Johnson doesn’t mind being a target

Even though he’s the reigning Sprint Cup champion, Brad Keselowski gets a special thrill beating five-time champ Jimmie Johnson at anything.

Johnson doesn’t mind being viewed as the standard that others seek to top. He considers it a sign of respect.

“I’m well aware that with the success that I’ve had over the last eight or 10 years that there’s a lot of bull’s eyes on me,” Johnson said, then followed with a quip. “I’m kind of afraid to sleep at night sometimes.

“I know those guys are all gunning for me, and that’s a huge honor, it really is, to have the garage and then the reigning champion thinking that way about me.”