Wife puts brakes on Johnson’s all-car plans

Chandra Johnson has a knack for making hubby Jimmie Johnson forget he’s in a white-knuckle race to the finish in NASCAR’s Chase for the championship.

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She’s had plenty of practice during Jimmie’s four seasons of NASCAR’s playoffs.

In her latest plan of distraction, 'Channy’ whisked him off to Mexico to soak up some sun and cervezas following Jimmie’s victory Sunday in the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

And that slim, 30-point lead over teammate Jeff Gordon with two races to go, starting with this weekend’s Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway? Feeling the heat, Jimmie? No problemo.

“We’re having a good time just doing a lot of nothing,” Johnson told the Associated Press via cell phone while sunning near Acapulco on Monday.

And while they explored nearby towns and enjoyed casual lunches near the beach, the rest of the NASCAR world probed and dissected the tight Chase for the championship. It’s down to Jimmie and Jeff … what an exciting pass Johnson made on Matt Kenseth to win on Sunday … it’s a showdown in Phoenix, then for all the marbles in Homestead-Miami. …

Pressure, what pressure? Keep him busy, Channy theorizes, and let him explore new worlds, enjoy friends and family and there won’t be any time for him to worry about hitting his mark in Turn 2, busting the perfect qualifying lap or keeping Gordon in his rearview mirror.

“My wife is really amazing about planning this stuff and encouraging me to get out and do things,” Johnson told the AP. “It’s how I took up golf because last year she really started pushing me to take my mind off the racing once in awhile. In years past, I spent a lot of time just sitting around overthinking everything.”

During Johnson’s championship run last season, he admittedly was feeling the pressure. Heading into the Phoenix weekend, Channy made sure there were dinners planned with friends during their stay in the Valley.

They also spent their nights away from the track, just to get away from racing’s atmosphere.

Meanwhile, his chief rival has undertaken the same philosophy of getting away from it all the past couple of seasons.

Gordon zipped down to Mexico after last year’s Texas race and married model Ingrid Vandebosch.

This week the Gordons spent time celebrating their first wedding anniversary, though he was tight-lipped on their plans. But it didn’t involve talking pit stop strategy or thinking about car setup.

That comes today, when it’s back to the Chase for Gordon and Johnson.

The media interviews at PIR start at 8 a.m. for Johnson. The first Nextel Cup practice is at 11:30 a.m., followed by more interviews. Checker Auto Parts 500 qualifying starts at 3:40 p.m. and another round with the media.

And when the green flag waves on Sunday, those carefree days in Mexico will be the last thing on Johnson’s mind.

At least until Monday. And who knows what Channy has planned for Jimmie.

Checker Auto Parts 500

What: Ninth of 10 races in the Chase for the Nextel Cup

When: 1:30 p.m. Sunday

Where: Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale

TV: Ch. 15