Pit Stop Report

On the first day of NASCAR, the driver you will see
Is the Hendrick Forty-Eight of Jimmie!

Sorry…poetry isn’t my strong point!

So…did everyone get to see the Awards Ceremony last night, or were you in the same boat as me, without access to ESPN Classic? Argh, that was frustrating. Luckily, NASCAR.com put up tons of videos today, and so between them all, I was able to recreate like 90% of the event for myself. Hoping NASCAR will do a replay on a, uh, normal channel in the near future.

Let’s cut to the Chase…

…haha, couldn’t resist the humor.

JIMMIE JOHNSON
Rank: 1st
Poles: 4
Wins: 10
Top Fives: 20
Top Tens: 24
Winnings: $7,646,420

Watch Jimmie’s speech on NASCAR.com.

I really enjoyed the gist of Jimmie’s speech for the Awards Ceremony, but I have to say that as nice a guy as Mr. Johnson is, a public speaker he is not. From pausing awkwardly for applause that was decidedly late in starting to stumbling a bit over a few lines to a general overall feel of discomfort in his delivery, I really kind of felt bad for him. I realize that these are racers, not Toastmasters, but Jimmie, please consider using some of your $7M to hire a PR firm to get you fully prepped next time!

What I liked in his speech: Jimmie’s direct message to Chad Knaus. It’s clear to see that they are close friends, and it’s equally clear to see that Jimmie truly appreciates the hard work Chad performs as his crew chief.

What I didn’t like in his speech: Delivery. Jimmie actually did ok when he was talking directly to people that he was thanking, but in other parts (see above), he just seemed ill at ease. What was up with UGS? Geez, Jimmie, learn your sponsors! He did, however, play this off fairly well.

Stayed tuned as we roll through the Twelve Days of NASCAR!

Until then, drive fast and turn left!

Jimmie Johnson, NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports, Awards Ceremony

As promised, I’m going to bare all here at the Pit Stop Report and lay out the predictions from my ill-fated magazine article, and then compare them to reality. Some are funny, some actually on target. Either way, get your fill here!

Prediction
Friendly Lowe’s driver Jimmie Johnson is coming off the highest of highs, having just won the Chase for the Championship in 2006. Perhaps one of the most consistently successful drivers since the inception of the Chase, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Jimmie roll into the 2007 season with a win at Daytona, which he also won in 2006. Even without a win at Daytona, it would be hard to imagine a Championship without Jimmie this coming year.

Reality
Ok…I was wrong on Daytona, obviously, but dang what a season! Back to back Championships - go, Jimmie, go! I was expecting Jimmie to be successful this season, but this level of success just blew me away. Despite some issues early on, Jimmie just continued on. Win upon win upon win. Whew! What more can I say?

Next PvR - Bad Boy Tony Stewart…what did I guess for him?? Check back to find out!

Until then, drive fast and turn left!

Jimmie Johnson, NASCAR