“Hey, little girl, look what you’ve done. You’ve gone and stole my heart and made it your own.” Lyrics to singer Jack Johnson’s “My Little Girl” aren’t far from the truth if you’ve ever seen Jimmie Johnson (no relation) with his daughter, Genevieve. And while getting an elusive win at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn Sunday is on the to-do list for the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, nothing is sure to put a smile on his face more than celebrating Father’s Day as the proud dad of his favorite 2-year-old.
Dad certainly will have some work to do if he wants to have a family picture in victory lane after the Quicken Loans 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday. Michigan has been a bit of a thorn in the No. 48 team’s side. Fuel mileage has spoiled victory hopes on several occasions. The track also is one of only five on the circuit where Johnson has never celebrated one of his 57 victories. Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, Homestead-Miami Speedway and Kentucky Speedway in Sparta are the others.
Johnson arguably came closest to reaching Michigan’s victory lane in 2009. Johnson dominated the June race, leading 146 of 200 laps. He started third and was in position for the win when he stayed out while most of the other drivers pitted during a caution on lap 152. Fuel was a concern for the majority of the competitors, including Johnson. He restarted third and eventually caught leader Greg Biffle. Victory wasn’t to be, however, as Johnson ran out of gas after taking the white flag and finished 22nd.
It was nearly déjà vu that August as Johnson started fourth, led 133 laps and was in position to win late in the race. The team called in Johnson on lap 149 for four tires and fuel, but, despite saving gas under caution while leading, he wasn’t able to make it the final 51 laps, running out of fuel in the final two laps and finishing 33rd.
Fuel won’t be the only challenge at Michigan this weekend. With another track repaving project complete at the 2-mile oval, the Sprint Cup garage will work from new notes and lists throughout the weekend. There is one task on Johnson’s to-do list for Sunday, though, and that’s knocking the number of tracks where he hasn’t won down to four. If that happens, there’s sure to be a few hearts stolen if Johnson ends up in victory lane on Father’s Day with the little girl “who stole his heart and made it his own.”
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