Jimmie Johnson overcomes dehydration, miscues to find more Texas magic
FORT WORTH — Jimmie Johnson was hoping that old Lone Star vibe was coming back.
But he wasn’t feeling it when his No. 48 Chevrolet squirted off the track in practice Friday or when he lost control during qualifying, incurred a penalty and was sent to the back of the field.
And the seven-time and defending Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion said he was so focused on the quality of his race car throughout Sunday’s 334 laps at Texas Motor Speedway that he didn’t realize how dehydrated he had become after his fluid delivery system failed early.
He experienced cramping in “big muscles,” including his chest, as he was “dogging” Joey Logano for the lead late in the race. He required three bags of intravenous fluids during post-race treatment at the infield care center before completing his stint in the media center.
But in the absence of the magical, Johnson and his crew mastered the mechanical in alien circumstances as he set right a season that had begun slightly askew, controlling the late stages of the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500.
An 0-for-the-season winless streak had hardly bothered Johnson through the first six races, but a repave and reconfiguration of Texas Motor Speedway appeared to take away a chip he had parlayed so well in setting up seasons and championship runs.
There was early intrigue, but a common finish, as Johnson won for a record seventh time at the 1.5-mile track. The result was like old times, but the route was not as sure as some of his previous victories here.
“I wanted to believe that, and I felt like we were really in the zone with the car and the communication we were having and making the car faster,” Johnson said after his 81st career win. “But track position, I thought we were going to be totally out of luck with track position today. To be able to pass as many cars as we did was out of the ordinary. Really treacherous out there today. Very slick. You don’t have a second lane to work. That deep in the track, the car is not comfortable at all and it’s hard to produce speed.
“I’m really surprised and then also with the car we built and created that could handle those conditions.”
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Starting from the back of the 40-car field after a procedural infraction during qualifying, Johnson had to overcome a stage 2 strategy play that relegated them to a 22nd-place starting spot in the final segment, but plied the field then ran down and passed Logano for the lead on Lap 318 of 334.
Johnson has won five of the last eight races at Texas. It seemed as simple as some of Johnson’s other escapades here but nothing had been simple on this weekend at Texas, and that fact made this victory impressive. Johnson’s playpen had been reconfigured and repaved in March, theoretically nullifying whatever advantages he and crew chief Chad Knaus had amassed in 17 seasons pouring over the place.
With no pre-race testing at the newly configured venue, the team, Knaus said, "had to do a lot of it kind of old school.” Knaus clearly enjoyed winning the mechanical competition of providing Johnson with a No. 48 Chevrolet that allowed him to be the driver of old at Texas.
“I think there's a little bit of vintage 48 in that,” Knaus said. “It seems as though we have in times of turmoil and distress managed to get some pretty solid finishes with the 48 car, and I think that's a true testament to Jimmie and his ability to not waver.
“Like, he doesn't get spooked. He doesn't get too crazy. He keeps his calm. He's very calm in nature as we all know. So him doing that and allowing us to work on the race car the way that we need to without panic setting in, I think there's definitely an element to that.”
Follow James on Twitter @brantjames
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