Mark Martin says he learned a great deal about Jimmie Johnson while racing alongside him at Hendrick Motorsports.
Mark Martin believes we haven’t seen the last of Jimmie Johnson in victory lane.
And coming from the undisputed expert on winning races into his 50s, why wouldn’t you take his word for it? At 44 years old and mired in an 86-race winless streak, Johnson is only six years younger than Martin when he won for the final time at New Hampshire in 2009.
But the similarities do not end there.
Like Martin, Johnson is a physical-fitness aficionado, and the seven-time champion’s commitment to his own race craft is no different than his conditioning. Even in the middle of the worst stretch of his career, Johnson has maintained a workout regimen highlighted by strenuous cycling and running.
Rick Hendrick made the tough decision to separate Johnson from the only crew chief he had ever known in Chad Knaus for the 2019 season. That resulted in Johnson working with Kevin Meendering, who captured the Xfinity Series championship with Tyler Reddick in 2018. The pairing was not as fruitful with Johnson, with the No. 48 struggling to crack the top 15 in the championship standings.
That necessitated another change for the remainder of the season, with Cliff Daniels calling shots the rest of the way, and likely into 2020 — the final year of Johnson’s contract.
The change has produced immediate results, with Johnson running inside the top 10 and making a late playoff push. While he came up short due to crashes at Darlington and Indianapolis, Johnson is regularly scoring stage points again and is starting to look like a resurgence is possible.
“He is incredibly driven,” Martin told Autoweek over the weekend. “And if nothing else, what he’s done over the past five months shows that more than his seven championships. I wouldn’t bet against that guy.”
Before joining him at Hendrick Motorsports in 2009, Martin was a rival driver at Roush Racing and then MB2 Motorsports.
Martin said he underestimated Johnson.
“Before I was his teammate, I really thought Jimmie Johnson was a byproduct of Chad Knaus,” Martin said. “I thought it was the car. Then I became his teammate and saw firsthand how hard he works to be the best at everything he does.”
Martin and Johnson battled for the championship that season with the No. 48 ultimately scoring their fourth-consecutive title that autumn. Johnson scored seven wins to Martin’s five and captured the crown by 141 points — the modern equivalent to roughly 40 points during the 10-race Chase for the Championship.
“He outworked me,” Martin recalled. “At 50 years old, I wasn’t quite able to work that hard. I still outworked most so I’m proud of that, but I couldn’t quite work that hard. He is responsible for most of his own success.”
Johnson is currently stuck at 83 victories with 227 top-5s and 360 top-10s in 642 starts. His seven championships are, of course, tied with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the most all-time. He has yet to reveal his plans for 2021 and beyond.
Source: Read Full Article