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12 Questions with Jimmie Johnson

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The 12 Questions series of interviews continues this week with seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports, who heads to Dover this week looking for a 12th win at the Monster Mile.

1. How much of your success is based on natural ability and how much has come from working at it?

I think the majority of it has come from working at it. When I look at my early years of being on motorcycles and early years of four wheels and so on, I’ve been a slow learner to a certain degree, and I really had to focus and work hard to polish up that last bit to make me a champion. So I’d say I put it at 50/50.

2. Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards and now Dale Earnhardt Jr. have all either retired in the last couple years or will retire soon. What’s your pitch for fans of theirs to become fans of yours?

If I haven’t won them over yet, I don’t think I’m going to. (Laughs) Just stay in the sport, stay a fan of somebody — and if you’re booing me, just boo louder; if you’re cheering for me, cheer louder.

3. What is the hardest part of your job away from the racetrack?

I would just say managing it all. It’s so tough to manage a personal life and professional life, and the kids are growing and have interests of their own. My wife has her own small business. So to balance it all really is the tough part as life goes on.

4. Let’s say a fan spots you eating dinner in a nice restaurant. Should they come over for an autograph or no?

Yeah, absolutely. If I’m eating, let me finish my food, that would be really nice — but after that, go for it.

As long as it’s not mid-bite, maybe?

Mid-bite is very awkward and makes for a bad photo. (Laughs)

5. What’s a story in NASCAR that doesn’t get enough coverage?

The unsung heroes behind the scenes. It’s something that we have a great privilege to experience working week-in and week-out. You might not know a person’s name, you know the team they’re on, the face, they’re always cheery, happy-go-lucky, there for you. There’s more of those unsung hero experiences I think than people would ever realize.

6. Who is the last driver you texted?

Matt Kenseth.

Bike-ride related?

Basically. So he decided to run a half marathon at the end of the year, and he wanted to run some miles this morning. I haven’t run in a long time, so I’m like, “Sure, I’ll go with you.”

So you’ve pretty much been biking instead of running recently?

Yes, and then I re-discovered my hatred for running this morning. It’s very effective and I was good at it at one point in time, if I can get back there, but cycling is definitely where it’s at for me.

7. Do you consider race car drivers to be entertainers?

By definition, yes — but by my own experience, no. I feel like what we do in the car is absolutely a form of entertainment, but as society has grown and as the spotlight has grown, I find that there is a great pressure to have a personality that fits the masses or do things that will help you in other ways outside of the car and entertaining people, being a big personality.

To me, I’ve always been a bit more on the quiet side, so certainly I’ve had my challenges with all that. But a guy like Clint Bowyer can come along and light up a room, light up an autograph session, whatever it might be, and then he gets in the car and wheels it, too.

8. What is your middle finger policy on the racetrack?

It’s changed a lot over the years. It’s been everything from, “Hey buddy, how are ya?” to what you intended it to mean. I’ve calmed way down with it, and I don’t know the last time I used it, to be quite honest.

Do you ever get it done to you?

Yeah, and as a guy who has passed them out, sometimes I laugh, sometimes I get mad, but I have run across a few who’ve been really upset with the middle finger over the years.

9. Some drivers keep a payback list in their minds. Do you also have a list for drivers who have done you a favor on the track?

Yeah, that stuff is in your mind. It usually comes back around in that particular race. And then if there’s enough consistency with working with one another on track, you’ll remember that and cut somebody a break.

10. Who is the most famous person you’ve had dinner with?

I’ve had lunch with President Obama. That’s a good one.

That’s tough to beat right there, a president.

That wasn’t bad at all.

Do you remember what you ate for lunch?

I don’t. We were in a small room, and I don’t think he technically sat down and ate with us, but he was there. So maybe that doesn’t qualify. But we were deep down inside the White House in some room stashed away in a corner with the team. That was really cool.

11. What’s something about yourself you’d like to improve?

There’s plenty of things to improve on. Generally speaking, I just find the older I get, managing emotions and being more patient has served me. Getting started, I had older mentors always tell me, “Be patient, be patient,” and it got under my skin and made me mad. But now as I’m in that role, I can see the benefits that come with it and I find myself preaching it to the young guys that are coming along now.

