NASCAR at Texas recap: Once again, Jimmie Johnson rises to the occasion

Jimmie Johnson was off to the worst start of his extraordinary career. Texas Motor Speedway, the track he long ruled, had undergone a radical makeover creating uncertainty as to whether his dominance would continue. And on a hot Sunday afternoon, the fluid system within Johnson’s car stopped functioning.

None of it mattered. It never does with Johnson, whose laser focus and ability to tune out distractions has been the hallmark of career that’s seen him build a résumé as one of NASCAR’s all-time greats.

And as just as he’s done so many times previously, Johnson not only persevered Sunday, he broke through to score his first victory of 2017, winning the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500. Because that’s who he is and what he does.

“I guess I remembered how to drive; and I guess this team remembered how to do it,” Johnsons said. “I’m just real proud of this team. What a tough track and tough conditions.”

Entering the weekend, Johnson’s best result in six races on the season was ninth — the longest stretch he’s ever gone to start a year without a top-five finish. Naturally questions arose if the No. 48 team, led by crew chief Chad Knaus, was experiencing a championship hangover following Johnson capturing his record-tying seventh title a year ago, or if there was some deeper issue within Hendrick Motorsports.

The truth was Johnson’s middling start was more about perception than reality. Although the results hadn’t been there, the speed had. He was third in the season-opening Daytona 500 before an errant tap from Jamie McMurray sent Johnson crashing. He was also a contender in races at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway only to be undone by a lack of execution and inopportune caution flags.

It seemed only a matter of when, not if, Johnson would showcase his usual form. After all, if anyone deserved the benefit of the doubt it, was the man who shares the championship record with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr., and who ranks seventh on the all-time wins list.

Normally Texas would represent the ideal place for Johnson to breakthrough, as before Sunday he had won five of the past nine races on the 1.5-mile oval. But the Texas track the No. 48 team regularly flexed its muscle on had vastly changed, having been resurfaced and reconfigured since hosting a playoff race last fall.

The differences upped the ante on what was already a difficult track. Four drivers were involved in separate accidents during opening practice on Friday. Even Johnson wasn’t immune. Later that same afternoon, he spun out after completing his qualifying lap, meaning he would have to start at the rear of the 40-car field.

Come Sunday, Johnson had no such problems. Despite a largely one-groove surface that made passing dicey, he deftly worked his way to the front. Others such as Ryan Blaney, who led a race-high 148 laps, and Kyle Larson, who twice charged from the back, may have been faster but it Johnson who was better when it mattered most.

He passed Joey Logano for the lead with 16 laps remaining and never looked back. It was the epitome of how Johnson and Knaus had won 81 races together — put yourself in position, execute flawlessly, let the competition try and keep pace.

“There’s a little bit of vintage 48 in that,” Knaus said. “It seems as though we have in times of turmoil and distress managed to get some pretty solid finishes with the 48 car, and I think that’s a true testament to Jimmie and his ability to not waver. Like, he doesn’t get spooked. He doesn’t get too crazy. He keeps his calm. He’s very calm in nature as we all know.

“We love a challenge. Sometimes we do it to ourselves, but, you know, starting last is not what we wanted to do, but it definitely showed up OK.”

The lone hiccup being Johnson’s fluid system stopped working early on, problematic on a day when the ambient temperature hovered in the mid-80s with the in-car temp significantly higher. Needing three bags of intravenous fluids post-race to combat the serious cramping he began experiencing in the waning lap as he chased down Logano was the only thing that didn’t go to plan.

“I was so happy the car was running good and we weren’t making mistakes, I kind of overlooked it all,” Johnson said. “I knew it was hot. I knew it was an aggressive race. I knew my heart rate was high, all those things. But I didn’t think I was in any trouble until I cramped and it was pretty close to the end of the race.”