From the October, 2006 issue of Stock Car Insider
Jimmie Johnson Sings the Blues No More!
Early in the Chase for the Championship, Jimmie Johnson stumbled and dug himself a monster hole. With the help of his team, and a little from Jeff Burton, Jimmie has managed to claw his way back one race at a time. Now the driver of the #48 Lowe's Monte Carlo finds himself in 3rd place at only 41 points back.Over the past 5 races, Jimmie Johnson has been on a tear. His average finish over that stretch has been 10th. This is a sharp contrast to the average finish of 31st that he carried through the first two races in the Chase. Three weeks ago, Jimmie nearly won the UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega until he was wrecked on the last lap by teammate Brian Vickers. He followed up his strong run at Talladega with a 2nd place finish in Charlotte last week. What's better than 2nd; how about a 1st place finish at Martinsville?
Yesterday's win in the Subway 500 at Martinsville Speedway boosted Jimmie Johnson 4 spots in the points. I am sure winning at the track where just a few years ago, a Hendrick Motorsports plane went down carrying a number of Hendrick employees including Ricky Hendrick, Rick Hendrick's son, will serve to not only boost the team's standing but also their morale.
In a sport where the level of competition is at such a high level, every member of the team from the guys in the shop to the driver on the track must believe in themselves and their teammates. From the results of the past 5 weeks, it is clear that Jimmie Johnson and the rest of his team have shrugged off the slump they suffered from early on and have regained their confidence.
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