Monday, March 2, 2015 | 2 a.m.
Jimmie Johnson greets fans as he is introduced before the start of the Daytona 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup series auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015.
Jimmie Johnson loves racing in Las Vegas.
And not just at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where the six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion will highlight the field March 8 in the Kobalt 400.
Johnson’s four wins are the most since NASCAR began making an annual stop at the speedway in 1998, but he also has raced buggies, trucks and dirt bikes at tracks in Las Vegas, Henderson and Boulder City.
His favorite memory: In the early 1990s, the El Cajon, Calif., native won his first race in the feature division of Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group Stadium Racing Series at Sam Boyd Stadium. He won three straight titles in the stadium motocross league.
He also raced in the Southern California Off-Road Experience series in the Nevada desert.
“For me, I have always had a soft spot in my heart for Las Vegas because the area has embraced racing,” Johnson said. “There has always been a lot of racing here with desert racing and the other stuff that goes on.”
Drivers spend a week in Las Vegas in fall, at the end of the season, for the Sprint Cup Series Awards. Johnson, the Sprint Cup champion from 2006 to 2010 and again in 2013, usually is one of the stars of the show.
“It’s a very challenging track,” Johnson said of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. “No joke, it kind of laughs at you. You go out and run a lap (and think), ‘Wow, I put a ton of effort in and you are the 15th-fastest. You have to pull your boots right and step up to run a lap there.”
Although Johnson is the winningest Sunday driver at the Las Vegas event, he’s only fourth on the prize money list behind Jeff Gordon, Jeff Burton and Matt Kenseth — drivers who either have more appearances, more consistent top 10 finishes or both.
But Johnson surely will be in contention again this year. He has eight top-10 finishes in 13 Las Vegas starts, winning three straight seasons from 2005 to 2007 and again in 2010.
The experience of navigating the track definitely gives him an edge.
“It is impossible to get the car good on both ends of the track,” Johnson said. “It is really a tough (course) because (turns) three and four sit in the sun and cook all day. As the sun shifts, the billboards in one and two bring a lot of shade. And there are usually some crazy winds blowing dirt on the track.”
Having spent a considerable amount of time in Las Vegas, Johnson has some favorite spots.
His favorite restaurant: “Il Mulino. Also, just ate at Joe’s — that doesn’t suck. And Nobu is always fun to hit.”
His favorite shows: “We’ve been to every Cirque du Soleil show. And I enjoyed the Garth Brooks show when he was here. That was good — so fun.”
Where his wife, Chandra, likes to shop: “I don’t know, but the credit cards are always smoking when she gets done. They have a lot here. They have every high-end, expensive thing you could want.”
TAKING THE CHECKERED FLAG
Jimmie Johnson’s four victories are the most at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race.
Three racers have multiple victories — Matt Kenseth with three wins, and Jeff Burton and Carl Edwards with two each.
The race has taken place annually since 1998.
Leading money winners in NASCAR Sprint Cup races at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Jeff Gordon...................$3,816,681
Jeff Burton....................$3,761,781
Matt Kenseth.................$3,030,355
Jimmie Johnson...........$2,989,972
Tony Stewart.................$2,724,988
History of the NASCAR Sprint Cup at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, in numbers
■ Fastest average speed: 154.633 mph in 2014
■ Slowest average speed: 119.982 mph in 2000 (rain-shortened)
■ Manufacturer with the most wins: Ford, with eight
■ Total number of drivers who have participated: 130
■ Most lead changes: 28 in 2007
■ Most caution laps: 66 in 2009, with 14 cautions
■ Youngest winner: Kyle Busch in 2009, at 23 years old
■ Oldest winner: Sterling Marlin in 2002, at 44 years old
■ Largest margin of victory: 9.104 seconds in 2003 when Matt Kenseth beat Dale Earnhardt Jr.
■ Smallest margin of victory: .045 seconds in 2006 when Jimmie Johnson beat Matt Kenseth
■ Career laps led leader: Matt Kenseth with 515
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