12. The last interview I did was with Scott Dixon.  His question was: What kind of underwear do you wear? Is it boxers, briefs or tighty-whities?

(Laughs) Thank you, Dix. Appreciate it, buddy.

It depends on the attire and time of day. Evening, going to bed, I’ll go with boxers. And then jeans and pants in general seem to be more slim-fitting these days, so the tighty-whities definitely come into play then.

This room just got really uncomfortable for me.

And me. (Laughs) Thanks, Dixon!

The next interview is with Chase Briscoe. Do you have a question I can ask him?

Let’s just keep the theme going. Boxers or briefs? (Laughs) Thank you, Scott!

Thanks to Dover International Speedway for sponsoring the 12 Questions over the last few months. If you haven’t bought tickets for this weekend’s race yet, please use my link so they won’t think they wasted money by advertising on my website. Here’s a link to buy tickets (and make sure to come say hi at the tweetup).

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Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers Preseason Power Rankings

Each week during this season of Survivor, I’ll be ranking the castaways in terms of best chance to win the game. The power rankings for Season 35 will be much more difficult at the start since there are no returning players. I don’t know anything about these people, so I’ve gone through all the bios on CBS.com to try and figure out who might have a good chance and who doesn’t.

Preseason Power Rankings: 

1. Ben (Heroes Tribe): I really like this guy’s potential. A former Marine who has dealt with all sorts of people and describes his game as a combination of Russell Hantz, Boston Rob and Joe. He describes himself as “hilarious” with a good social game. Maybe all of that will make him a threat, but it also might help him win.

2. Joe (Healers Tribe): He’s a probation officer but is on the Healers tribe instead of the Heroes. OK then. But anyway, cops have done well recently — Tony, Sarah Lacina, Bret — because they can relate to so many different kinds of people and also understand when others are lying. Joe has a fantastic chance of going very far in this game, based on what I see in his profile.

3. Mike (Healers Tribe): A superfan who has studied the game, Mike doesn’t appear to be much of a physical threat but calls himself “smart, strategic and social.” Those are traits of a Survivor winner, and if he can deliver, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Mike play a major role in this game.

4. Patrick (Hustlers Tribe): I really like what he is planning to do for his game. Patrick says he has endurance and outdoors skills to go along with being good at bonding with others and making friendships — but won’t look like enough of a physical threat to get voted off early. That could be a very good formula if it works.

5. Cole (Healers Tribe): He’s an outdoorsman who also describes himself as somewhat of a nerd like Spencer. However, this could be a boom or bust pick, because there’s a chance his personality could get annoying based on how he presents himself. If he’s able to get along with people and build an alliance, he could make it to the end.

6. Katrina (Heroes Tribe): The former Olympic swimmer says she’s great at convincing others to support her. She’ll need that skill if she’s going to become a winner based on being a “more outgoing, adventurous Denise.” If she’s able to bond with the physical threats, she’ll have a great shot to go far.

7. Chrissy (Heroes Tribe): It’s tough to tell why this 46-year-old actuary is on the Heroes tribe, but it might work in her favor. She’s traveled to every continent, has degrees from Penn and MIT and describes herself as similar to Tai — except a super competitive overachiever. If she’s as likable as she sounds, she might be able to bond with the other Heroes and make it far in the game or become the first boot from her group.

8. Roark (Healers Tribe): Her bio is pretty quirky and funny, and she seems like the type of person a lot of people would like and get along with. If that’s the case, I could see her playing a big role in a majority alliance. I’m not sure she can win the whole game, though.

9. Ryan (Hustlers Tribe): Most of this guy’s tribe seems to be sort of clueless — at least in their profiles — so I’ll give the benefit of the doubt to this superfan, who says he’s been wanting to play Survivor his entire life. He obviously knows strategy and social game, but he’ll need both of those to make it far since he doesn’t appear to be a physical threat. Also, he compares himself to Todd from Survivor: China — and I don’t even think I remember Todd.

10. JP (Heroes Tribe): This firefighter from Los Angeles compares his game to Jay (from two seasons ago). I don’t see a lot of strategy talk in his bio, and combined with being a physical threat, he might be a candidate to make the merge and then get booted.

