Jimmie Johnson Says the Pressure's Off

Filed under: Jimmie Johnson, Chase for the Sprint Cup, NASCARSounding relaxed and recommitted in equal parts, Jimmie Johnson said Tuesday that he may have taken a huge hit in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship standings following a 25th place finish Sunday, but that just means the pressure has shifted to his rivals.

Johnson finished a lap down in 25th place in Sunday's opening round of the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup championship playoffs and fell from second in the standings, 10 points behind leader Denny Hamlin, to seventh place, 92 points behind Hamlin.

It was the sixth time in the last nine races Johnson's No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet has finished 20th or worse. But the four-time defending Cup champ isn't panicking yet. The way he sees it, it's his competition in the pressure cooker now, not him.

"Actually this makes things easier for us, the only way to go is up,'' Johnson said Tuesday. "It really simplifies things for us because we have to perform, there is nothing to protect anymore. We have to be spot on.'' Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

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