rpm.espn.com: Jimmie Johnson

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Thursday, January 9
Updated: January 13, 2:40 PM ET

Jimmie Johnson
By Jerry Bonkowski
ESPN.com

Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car/sponsor/make: No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet

Jimmie Johnson
Johnson

STATS

Year
Rank
Wins
Top 5
Top 10
Best finish

2002 5 3 6 21 1st, three times

Career 3 6 21 1st

2002 recap
The good: Johnson had one of the greatest seasons ever by a rookie, finishing fifth, just 200 points behind champion Tony Stewart. He was a title contender up until the last few races of the year. With three wins and 21 top-10s, Johnson displayed the cunning and consistency of a veteran, rarely letting his youth get the best of him.

Season highlight: Certainly, taking the pole at the season-opening Daytona 500 was outstanding. His first win (at Fontana in his native California in April) was probably the high point, but equally significant were his two other wins (both at Dover). He also earned five poles (tops among all drivers) and took the points lead for a week after the race at Kansas.

The bad: Johnson faded in the final weeks of the season, after appearing as if he just might steal the crown and become the first rookie champ. Johnson also lost the Rookie of the Year honors in a close battle with Ryan Newman, even though Johnson finished higher than Newman in the standings.

Season lowlight: After leaving Martinsville in October in second, just 82 points behind Stewart, Johnson struggled down the stretch. He recorded finishes of 22nd at Atlanta, 37th at Rockingham, N.C., and 15th at Phoenix. Those poor runs all but ended his title hopes.

Jimmie Johnson

Key stat: Johnson completed 98.3 percent of all laps.

2003 outlook
What needs to be done: Nothing. Johnson has all the tools and talent to take that next step and win the championship in 2003. The one thing he has to guard against, however, is the notorious sophomore jinx. One need only look at what happened to Kevin Harvick in 2002 to see just how fickle fate can be in NASCAR.

Prediction: If he can avoid the jinx, stay out of trouble on the track and learn from the few mistakes he made last season, Johnson has a legitimate chance at the championship. Even if he falls short, don't expect him to fall too far.

Your take
Here are your thoughts on Johnson's title hopes for the 2003 season.

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