When Jimmie Johnson addressed Tony Stewart’s unexpected dry spell: "I expect him to win all the time"

Tony Stewart entered the 2007 NASCAR season as one of the most dominant drivers in the Cup Series, having won the Championship in 2005. However, he found himself winless as the campaign reached its midpoint. This dry spell was surprising even for his competitors, such as Jimmie Johnson, who was surprised by Stewart’s struggles.

Tony Stewart drove the No. 20 Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs Racing at the time and dominated in multiple races. He led the most laps in races like Atlanta (121), Bristol (257), Phoenix (132) and Charlotte (55). However, mechanical failures and untimely accidents repeatedly derailed his path to victory.

Speaking ahead of the 18th race of the year, the Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway, Jimmie Johnson expressed his surprise at Stewart’s winless streak in an interview to Jenna Fryer.

"I didn’t realize he hasn’t won. I guess I expect him to win all the time....They always have the magic setup here for the hot summer July races. So I think he's the favorite going in and you might see him climbing that fence again and do a stage dive into the fans," Johnson said to South Coast Today.

Stewart had usually been dominant at Daytona, winning the Pepsi 400 in 2005 and 2006. Another win in 2007 would have made him only the second driver, alongside David Pearson, to win three consecutive races. Given his track record, it was no surprise that Johnson still saw Stewart as the favorite.

"It's (No. 20 Chevrolet) already a proven winner at Daytona. It does give me confidence. We feel that our cars are better at Daytona in July than they actually are in February because the track is so much hotter and slicker. We seem to be able to find a balance that our car really likes. We have a lot of confidence that we can go back and win again" Tony Stewart said.

The Pepsi 400 did not go as planned for Stewart as an early crash took him out of contention. He started the race in 6th position but struggled throughout and an early crash led to his early retirement from the race. Jamie McMurray of Roush Fenway Racing won the race 0.005 seconds ahead of Kyle Busch which was the closest win at Daytona.

Tony Stewart breaks his biggest slump since 1999 after winning at Chicagoland

Stewart finally broke his winless streak at the next race in USG Sheetrock 400, which took place at the Chicagoland Speedway. He led 108 laps in the race and secured his 30th career win in the NEXTEL Cup Series. Just two weeks later, he also won at his home track, the Brickyard 400, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Stewart’s season turnaround didn't stop there as on August 12, 2007, he captured his third win of the year at Watkins Glen, overtaking Jeff Gordon who spun out with two laps to go. Looking back, Stewart’s struggles early in 2007 only made his midseason resurgence more remarkable.

While Tony Stewart’s early-season struggles were unexpected, Jimmie Johnson’s faith in his ability proved to be well-founded.