Johnson comments on lawyer Alan Miller

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE'S IMPALA SS, comments on the total acquittal of Alan Miller:

YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE TOTAL ACQUITTAL OF ALAN MILLER: "I am just happy for everyone involved. I know it has been extremely tough on all of them, I know more about Alan and what Alan and his family have been experiencing. This just so happy for them and hopefully they will take a nice long vacation and let that stress find its way out of his body because it has been very very difficult on all of them. A man with his status at his age to experience something like this, this late in his career, it has been really really tough on them and I am very very happy for him."

ARE YOU GOING TO TRY AND GET IN TOUCH WITH HIM SOME TIME THIS WEEKEND? "Yea, Chad (Knaus) and I left him a voicemail when we caught wind of it. Then I had a text message on my phone from him and I responded back "Hell, Yes".

"Just very very happy for him. He has taken care of me for a long, long time and has done an amazing job. I am glad that the judicial system was able work itself out and they were able to prove their case and work their way through it. I think everything went very very well."

YOU HAVE STUCK UP FOR HIS CHARACTER THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS AND WEREN'T SHY ABOUT DOING IT: "No, not at all. And again, I just know what I have dealt with. I am not familiar with Helio (Castroneves) situation. I was just asked to be a character witness and I was in and out and didn't really get a feel for what was going on during the trial. But what I know of that man, how he has taken care of me and been an advisor for me. He is a conduit for me and somebody I get advice from when I need help with insurance, or I need held on buying a motorhome or negotiating a contract, has really been the most important thing I use him for.

"In general, he helps me kind of build my team and is a big part of my team. He's always advised me with law in mind, utmost respect, integrity, all the things you would ever hope for. That is basically what I went down and said in court. Just happy that the jury and everybody involved was able to see that as well."

HOW LONG HAS HE REPRESENTED YOU? "I would say about 13 years now, it has been a long time. The first four or five years he never sent me a bill. So (LAUGHS), I had it going good for a while then I started making money and the bills came and I was like "damnit". (LAUGHS).

YOUR THOUGHT AS A DRIVER HOW TOUGH IT WILL BE FOR HELIO TO GO TO LONG BEACH AND GET IN THE CAR AND RACE? "I can only imagine what is going on in all of their minds about the potential jail time and what that would mean for careers and lifestyles. Wives and family and all of that. I would imagine the next three or four days for Helio is going to be there is going to be so many layers lifted off of him. One, he is on a plane going out there a free man and two, he is going to walk in to a garage area he hasn't been in and get back in his car. I am sure he is going to want to peel the sticker with the other guys name off the side of his car. This is mine, I am getting back in it. So, I can only imagine what he is going through and I am happy for all of them."

MAYBE BEING BACK IN A RACE CAR IS THE BEST THING: "Yes, it is good medicine. There is nothing better than being in the race car."

-credit: gm racing