Team Hendrick Motorsports Car/Make No. 48/Chevrolet Sponsor Lowe's Crew Chief Chad Knaus
STATS	2003	CAREER
Rank	2	2*
Wins	3	6
Top 5	14	20
Top 10	20	41
DNFs	3	7
Top Finish	1	1
*Indicates best career points finish

2003 recap
The good: Johnson enjoyed his best season ever in three years of full-time Cup competition, finishing just 90 points behind champion Matt Kenseth (and 117 points ahead of his closest challenger, Dale Earnhardt Jr.). Had it not been for the three DNFs Johnson recorded, he very possibly could have caught and overtaken Kenseth by season's end. Johnson has continued to improve every season and matured into an outstanding race car driver. He had several highlights this past season, including winning both races at Loudon, N.H. (as well as the exhausting Coca-Cola 600 in late May).

The bad: It's hard to find fault with a guy who did as well as Johnson did in 2003. With the exception of the three DNFs he recorded, there really was nothing negative to report from the No. 48 camp.

Key stat: Finishing each of the final six races of the season in either second or third place, allowing him to close from fifth- to second-place during that span, very nearly catching Kenseth. Another key stat: Johnson has not been out of the top-10 in the rankings since March 2002, a span of 69 races.

2004 outlook
What needs to be done: Nothing. Johnson and Chad Knaus make up perhaps the most successful young 1-2 driver/crew chief combination in Nextel Cup racing. This is a team that is without question a bonafide contender -- if not the downright favorite in the eyes of many -- for the 2004 title.

Key change: It's hard to try and fix something that is not broken, as is the case with Johnson and the No. 48 team. If anything, Johnson became a bit more confident and aggressive in 2003, and that change obviously showed in the final rankings.

Guarantee: Johnson will step out of teammate Jeff Gordon's shadow once and for all in 2004. And it's a pretty safe bet that the eventual season champion -- if it isn't Johnson or Gordon at the top of the heap by season's end -- will have to get through the No. 48 and No. 24 cars to reach that lofty plateau.

Prediction: Johnson will continue his streak of remaining in the top-10 rankings throughout the season, will win at least four races and could potentially start the season off with a bang with a win in the Daytona 500, where he finished third in 2003.

Did you know: Johnson started racing (on mini-motorcycles, no less) at 4 years old.

Your take
Will Jimmie Johnson become the Nextel Cup Series' first champion? Will he finally step out from behind Jeff Gordon's shadow and be more recognized for his own accomplishments, rather than being known as Gordon's hand-picked student or just another driver in the Hendrick Motorsports stable? Here are your thoughts on Johnson's prospects for 2004.