Jimmie Johnson Motivated to Go for Fifth-Straight Title
Day three of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Media Tour hosted by Charlotte
Motor Speedway included a lunch stop at the campus of the top team in the

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Hendrick Motorsports.
And the top driver on that team the last four years has been Jimmie
Johnson. He’s the winner of the last four NASCAR Sprint Cup championships,
and set a NASCAR record for most consecutive titles last year with the 2009
championship.

Hendrick Motorsports honored its fans by asking questions from its
Facebook and Twitter accounts, and Johnson was asked about finding
motivation after winning four titles in a row.

“Success makes you want to experience more success,” said Johnson.
“We’ve had an amazing run of four years. We certainly want to keep it up,
keep it going. I feel very good with the fact that our team is intact and
together.

“The things that are coming through the pipeline from Hendrick
Motorsports, the unity of all four teams – I know you guys hear it every
week, every time a microphone is put in front of us – but that stuff really,
really is important and separates Hendrick Motorsports from other teams.
“I’m excited. It’s there. There’s a desire inside of me to do the
best I can week in and week out.”

One side benefit of Johnson’s titles is the competition could psyche
itself out before the season starts. And Johnson said he’ll take any
advantage – real or imagined – he can get.

“It is a benefit,” Johnson said. “It’s a short-term benefit. In some
ways, it could be bad for us. We’ve been a motivational tool for a lot of
teams over the offseason the last few years. Only time will tell how it
really plays out, but I’ve always been in the other position where I looked
up to the guy or team. It’s pretty damn cool to be that person right now, so
I’m going to enjoy it.

“It’s short-lived because we go to Daytona, and you reset and you
worry about what takes place there. Three or four races in, we’ll know who
the players are and what that’s going to look like.”