History says not to worry about Johnson
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series concludes its Western spring swing Sunday at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. Two story lines to watch entering the season’s fifth race:
Jimmie panic: No need for it. Certainly, seven-time and defending series champion Jimmie Johnson seemingly is an uncharacteristic 16th in the standings, but his recent earlyseason performances suggest his season is, if not typical, within the range of normalcy.
Johnson was 26th after four races in 2014 and 22nd in 2013, when he went on to win a championship. Yes, he was third in points and had a win by this time last season but was also hurtling toward a career-long 24-race winless streak before winning the playoff race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. So last season turned out fine.
This season, Johnson was third before a late Daytona 500 wreck and was competitive at times at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He opened a season without a top-10 finish in the first three races for the first time before a ninth-place at Phoenix Raceway ended that drought.
Johnson should feel confident entering Auto Club Speedway, where he is the defending champ and has won six times overall, most among all drivers.
Gibbs struggles: Joe Gibbs Racing might be faced with more concern. The dominant team — in conjunction with affiliate Furniture Row Racing — for the dominant manufacturer (Toyota) last season, JGR won 16 of the 36 races, but, with a newly designed Camry, the fourcar team has collected two topfive finishes this year.
But Furniture Row’s Martin Truex Jr. dominated in winning at Las Vegas.
Kyle Busch has found great success at the 2-mile oval, winning two of the last three races he has contested at Fontana. He finished a distant 25th last year, breaking a streak of four consecutive top-three finishes.
Teammate Matt Kenseth has three career victories and nine top-fives there, but his results have been inconsistent there since a strong stretch between 2005 and 2009.