Jimmie Johnson is at the win-or-else stage of his playoff push as he hits his favorite track.
Johnson has a record 11 Cup Series victories at Dover International Speedway, a staggering total that started in 2002 and stretched to June 2017 – a win that has stood for three-plus years as his most recent in NASCAR.
With Dover Motorsports Inc. moving one of its two scheduled NASCAR race weekends to Nashville Superspeedway next season – DMI owns the Tennessee track as well – Johnson’s mark seems unbreakable. But the seven-time Cup Series champion’s farewell season could end in tatters if he’s racing out the string with nothing at stake and no fans roaring from the stands.
“I never wanted to have a winless drought or have a winless season,” Johnson said Friday. “But I’ve worked through so many of those emotions over the last couple of years and also understand that there are factors that I can’t control that have affected my performance.”
Win at least one of the two Cup Series races this weekend at the Delaware track – NASCAR’s top circuit will run both Friday and Saturday, one of the innovations made to the schedule amid the coronavirus pandemic – and he’s in the postseason.