Winning a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship takes a finely-tuned machine performing at peak performance. Week in and week out, Chad Knaus and the Lowe’s team put that machine under their driver with continued success.

For Jimmie Johnson, winning four-straight Championships not only means driving a finely-tuned machine; but also maintaining himself as his crew does his Chevy.

                “This year I have been more active with training and my diet,” said Johnson. “To see the gains you get from it all really makes a difference.

                “There are numbers I have to hit with protein and carbs every four hours. I fill the gap in between with veggies. I do well with it, but I certainly cut corners at time; being on the road that’s a good excuse.

                “It’s been fun to see the gains on the training side, especially when dealing with nutrition.

                “Earlier this year there was a period where we wanted to cut alcohol out for a month. We wanted to see the impact it had on my sleeping and the way my body responded to in with building muscle fibers, it was crazy to see the effects.”

                How many times, late in a 500-mile race, do we see Johnson’s car slicing through the field toward the front of the pack? Many times, it’s credited to a great strategy call by Knaus or the “perfect changes” to the car throughout the day. 

                No matter what the reason, the driver has to be ready to capitalize on it at the end of a long grueling day and Johnson’s healthy living puts him in good shape for that late race battle.

                So, establishing the Johnson eats very, very healthy he lists among his off-season plans to “eat plenty of good food.”

                “I enjoy trying different things,” said Johnson. “Different cultures, just checking stuff out like that. Good food, good wine, whatever it is and it happens at different places.

                “This summer we went to Italy with Max Papas. We had everything from a really nice dinner overlooking Lake Como to eating a great lunch his mom made at their house. We had some red wine by their pool at his house also.

                “So, it’s more about the experience, the people and the fun. Italy is probably my favorite place to go and all the food that Italy has.”

                So, with limited dining all year and splurging on fine dining in Italy; the question remains: the Championship is won what is the reward?

                “I think a pizza or cheeseburger would be awesome,” said the Champ.