NASCAR Cup Series

Loss of spotlight will inspire Johnson

Published Dec. 6, 2011 3:56 p.m. ET

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Jeff Hammond

For the first time in five years, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Banquet featured new faces at the head table. Rather than the familiar team of Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knaus and Co., it was Tony Stewart, Darian Grubb and their group seated up front.

Seeing somebody else at the head table is exactly the kind of motivation that Johnson needs as we head into 2012. Trust me, I’ve been there — nothing hurts any worse than going to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Awards banquet the year after you win. All the accolades, all the media requests, all the folks who were wanting a piece of you have moved on. Then on top of all that, you have to sit there at the banquet and listen all night long about how great the OTHER guy was.

Now don’t get me wrong, Stewart earned every single bit of the attention in Las Vegas. When the chips were down it was Smoke who stepped up and dethroned the five-time champ. But believe me when I tell you that Johnson doesn’t like this feeling.

Now sure, there is probably a small slice of him that feels relieved. The pressure to continue the championship streak is over. The requests of a champion’s time will go to Tony now, freeing Jimmie to spend more time with his family. With all that said, with the heart of a champion like Jimmie has, it hurts.

I mean anyone who likes losing is, well, OK, a loser. I hated to lose and still hate to lose. I want to win and be the best at everything I do. That’s just the competitor in me coming out. Jimmie is no different. He wants to win.

So now it becomes a project for the No. 48 team to analyze and identify their weaknesses. They have to look in the mirror and be honest with themselves. Could we have communicated better? Did we not put forth the effort? Is it possible to gear back up and dig deep to fight even harder in 2012?

That No. 48 group always found a way to win. For the past five years, they were the gold standard in NASCAR. Everybody wanted to be like them. Everybody wanted to work for them. When it mattered most, only Johnson, Knaus and the No. 48 team were able to sustain their success.

Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch and all the rest can’t say that. Yes they all had flashes of brilliance and what appeared to be the start of dominance, but just as quickly that burst went away. For five years it was Jimmie taking on all challengers and knocking them back one by one.

This year was different. This year Stewart found a way to win and win repeatedly in the Chase. They went to the top of the mountain and knocked Johnson and Knaus off it. Stewart and his gang won five out of the 10 Chase races. I challenge you to find anyone, Stewart included, who would have said that would happen after the Richmond race in September that set the Chase field.

Another interesting thing to watch is whether Johnson and Knaus still have anything left in the tank. They were shown to be human after all this year. Do they enough left to do this all over again and reclaim the championship? After you have fought your way to the top and held that spot for five years, getting back up there won’t be any easier.

That will be how we really find out about the heart of these guys and how badly they really want to be No. 1 again. Jimmie went up that hill and held it again and again. Now here he is starting over and having to fight his way to the top again.

Knowing him the way I do, I expect to see Jimmie Johnson be a force to be reckoned with in 2012.

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