11. Ashley (Heroes Tribe): Maybe I’m reaching here, but this lifeguard’s bio comes across as sort of cocky. She describes herself as “impressive,” claims her body can endure more than the average human and says “I am a winner” when comparing herself to Richard Hatch. If she’s going to make it far, she’ll have to tone down that attitude and show some humility on the island.

12. Alan (Heroes Tribe): In his bio, the former NFL player says his gameplay won’t resemble anyone who has come before him. That’s not a good thing, since it’s actually pretty smart to model yourself after those who have been successful before. That statement, in addition to his obvious presence as a physical threat, leads me to believe he can stick around for awhile but won’t come close to making it to the end.

13. Jessica (Healers Tribe): She says she could win a Miss Congeniality award on Survivor if there was such a thing, which is good. But her bio sounds like she’ll be likable and not necessarily strategic — which is a good recipe for making the merge but then failing to move further once it really gets down to game time.

14. Desi (Healers Tribe): After boasting about all her attributes, she concludes her profile by saying she’s “nearly unbeatable.” Groan. How often does the eventual winner of Survivor think that highly of themselves? I would guess that’s not a good sign. She also says she has no problem calling people out when necessary. Good luck with that on the island.

15. Devon (Hustlers Tribe): Though he compares himself to Ozzy and Malcom, this surfer dude seems to be planning on relying on his physical nature too much. In his bio, Devon says “every single immunity challenge is mine.” I hope he’s likable, because if not, he’ll be targeted as soon as people feel safe enough to start going after physical threats.

16. Ali (Hustlers Tribe): This celebrity assistant says she will be a “competition beast” but comes off as a very go-getter, Type A personality. I worry that may result in being one of the people who doesn’t make it to the merge, should that prove to be a turnoff to her tribemates.

17. Lauren (Hustlers Tribe): Geez, this Hustlers tribe is a mess. I like that she’s a fisherman, which is obviously a good trait to have on Survivor and might help her stick around for awhile. But her bio gives no sign she’s a fan of the game, which means she might get eaten alive when it comes to strategy. I don’t see her being able to win in the end.

18. Simone (Hustlers Tribe): Unless she’s joking, I don’t really like much of what she has to say in her bio. She compares herself to judging people like Michaela, says one reason she’ll win is because she has “good luck” and says one of her hobbies is “complaining.” Maybe that’s all just part of her sense of humor, but if not? She might be the first one out.

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A difficult day to be in NASCAR

I feel a deep sense of hurt, anger and sadness this morning after seeing NASCAR’s name get associated with intolerance.

NASCAR is the most American sport. There are patriotic shows of support for the military at the track, thank-yous to soldiers through a variety of VIP access and weekly honoring of families who have lost loved ones during battle.

But many NASCAR fans seem to overlook a very important part of being an American: The right to free speech and peaceful protest.

Some of the very same people who insist on their right to display the Confederate flag at NASCAR races are outraged over someone else’s right to kneel down during the national anthem as a form of protest.

Whether you agree with either one of these things or would participate in either, they are both free speech.

So when Richard Childress and Richard Petty told reporters Sunday they would fire anyone on their teams who took part in a very American form of protest, it opened the floodgates for an avalanche of shit to rumble down the mountain and cover everyone associated with the sport.

What’s left of our little sanctuary away from politics and social issues is now shattered, if it wasn’t mostly destroyed already. While it would be nice to stick to sports, that becomes impossible once the president starts tweeting about NASCAR as a political prop.

NASCAR has made a tremendous mistake by failing to make a statement on its stance. Instead, two old-guard owners expressed their opinion and spoke for the entire sport.

Though many drivers, crewmen, media members and fans who work in NASCAR were likely thrilled at the team owners’ comments, not everyone shares that opinion. All those associated with NASCAR today are being stereotyped, and it sucks.

Many patriotic people in NASCAR believe in the right to a peaceful protest. It’s part of being an American and should be celebrated, not punished.

Would I kneel during the national anthem? No, because I have always associated it with a soldier killed in action — Sgt. Bryan Brewster — who was the son of my former editor. His name flashes through my mind every time the anthem plays, so I want to respect his memory.

