Jimmie Johnson makes last-ditch attempt to get into Brad Keselowski’s head

Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet speaks with members of the media during the NASCAR Championship Contenders Press Conference at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 15, 2012 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images for NASCAR)
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Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet speaks with members of the media during the NASCAR Championship Contenders Press Conference at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 15, 2012 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images for NASCAR)

HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Brad Keselowski is doing his level best to focus on the business at hand — winning a NASCAR Sprint Cup championship — despite Jimmie Johnson’s best efforts to make Keselowski concentrate on other things.

With one race left on the schedule, Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Keselowski and Johnson are the only two drivers mathematically alive in the battle for the Cup championship. Keselowski has the upper hand, leading Johnson by 20 points; if the driver of the No. 2 Dodge finishes 15th or better, he’ll be the champion, no matter what else happens during the race.

Johnson, however, is trying to make sure Keselowski is aware of everything that could possibly go wrong.

As the drivers share the dais during Thursday’s press conference at the 1.5-mile track where they’ll settle the title on Sunday, Johnson pointed out that finishing 15th in the Cup series isn’t a layup. Then he reminded Keselowski of the IndyCar season finale at Fontana, Calif., where Ryan Hunter-Reay overcame a 17-point deficit to wrest the title from Will Power.

“You know, of course, I’m going to find points that give myself motivation and my team,” Johnson said. “And, Brad, if you’d like me to call later and remind you of any other examples, I certainly can, of guys that didn’t pull off the season finale as they would hope.

“But one thing I’ve learned is that, regardless of how experienced anyone is in this championship battle, at some point the magnitude of it hits you. At some point — he may be very comfortable and calm now; it may not happen until he’s in the car — but at some point that magnitude hits, and I’ve lived through it five times.

“That’s a turning moment, and we’ll see how he responds. It also carries over to guys changing tires. There’s some point where every member on that race team goes, ‘This is it — this is what I’ve worked so hard far.’ I’ll be glad to point out those moments as needed.”

Keselowski doesn’t plan to sit in his car, wondering when that moment will come.

“You know that he has a motivation behind his comments that discredits them of credibility,” Keselowski said. “It’s pretty easy to brush off when you think about it that way.”

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. 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.