Jimmy Johnson Run Quotations

Like I always say, it's not how many great plays you make; it's how few bad ones you make. I know fans, and even some losing coaches, are enamored with long pass completions or the great run plays, but that doesn't offset the interception or the fumble.

We've got a shot at a meteoric start to the season. I've always run pretty well at California and Las Vegas.

But the track is so big and so fast that the way you run fast and competitive is having the gas pedal down, and down as early as possible. So it's a tough place to save fuel.

We're on a great roll here with another 1.5-mile track coming up. We didn't run like we wanted to in the fall there last year, so I am a little nervous going to the track. But I believe we understand what took place last time. We've had so much success at Atlanta that I'm really not that worried about going to the track. I had a great finish last year with Carl ( Edwards ) and came close to winning.

I think that it's going to be like that, single-file. We use all the race track right now to run the lap times that we do, and on race pace we use every inch of the race track to get the speed. ... It was easier to run side-by-side because you didn't need that extra track. Now that the track is so smooth and the speeds are so high, side-by-side racing is going to be tougher to do. And we just won't see as much of it.

This was an amazing run and we had to start from the back,

It's the equivalent of hitting a home run in your first at-bat or throwing for a touchdown with your first pass. This race can instantly build momentum for your team.

The last couple of races, we haven't finished like we've wanted to, ... But we had a great run at Michigan and a strong run at Fontana. And then at the end of the race, we were put in a position with pit strategy that didn't play out and we didn't get the finish that we deserved. We've got the speed, but we're just a tick off.

I knew I needed to get a good, clean start. I also knew Ryan (Newman) was going to get a run on me and when he went to the top I stayed committed to the bottom. One of my friends from the off-road ranks Casey Mears was behind me and I knew I was in good shape.

I'm carrying a lot of momentum. Considering the circumstances, coming out of here in second (in the race) is a great run for the team.