Johnson: “Just frustration”

Third in Nascar Sprint Cup qualifying in Phoenix (behind Martin Truex Jr. and Kurt Busch), Jimmie Johnson is already back at the front. Driver Hendrick wants to quickly forget his time in Texas to get closer to a fourth consecutive title.

Published on 14/11/2009 à 09:20

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How did this qualifying session go?
" Not bad. I expected to find a little more grip but I was able to do a good lap. We were faster than the n°9 (Kahne), n°11 (Hamlin) and n°16 (Biffle) who were in front of us during practice. This is proof that we have progressed even though the track has changed. »

Do you have a spirit of revenge after your poor performance in Texas?
“The team is very united and gives its best every week. The events of last week caused us to lose a lot of points. But we don?t have the feeling of having done a bad job. We were only able to do three laps. We did the right thing, it's just frustration. We leave all that behind us to think about Sunday's race. »

You have lost 111 points but you remain at the top of the championship. Is this just a race to forget?
“Until last week, everything was going perfectly. Everything was very positive. After Talladega, where I really felt I had avoided the big one, we were in a favorable position. And then in Texas, we only did three laps. I got used to getting good results there. I hardly feel any disappointment, just frustration. We lost a lot of points but we didn't lack performance. This is a black spot in the Chase. We just lost 111 points. »