. The 48 team won the Pit Crew
Challenge earlier in the week, handing their boss the prime first pit position
which definitely played to his advantage
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| Jimmie Johnson celebrates with a cheque for one million bucks Photo courtesy of Nascar.com |
After the race fans witnessed something
completely out of the ordinary for victory lane celebration. Rick Hendrick
actually climbed into the window and went for a ride hanging out of the #48 on
the straightaway.
He said,
‘Come pick me up,’ said Johnson, “But once I got there, he didn’t want the ride
anymore. I told him, ‘No, you’ve got to get on.’
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| Jimmie Johnson picks up a hitchhiker (Rick Hendrick) on the straightaway Photo courtesy of Nascar.com |
Rick
Hendrick is not exactly a young man and as memorable of a moment of celebration
that it was, he did not look very comfortable or very safe for that matter.
Johnson later said he had a hold of his leg from inside the car and he could
feel the wind sucking him out of the window. Later at a press conference Mr.
Hendrick reflected on his shenanigans.
"That
was the dumbest thing I've ever done in racing," Hendrick said. "I
thought I was going to be a busted watermelon."
Well
thankfully he made it to victory lane in one piece and into the hearts of every
fan out there with that little celebratory display.
Also of
note, for any of you “Bachelorette” fans out there, this season’s bachelorette
is none other than Emily Maynard, mother of Mr. Hendrick’s grandbaby Ricki
Anne. Emily was engaged to Ricky Hendrick, race car driver and only son of Rick
Hendrick, who was tragically killed in a plane crash along with nine others in
2004. One week after his death Emily learned that she was pregnant with his
daughter.
This week
the field remains in Charlotte for the Coca Cola 600.
.
Agree? Disagree?