But when soldiers fight for the United States, they are protecting our way of life — which includes the right to express a viewpoint. Those who take a knee are not hurting anyone — they’re not obstructing traffic with a protest, clashing with police in riot gear or fighting counter-protesters — so they should be allowed to do what they want without fear of losing their jobs.

That’s the beauty of living in this country! We have that freedom and that right. That right should be celebrated, even if you don’t agree with their actions. I personally haven’t experienced the kind of social injustice many black people face on a daily basis, so I can’t judge anyone.

But unfortunately, being associated with NASCAR today means my perceived viewpoint has already been determined by others. People who hear that I work in NASCAR will presume I feel the same way as Richard Petty, and that bothers me tremendously. It’s embarrassing, and I wish NASCAR itself would loudly state it supports the right to peaceful protest in whatever way people choose.

During these most turbulent times for the country, we have to come together, show that we tolerate other viewpoints, find common ground and celebrate our differences at the same time.

The ranks of NASCAR fans have dwindled over the last decade, so let’s not shut more people out. Let’s try to make NASCAR a place where all are welcome. But that has to be done through a conscious effort to embrace people who don’t think the same as us.

If that doesn’t happen, NASCAR will just end up as its own island. Should that be the case, the sport’s future is grim.

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The Top Five: Breaking down the New Hampshire race

Five thoughts from Sunday’s playoff race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway…

1. The heavyweight contenders

Many of the races this season turned into a battle between Martin Truex Jr. — the dominant car of 2017 — and Kyle Busch, his Toyota teammate who has plenty of speed but perhaps not quite as much as the 78.

That was the case again on Sunday at New Hampshire. Truex and Busch combined to lead all but one lap (!!!) of a 300-lap event (Kyle Larson led the other one during pit stops in the break between Stages 1 and 2).

And although it looked like Truex might end up dominating had he not been caught up in the Lap 150 pileup, Busch happily said his team made gains on its chief rival for the championship.

“Today was a good catch‑up moment for us,” Busch said. “Obviously they’ve been so fast all year long. … But it was going to come down to that again and who was going to be in the lead, who was going to have the opportunity on restarts and whatnot to control the field.”

Many fans insist they are sick of Toyotas, which is bad news for them, because this domination doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon. The four Toyota drivers in the playoffs are all in the top six in points, and only Kyle Larson has shown he can consistently challenge them.

So Busch vs. Truex is the battle to watch for now, and it’s actually pretty interesting. For example: Busch gained five playoff points on Truex during Sunday’s race, which puts Truex at 59 and Busch at 36.

That’s only a 23-point difference. So if the third round comes around and it has three different winners with one spot available on points to advance to Homestead, that could be determined by a Truex vs. Busch battle. And 23 points between them isn’t even a half-race.

Everyone seems to treat Truex in the finale as a given — and it’s highly likely — but it’s not going to be a cakewalk if he has to deal with Busch in a points race.

2. Finally, some points drama!

It’s been awhile since anyone had to worry about the points picture going into an elimination race — after all, points were not a factor at Richmond this year — which means Dover next week will be a welcome sight.

Austin Dillon and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. are tied for the last spot (the tiebreaker is best finish in the round) after Stenhouse and his team had a gutsy comeback after struggling all day.

Stenhouse, one of many drivers looking completely wiped after an unseasonably hot and humid day, said he “felt like we were in a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather all week.”

“We just couldn’t find speed, couldn’t find the handle on the car,” he said.

But after making up a few spots late in the race — thanks to consecutive cautions that put him back on the lead lap — Stenhouse gained valuable points that could put him in a showdown with Dillon and Ryan Newman (who is one point behind both drivers).

“It makes you feel good,” Stenhouse said. “We needed to make up a little bit and made up a little bit at a track that I didn’t think we were great at all weekend.”

As for Dillon, he was also optimistic about Dover after surviving Sunday with a 19th-place finish.

“Just have a good run like we did last year,” he said. “Go run in the top five and we’ll probably make it.”

Dillon also avoided what could have been a playoff-ending incident for himself when he made contact with Kevin Harvick to trigger a multi-car wreck at lap 150.

