In each of the past four season-openers, Jimmie Johnson has begun his title defense with a stinker.

Weird, but true. And apparently, not at all season-threatening.

Johnson’s Daytona 500 clunkers haven’t seemed to phase him all that much.

In 2007, Johnson finished 39th in the 500. In 2008, he finished 27th. Last year, he was 31st. Now, once again, he finished outside the top 25, ending Sunday’s race 35th.

But Johnson’s early-season prescription has been Auto Club Speedway, where he has followed up a bad Daytona 500 with a top-10 finish — or better.

Johnson has finished in the top five in two of the past three February ACS races, and has been the class of the field at Fontana practically every race since 2007.

Jimmie Johnson
Auto Club Speedway Race Log (2007-09)

Date     Finish     Avg. Run Pos.     Fastest Laps Run     Laps T-15%     Led     Rating
2/07     3     7.4     24     92.8     31     118.2
9/07     1     4.2     40     96.4     84     135.5
2/08     2     2.4     30     99.6     76     134.9
8/08     1     1.2     133     100     228     150
2/09     9     3.4     38     100     74     121.3
10/09     1     2     82     100     126     148.5
Total     2.8     3.4     347     98.1     619     134.7

In the past six ACS races, Johnson has three wins, a Driver Rating of 134.7, an average running position of 3.4, 619 laps led and 347 fastest laps run. He has led at least 31 laps in every race since 2007.

Actually, in one race, dominance morphed into perfection.

In the summer race of 2008, Johnson scored a perfect Driver Rating of 150, posting an average running position of 1.2 and leading 228 of the 250 laps.

It was Johnson’s first perfect Driver Rating since the Loop Data statistic’s inception in 2005. He has since scored another one, at the Dover race in May 2009.
Auto Club Speedway
Single Race Bests (Driver Rating, Avg. Position, Fastest Laps)

Pos.     Driver     Date     Rating           Pos.     Driver     Date     ARP           Pos.     Driver     Date     FLR
1.     J. Johnson     8/08     150.0           1.     J. Johnson     8/08     1.2           1.     J. Johnson     8/08     133
2.     J. Johnson     10/09     148.5           2.     J. Johnson     10/09     2.0           2.     J. Johnson     10/09     82
3.     K. Kahne     9/06     144.1           3.     J. Gordon     2/09     2.3           3.     C. Edwards     2/08     72
4.     M. Kenseth     2/07     141.5           4.     J. Johnson     2/08     2.4           4.     G. Biffle     2/06     65
5.     Ky. Busch     09/07     136.8           5.     J. Montoya     10/09     2.5           5.     Dale Jr.     9/06     56

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