NASCAR At New Hampshire: Jimmie Johnson Says Team Needs To Get Better At Fuel-Mileage Races

Five-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup series champion Jimmie Johnson thought he was good to go to the end of Monday’s race at Chicagoland Speedway. Told he would be one lap short of the finish, Johnson was confident he had saved enough gas to make it to the checkered flag.

That did not happen, however, as Johnson ran out on the final lap and coasted to a disappointing 10th-place finish.

“Fuel mileage has never really been a strong suit for us, and it’s something we know we need to be better with,” he said Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

“Tires don’t fall off like we used to. We don’t have cautions like we used to. All of that means two tires, no tires, no cautions and you pit as you can,” he continued. “The game certainly has changed over the last year, year-and-a-half, and we need to get a little bit better in those situations.”

Despite his marked areas for improvement, Johnson is confident knowing the team is “strong and fast” throughout the course of the race.

“There is nothing worse than thinking you’re in the good, and I come off of (Turn) 4 and I’m like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’” he said.

Johnson described saving fuel as an “odd situation” but said it becomes more of a “relaxed situation” when other teams are doing the same. The uncertainty arises due to the fact teams do not dedicate large chunks of time in test sessions to fuel mileage.

“Maybe that’s an area we should focus on,” Johnson said.

While drivers are not eager to give away their secrets on saving gas, Johnson explained there are a few philosophies on how to conserve fuel inside the cockpit. Johnson said he has about three levels of saving fuel inside the car, based on how animated crew chief Chad Knaus is on the radio.

“Once you get to certain places with the throttle pedal, it’s dumping a ton of fuel,” he said. “So some say, ‘Wide open is short as possible, shut the engine off.’ Others say ‘Leave the engine on, run half throttle, never get to wide open.’ It’s tough to science it out.”

With fuel-mileage races and strategy becoming more and more prevalent, Johnson believes they will be a factor in determining who will win this year’s championship.

”We’ll see fuel mileage play a larger role in the championship than we have in years past,” he said, pointing to New Hampshire, Phoenix and Talladega. “We have a lot of tracks with very low tire wear, which will promote fuel saving and fuel-mileage races.”