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Champ Taking Challenge

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By HOLLY CAIN, Tribune correspondent

Published: January 25, 2008

When Alex Gurney heard Jimmie Johnson was interested in joining his team for this weekend's Rolex 24 at Daytona sports car classic, Gurney knew his car owner needed to sign up the NASCAR champ. Immediately.

Gurney, 33, was less sure of what to expect of all the hype that would accompany Johnson, the two-time defending Cup champion.

"Everywhere Jimmie walks, the photographers and fans surround him; the spotlight's always on," Gurney said of his fellow Californian. "But when he came for our first test, the first thing that jumped out is that he didn't show up with an entourage.

"It was refreshing. He instantly let his guard down, just sat down and everyone started talking. He fit in right away."

And that can't be discounted in this 24-hour grind around Daytona International Speedway's 3.56-mile road course, where success depends on team chemistry and experience as much as it does pure speed.

The GAINSCO-Bob Stallings' team, which also includes Gurney's Grand-Am Series co-driver Jon Fogarty and former Champ Car champion Jimmy Vasser, is one of a handful of diversely accomplished teams entered in this race, which has re-established itself as a must-stop for the very best.

As the best driver in the country's most popular brand of racing, Johnson's schedule is crammed with testing duties, sponsorship obligations and champion's responsibilities.

Yet, a week after collecting his $15 million NASCAR champion's paycheck in New York City, Johnson was in Daytona Beach taking turns behind the wheel of the No. 99 Pontiac Riley, soliciting driving tips and getting the feel of the sophisticated sports car.

He's adamant that this weekend, there's no other place he'd rather be and no other race more important to win. Why?

"I love the challenge," Johnson said. "I will have fun during the event, but this is a championship-winning team, a race-winning team and I'm here strictly to win.

"I watched Casey Mears, a great friend of mine, win this in 2006 and I was watching the event on television. I said, 'You know, I have finished second in this thing (2005) and I've got to work hard to find a ride that I can go down there and have a chance of winning with.' It's really a dream come true to come down, compete and be a favorite in the event."

The Rolex 24 is the sport's closest thing to an all-star race and the competition reflects as much with a very real subplot that pits genre against genre.

While NASCAR has a respectable history in this twice-around-the-clock contest with former Cup champions Terry Labonte, Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart among those who have competed here, it wasn't until 2006 that a fulltime NASCAR driver claimed an overall victory.

Winless in the Cup Series ranks, Mears was part of the winning Rolex 24 team driving for famed owner Chip Ganassi with Indy car regulars Scott Dixon and St. Petersburg resident Dan Wheldon.

That started a streak that has Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates' operation going for a historic third consecutive overall win this weekend.

One of Ganassi's Lexuses will be steered by a pair of Indy 500 winners, Juan Pablo Montoya and last year's Indy winner, Dario Franchitti, along with the Grand Am Series' all-time winningest driver, Scott Pruett. A second Ganassi Lexus will feature Dixon and Wheldon.

Gurney won the pole for last year's Rolex in convincing fashion only to be knocked out of contention on the very first lap by a slower GT-class car. Ironically, the eventual 46th place overall finish at Daytona was the worst of the season as the team rebounded with seven wins en route to the Daytona Prototype championship.

It's exactly the effort that attracted Johnson to the team. And vice versa.

"It's a good feeling for our team to be put in his spotlight," Gurney said. "and hopefully we can deliver."

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