tool name
closePit strategy puts defending champion on the coast
Fuel gamble pays off with Hendrick team’s first win of the 2008 Cup season
JIM UTTER
The Charlotte Observer
Sunday, Apr. 13, 2008
AVONDALE, Ariz. – Jimmie Johnson winning is nothing new to NASCAR.
Jimmie Johnson winning this way – gambling on fuel because he and his team wanted to, not because it had to – now, that’s something new altogether.
Johnson used a good car and some “white lies” from crew chief Chad Knaus to pull off a fuel-mileage gamble that gave Johnson the victory in Saturday night’s Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.
The victory in the desert ended Hendrick Motorsports’ mini drought in Victory Lane. Through eight races last season, Johnson had already earned two wins and teammate Jeff Gordon three.
“You know, we don’t play the fuel mileage game. We race for points year after year. If we can’t make it (to the end on fuel), we’re coming to pit road,” explained Johnson.
“So the fact that we stayed out and rolled the dice, I figured I would probably run out (of gas) coming off of (Turn) four.”
No such bad luck.
Johnson put his No. 48 Chevrolet into neutral on the final lap and still managed to coast to a more than seven-second win over runner-up Clint Bowyer, the only other driver who elected not pit for fuel in the race’s final 15 laps.
The win was not assured, however.
Although Knaus repeatedly reassured Johnson he had plenty of fuel to make it to the finish and his nearest competitors were 20 second or more behind him, that wasn’t necessarily the case.
Actually, Johnson could have run out on the final lap if he had not let off the gas as much as he did and, contrary to what Knaus was telling him, his nearest rival – Bowyer – did not peel off the track to pit.
“My instinct was to step on the gas pedal. That was good. The while lies (Knaus) was telling me were even more helpful,” Johnson said.
“When he says something, I might think about it for a split second, but I believe him every time.”
The smirk on Johnson’s face after that answer was all too telling.
Johnson had a strong car and led 109 of the first 149 laps, but when pole-winner Ryan Newman blew the engine in his No. 12 Dodge and dumped oil on the track, Knaus elected not to have Johnson pit under the caution.
With only 10 laps on the tires Johnson had, there seemed to be little reason to make the stop even though most of the lead-lap cars did. Unfortunately, another caution nine laps later forced Johnson to pit while those who had pitted earlier stayed out.
“My first instinct was to pit,” Knaus said. “The longer we sat there and thought about it, I managed to talk myself out of it and decided to stay out. We really needed to go about 15 laps so everybody would have to come down pit road.”
For Johnson, the victory couldn’t have come at a better time.
The team was saddled with high expectations coming off its second consecutive championships and seemed to stumble out of the gate, particularly after a rough race at Las Vegas.
Now, he has Hendrick’s first victory of the season and sits fourth in points, 99 behind leader Jeff Burton.
“You know, in some ways we recognize that we haven’t been running how we want. But we finished second at California, second at Texas last week, fourth at Martinsville.
“I mean, yeah, we hadn’t won yet, but we were only seven races into this thing.
“We know that we haven’t been where we wanted to. We’ve been working really hard.”
