FORT WORTH, Tex. — Jimmie Johnson admits there’s added stress in being the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup points leader, but the driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet wouldn’t have it any other way.
Johnson seized the lead — albeit a narrow one — by winning last Sunday’s Cup race at Martinsville from the pole. With three races left in the Chase, Johnson is two points ahead of Brad Keselowski and 26 in front of third-place Clint Bowyer.
“I think there’s more pressure on the points leader, but there’s more control as the points leader,” Johnson said Friday before the first Cup practice session at Texas Motor Speedway. “Just a week ago, I was sitting there seven back thinking, ‘OK, if I got two (points) a weekend or if I got three a weekend,’ or how you play that game.
“Right now I don’t have to think about that. There’s the pressure to maintain, but I would much rather be leading the points than be anywhere else. “
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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