Jimmie Johnson drives the #48 Lowe’s Throwback Chevrolet during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on September 3, 2017, in Darlington, South Carolina. Photo – Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

Given that Jimmie Johnson has once again endured his typical summer doldrums, there’s not much buzz about a record eighth championship for the driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

But Johnson is following a familiar pattern, one that was repeated during many of his seven championship seasons—win early, struggle in the summer months and triumph late. In fact, that’s what happened last year, when Johnson won his record-tying seventh title.

“I wish we knew why summers are so hard on us,” Johnson said. “Believe me, we sit down every winter and talk about how we can turn it around and avoid that summer slump. I think it shows how hard it is to stay on top. Most teams have lulls in a season, and we have been able to start well and end well. That’s served us well over the years.”

That, of course, is a colossal understatement. When the No. 48 team starts the playoff, the light goes on.

“There are probably seven or eight years that feel like this,” Johnson said. “It’s not just last year. We have some decent races in the summer, but more bad ones than good ones. If we look back at this summer, if I’m not leaking oil at Indy then I have a shot at winning and the conversation changes.

“At Bristol, we had a fantastic race going, and I got in the wall late in the race that took us out of an opportunity to win or finish in the top-three. But there are some moments where the conversation could have changed but haven’t. But I know those final ten races—at least nine of them—are amazing tracks for me. We always count on that.”