Post by dalejrfan on Jun 5, 2005 16:55:45 GMT -5
DOVER, Del. -- Jimmie Johnson is well aware of the wave of fan discontent that seems to be following him around these days.
He's OK with it.
"Everybody has heard the phrase that [Dale] Earnhardt coined -- any noise is good noise. And I agree with that.
Jimmie JohnsonCatch all the highlights of JJ's 2005 season
"I know my fan base and the interesting thing is that my [merchandise] sales are higher than they've ever been. I think I'm third in sales behind Junior and Jeff [Gordon] -- and the boos have gone up."
Steady rainfall all day Friday at Dover forced NASCAR to cancel Bud Pole Qualifying for Sunday's MBNA RacePoints 400. As a result, points leader Johnson will start on the pole.
If he gets some boos, he says it won't make him question his popularity or is public image.
"I don't believe that it means that you're the bad guy or disliked. I think a lot of it depends on whose fans are attending that race or what part of the country you're in.
"I look at the big picture and understand it," he said. "At least I'm there."
Much more important to Johnson is the level of respect he has among other drivers. He insists that has not subsided.
"Through the deal at Daytona with Harvick, [an incident during the Gatorade Duel qualifying races], he and I talked it out. There were opinions formed outside the racetrack, but that's fine because Kevin and I had them figured out."
Johnson says similar incidents involving Jeff Burton at Bristol and Tony Stewart at Phoenix and Daytona were similarly handled.
"Tony Stewart's making me pizzas in his bus the week after Phoenix and he's talking about me running one of his sprint cars some time or going to race The Chili Bowl with him."
Then Talladega happened, where Earnhardt Jr. called Johnson an "idiot" and blamed him for the accident that took out more than half the field.
Again, Johnson said the situation was handled quietly.
"I talked to those guys, they laughed about it, apologized for it getting to where it got to, but I can't stop the momentum that's building in people's minds about me being a bad guy -- and I understand that now."
There's momentum building for Johnson on the track these days, as well. After a 40th-place finish at Richmond three weeks ago, Johnson won his third consecutive Coca-Cola 600 last Sunday.
Even though he'll lead the field to the green flag on Sunday, Johnson's recent Dover history has been less than stellar. After winning in his first two Cup attempts at The Monster Mile, Johnson has two finishes of 32nd or worse in his past four Dover starts.
"I'm not sure where we stack up," Johnson said. "I think we're going in the right direction, but until we unload it, it's just tough to tell."
However, Johnson has vivid memories of what it feels like to have the car to beat at the high-banked, concrete, 1-mile oval.
"When you have a good car here, there's nothing like it," he said.
He's OK with it.
"Everybody has heard the phrase that [Dale] Earnhardt coined -- any noise is good noise. And I agree with that.
Jimmie JohnsonCatch all the highlights of JJ's 2005 season
"I know my fan base and the interesting thing is that my [merchandise] sales are higher than they've ever been. I think I'm third in sales behind Junior and Jeff [Gordon] -- and the boos have gone up."
Steady rainfall all day Friday at Dover forced NASCAR to cancel Bud Pole Qualifying for Sunday's MBNA RacePoints 400. As a result, points leader Johnson will start on the pole.
If he gets some boos, he says it won't make him question his popularity or is public image.
"I don't believe that it means that you're the bad guy or disliked. I think a lot of it depends on whose fans are attending that race or what part of the country you're in.
"I look at the big picture and understand it," he said. "At least I'm there."
Much more important to Johnson is the level of respect he has among other drivers. He insists that has not subsided.
"Through the deal at Daytona with Harvick, [an incident during the Gatorade Duel qualifying races], he and I talked it out. There were opinions formed outside the racetrack, but that's fine because Kevin and I had them figured out."
Johnson says similar incidents involving Jeff Burton at Bristol and Tony Stewart at Phoenix and Daytona were similarly handled.
"Tony Stewart's making me pizzas in his bus the week after Phoenix and he's talking about me running one of his sprint cars some time or going to race The Chili Bowl with him."
Then Talladega happened, where Earnhardt Jr. called Johnson an "idiot" and blamed him for the accident that took out more than half the field.
Again, Johnson said the situation was handled quietly.
"I talked to those guys, they laughed about it, apologized for it getting to where it got to, but I can't stop the momentum that's building in people's minds about me being a bad guy -- and I understand that now."
There's momentum building for Johnson on the track these days, as well. After a 40th-place finish at Richmond three weeks ago, Johnson won his third consecutive Coca-Cola 600 last Sunday.
Even though he'll lead the field to the green flag on Sunday, Johnson's recent Dover history has been less than stellar. After winning in his first two Cup attempts at The Monster Mile, Johnson has two finishes of 32nd or worse in his past four Dover starts.
"I'm not sure where we stack up," Johnson said. "I think we're going in the right direction, but until we unload it, it's just tough to tell."
However, Johnson has vivid memories of what it feels like to have the car to beat at the high-banked, concrete, 1-mile oval.
"When you have a good car here, there's nothing like it," he said.