What sets the 48 team apart

One of the things that sets the 48 team apart from the rest is that they are never satisfied with where they are. Sure, they're happy every year after winning the championship...but they never become complacent. They're always hungry for more. I'm sure they wouldn't be completely satisfied unless they swept all the races in an entire season...but only if they win all the poles, too. Until that happens (unlikely), the competition will have to count on Jimmie and Chad's relentless drive to dominate, week in and week out. Sure, they can dream that Jimmie might become distracted with such things as the birth of Jimmie and Chandra's first child, Genevieve Marie. Perhaps Johnson will get less sleep, but hey, JJ has experience driving while tired! He once spent 20 hours waiting to be rescued from the bottom of a desert chasm after falling asleep at the wheel while doing 110 mph racing in the middle of the night.

At the beginning of every season, Jimmie Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus set goals for the upcoming campaign. More often than not, it seems that they meet their goals. This year, the duo has knocked off two perennial obstacles from their to-do list by winning at a couple of tracks that had always frustrated them previously: the high-banked, action-packed half mile bullring otherwise known as Bristol, and the scenic road course in the wine country of California, Infineon Raceway. Neither of these tracks are of particular strategic importance--the two Bristol races and the single Infineon Cup event all occur before the Chase--but they were still a priority for the 48 team to conquer.

And conquer them they did, by relentless focus and effort above and beyond the call of duty. After showing marked improvement at Bristol over the last few years, Jimmie finally piloted the Lowes racing machine into Victory Lane in March for his 50th career victory. In addition to his arduous Spring Cup racing demands, Johnson drove a few non-NASCAR events at road courses just to hone his driving ability in anticipation of turning right as well as left. The result? Domination en route to finally winning a road course Cup event while leading the most laps to boot.

This is what it takes to become a champion in any sport. Sure, you've got to have talent and top-notch equipment. But without fierce dedication and a willingness to do whatever it takes to succeed, it is impossible to stay at the top of the heap for long. Others have had runs of remarkable success--remember Kyle Busch's 8 wins in the first 22 races of 2008. But these lesser teams lack the focused drive and determination of the 48 team, which is why Jimmie and Chad are the best in the business.