Jimmie Johnson gave owner Rick Hendrick his second consecutive Daytona 500 victory. Credit: Autostock

Patience put Johnson up front when it counted

Johnson: 'Today was one of the hardest races for me mentally'

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Turns out Jimmie Johnson's team didn't have to cheat to win the Daytona 500.

With crew chief Chad Knaus sitting at home, suspended after rigging an illegal device to give his car an aerodynamic advantage in qualifying, Johnson won Sunday's Great American Race for the first time.

Credit: Autostock

Daytona 500 Results Pos. Driver Make 1. J. Johnson Chevrolet 2. C. Mears Dodge 3. R. Newman Dodge 4. E. Sadler Ford 5. T. Stewart Chevrolet Complete results, click here Victory LaneJimmie Johnson celebrates a Daytona 500 victory Top finishersNewman, Kenseth, Stewart, and Junior talk about their day Rough racingStewart slides into Kenseth and is sent to the back of the field Multi-car wreckJeff Green spins in Turn 3 and collects several others Gordon and Stewart brush wallGordon and Stewart make contact and brush the wall Early cautionRacing is clean until Truex Jr. finds the wall Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

Johnson took the lead with 17 laps remaining and held off Casey Mears and Ryan Newman on a green-white-checkered finish that gave owner Rick Hendrick two consecutive victories in Nextel Cup's opener and six overall.

His secret? Patience on a day when attrition of the top challengers played a major role.

"It was tough, believe me,'' Johnson said. "Today was one of the hardest races for me mentally. The racer in me wanted to be aggressive. There were so many times I told myself to slow down, let these guys go by me.''

That's a major difference in the Johnson of restrictor-plate races past that drove as hard as he could and tried to lead every lap that he could.

"I really slowed down the pace, in my eyes, from what I was doing,'' Johnson said. "I made sure I made smart moves that would not hang me out in the draft.

"For some reason, I didn't try to lead the race as much. I stayed committed to the bottom, worked with a few cars and worked so at the end of the day we had the best handling car.''

Johnson started ninth because of a fourth-place finish in the 150-mile qualifying race. His qualifying time was nixed because of Knaus' device that pushed the rear window out more than three-quarters of an inch.

He was quiet most of the cool, misty day, cruising around the top 10 until about 25 laps remained.

He passed teammate Brian Vickers on Lap 187, just before caution came out when Kurt Busch blew his right-side tires after being sent into the wall by Jamie McMurray.

Johnson and Vickers were running 1-2 when the race resumed, followed by Newman and Mears. Newman made a move to the outside on the first lap of the final restart, but was blocked every so slightly by Johnson.

Because Mears stayed down low, Johnson was able to slide back in front and hold on for the victory.

At the end, Johnson's car was one of the few not roughed up on a day when a handful of drivers were penalized for aggressive driving. The biggest move he made came when he edged ahead of Vickers before the caution on Lap 188 of a race that was extended three laps longer to 203.

	Sunday was Jimmie Johnson's first restrictor-plate victory in 16 career starts. Credit: Autostock
	Average Running Position Top 5 drivers by average Driver Pos. Avg. J. Johnson 1 4.074 D. Earnhardt Jr. 8 5.064 R. Newman 3 8.857 Ku. Busch 38 8.956 Ky. Busch 23 10.350

Johnson said it was his goal to take the lead late to avoid the typical trouble that often occurs late in plate races.

"Things happen from second on back that really protect the leader,'' Johnson said. "I really wanted to be in that position.''

In past plate races, Johnson's aggressiveness has hurt him. He finished 31st late last season at Talladega, drawing heavy criticism from pole-winner Elliott Sadler after hitting Sadler hard early in the race.

"I've been trying to learn from my mistakes,'' Johnson said. "Today, I felt like I drove a much different plate race than I've driven before. I did take a different approach, even in the practice sessions. I didn't worry about the speed in the car. I just worried how it drove.

"That's a different thing than I've looked for. I wanted a car that really sucked up good and had a lot of speed. We really focused on making it handle and make turns at the bottom, hoping in the end we'd be in position to fend them off.''

The most aggressive Johnson got was after the race when he was questioned about the legitimacy of the victory because of Knaus, who is expected to be suspended for at least one to two more races.

Newman went so far as to remind that three of Johnson's last four wins have been surrounded by controversy regarding rules.

"Everybody keeps talking about do we feel there is a black mark next to this win,'' Johnson said. "We obviously have a black mark next to qualifying, but the race, we overcame everybody against us.

"This team has worked way too hard to have those kinds of comments thrown at us. I'm going to be very offensive over it. I'm disappointed Ryan has to come in here and try and tarnish what we've accomplished today.''

Johnson hopes the kind of patience he showed on and off the track will propel him to his first championship after two runner-up finishes in the last four years.

"I wonder if I've been trying too hard,'' he said. "If this team can be calm and relaxed, and do our job 100 percent instead of 110 percent, we can accomplish what we want to.''