Johnson tests Vegas, ready to compete

LAS VEGAS (Jan. 29, 2008) - Reigning and two-time series champion Jimmie Johnson, who’s won the last three NASCAR Sprint Cup events at Las Vegas, joined his Hendrick Motorsports teammates in testing the desert race track Monday and Tuesday. Johnson tested his No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet Impala SS, formerly known as the "Car of Tomorrow," and registered his optimism over the new car’s performance. “It's got less downforce and all these things that make it harder to drive,” Johnson said. “But we still end up with the same race. Martinsville was still an awesome race. Dover was the same. Talladega was awesome. You get back to that same thing. It's still a race car on that track, and we're still seeing that same stuff here.” And although he knows he and his race team are the target among their peers, he’s not worried about pressure to produce a third consecutive series title. “I don't feel it any more than I would in any year,” Johnson said. “I think when you drive for Hendrick Motorsports, Rick (Hendrick) has a history of setting a high mark. The company has a lot of expectations of its drivers, its crew chiefs. There's a lot expected of us. I feel more pressure from that environment than any outside environment.”