“He kept coming left, and I was in the gas,” Dillon told me after the race. “He bobbled and I hit him, and it was over. When he got loose, I connected and it hit him. I barely tapped him. I lifted after, but nothing I can do at that point. Hate it for him and hate it for (Kurt Busch).”

Busch, collected in the wreck when he rammed Harvick, is 15th in points — but too far back (-17) to hope anything but a win will get him in. Same with Kasey Kahne (-21), who said he hadn’t seen the points but wasn’t surprised to hear he was in 16th after a broken track bar.

“It’d be pretty tough” to make it now, Kahne said.

3. Hands off!

Thanks a lot, 24 team.

That’s probably what the rest of the playoff crews were thinking after NASCAR made them stand away from the cars for at least five minutes after the race — a new policy in reaction to Chase Elliott’s crewmen being caught on video removing tape from the spoiler last week.

Inspectors appeared to take a much closer initial look at some of the playoff cars than typically happens immediately after the race. At most races the last couple years — since NASCAR began stopping all cars on pit road instead of having them go back to the garage — crewmen go over the wall and approach the cars as soon as they pull to a stop.

But NASCAR obviously felt that might be an opportunity to mess with something before post-race inspection — the 24 team proved that — so now that won’t be happening for the near future.

If it was annoying for the pit crews, though, it was also irritating for the media. The cars were parked against the pit wall and no one —reporters, crewmen or public relations representatives — could go past the halfway point of pit road. Many drivers simply got out of their cars, saw no one was waiting to talk to them, and walked away.

Hopefully, NASCAR can figure out a solution to wrangle the playoff drivers for at least a moment before they disappear into the crowd. Otherwise, the sport might miss out on some much-needed emotion after one of these upcoming races; if there was a confrontation between drivers on Sunday, we likely would have missed it.

4. Goodbye, Loudon

The final New Hampshire fall race was fairly typical of most other New Hampshire races in memory. And that’s not really a compliment.

This is a great area with wonderful people who are true, passionate race fans, and they have a fantastic track for some cars.

But those cars don’t include the Cup Series, which has long struggled to put on a decent show here.

“It always lends to exciting moments; we had one today,” Kyle Busch said. “Sometimes the racing, though, is a little strung out with this place being so hard to pass.”

Busch called it “frustrating to race here sometimes” and explained in detail why that’s the case, if you want to dive in:

“It’s just not lending itself to being able to be right on top of or right close to the guy in front of you, because you just get so tight when you’re behind that guy. And you build air pressure in the front tires and you slow down and that guy drives away from you, and then you kind of accordion back to the next guy, he’s catching you thinking he’s going to pass you and then he gets tight, and it kind of goes back to the next guy.”

Look, it’s not like the Las Vegas race — New Hampshire’s replacement — is going to be that much more compelling. But it gives NASCAR a chance to open the playoffs in a high-profile market and then keep a short track (Richmond) as the second race, all while keeping an event at Loudon in July. So with apologies to the locals who love this place, that’s not the worst development.

5. Common sense solutions

Let’s talk about the NASCAR dunce cap penalty for a second.

Until the race — and until Richard Petty and Richard Childress got a bunch of national attention for saying they’d fire employees who kneeled for the anthem (just the publicity NASCAR needs!) — the biggest story of the weekend was Joey Logano serving a penalty on pit road for the entire final practice session.

It’s silly that it got so much attention, but it’s what fans were most interested in (I can see the numbers). So the media reported it and Dale Earnhardt Jr. reacted to it and it became a thing.

Yes, other drivers have served longer penalties under this policy (up to 60 minutes, where Logano’s penalty was 50), but those were in practices where they eventually got on the track for some laps.

That’s why Logano’s punishment seemed so wacky: He sat in the car on pit road for the entire practice session and never got on track.

When odd things happen in this sport, it often seems to catch NASCAR by surprise. After all, they are tasked with enforcing the rules and put in a very difficult position by teams trying to push the limit in every little area — and so officials are viewing it as doing their jobs.

So I feel bad for NASCAR in that sense, because what should be justice ends up ricocheting back at them and turns into a pie in the face. But the penalties they come up with could use a little work in the public eye.

