Jimmie Johnson looking for unprecedented fifth win at Indy

 

Can the driver known as “Five-Time” become “Double Five-Time?”

Jimmie Johnson would like nothing better.

Johnson already has five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships to his credit. At Indianapolis Motor Speedway, site of Sunday’s Crown Royal presents the Samuel Deeds 400, he has won four of the last seven races, tying him for most victories at the Brickyard with the man who discovered him, Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon.

“A fifth would be incredible,” Johnson said Saturday morning before NASCAR Sprint Cup practice. “I can’t believe I have four of them right now. This track, for one, took me a while to sort out. I was able to get a feel for things and start setting up the car for the proper line and driver inputs around here. Then things just started clicking for us.

“And to do anything Jeff Gordon has done is huge. The guy is massive in our sport and had done so much… It’s been an amazing ride all along, but to tie what Jeff has done here at the speedway is just absolutely amazing.”

Johnson’s quest for a fifth Brickyard win suffered a brief hiccup during practice when his No. 48 Chevrolet scraped the wall in the short chute between Turns 3 and 4, but after the mishap, his team switched the car to qualifying trim and Johnson posted a lap in excess of 187.379 mph, fourth fastest in Saturday’s session.