If NASCAR wants to have a team miss practice, just make the team park the car in the garage and put a cover on it so crew members can’t work on it. But don’t make the driver sit in there — that comes across like they’re shaming a troublemaking child.

Or maybe NASCAR can increase the punishment by doing things like making a team serve its penalty at the end of Stage 1 — which would impact the race itself.

NASCAR’s heart is in the right place, because it has to keep teams in line. But maybe there’s a better way to do that.

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DraftKings Fantasy NASCAR picks: New Hampshire

I’m playing DraftKings this season and will be posting my picks here each week. Disclosure: If you want to play and sign up using this link, DraftKings will give my website a commission.

Last race’s results: Played $4 Brake Pad contest. Finished 185th of 1,200. Won $8.

Season results: $88 wagered, $103 won in 22 contests.

This week’s contest: $1 Happy Hour contest.

New Hampshire picks:

— Kyle Busch ($10,700): I’m pretty much in the habit of picking the polesitter every week now. It seems like the polesitter drives off and leads a large chunk of laps — sometimes the entire first stage — which will really add up with the amount of laps available at New Hampshire.

— Joey Logano ($8,700): Expensive pick, but he starts last and will gain you a lot of points as he works his way up through the field. Even if he finishes 15th, that’s a lot of points from position differential.

— Ryan Blaney ($8,000): Though his starting position is too high (fourth), there’s a chance he could lead a chunk of laps. He had the fastest 10-lap average in final practice — which was closest to race conditions — and has shown good speed all weekend.

— Erik Jones ($7,800): Toyotas still seem fast every week, so I like to try and get them into the lineup however possible. Jones was the second-fastest non-playoff driver in 10-lap averages for final practice (12th overall); his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Daniel Suarez was the other one (sixth overall). So I picked both.

— Daniel Suarez ($7,500): See above.

— Austin Dillon ($7,000): I only had $7,300 left, so it was a tough choice here. I would have loved to pick Kasey Kahne ($7,400), since it seems like he is having a good weekend — but I was $100 short. So it was tempting to go with Ryan Newman ($7,200), since he’s had a lot of success at a track where he also runs the Modified race. But Dillon has seemed to have speed lately and was 19th in 10-lap average for final practice, so perhaps he can provide decent value here.

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Joey Logano forced to sit in virtual penalty box at New Hampshire

At one point, as Joey Logano served a full-practice penalty in his car on pit road, his pregnant wife Brittany approached the car.

She leaned over the pit wall and put her hand up to the window net, which was within reach. Her husband did the same from inside the car.

“She was laughing (and said it) was like I was in jail, you know?” the driver said afterward. “I said, ‘It’s kind of like that, actually.'”

Logano said he had “time for a lot of thoughts in there” during his 50-minute penalty for failing pre-qualifying inspection four times on Friday — “mainly that it’s a total joke.”

NASCAR requires drivers serve their “practice hold” penalty in the car on pit road, buckled into the car with full safety equipment — and several other drivers had 15- or 30-minute punishments on Saturday.

But a driver had never missed the entirety of final practice before this. It made it look like Logano was serving a time out with a virtual dunce cap on his head as the other cars drove by.

And maybe that’s the point. NASCAR has ratcheted up the penalties as teams continue to mess around in inspection and not present their cars that are within the rules from the start.

But this penalty in particular seemed absurd because it wasn’t just a chunk of practice — it was all of it. So Logano just sat there and never turned a lap.

“I just think it makes the sport look dumb,” Logano said. “It’s kind of a joke. I don’t get it, personally. I think we can accomplish the same thing in a more professional manner.”

Logano said he understood the reason for a penalty, but said there was “no reason to sit out there.”

“Keep us in (the garage) or something,” he said.

He laughed.

“But coming from the guy who just sat in the car for an hour, sweating, it might not be the best thing to say,” he said.

Logano said he wasn’t too uncomfortable in the car — he ran his helmet fan and had several bottles of water — but wished he could have done something more productive with his time.

“I would have signed autographs or something,” he said of the fans milling near pit road. “I had nothing better to do. I was looking to get something out of it.”

But Kurt Culbert, NASCAR managing director of integrated marketing and communications, tweeted the penalty was fitting of the infraction.