Jimmie Johnson turning competitors' heads with insane workout regimen

When Jimmie Johnson set his record streak of five consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships from 2006-10, the joke used to be that he psyched his opponents out through Jedi mind tricks.

Now, he might be psyching them out with his impressive — some would say insane — workout routine.

Friday morning at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Johnson went on a 10-mile run.

And then between practice and qualifying, he and close biking buddy Matt Kenseth went on a 30-mile bicycle ride.

That got tongues wagging with Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards, who along with Team Penske’s Joey Logano will race Johnson for a championship on Sunday.

After qualifying Friday, Edwards was asked about a conversation he was observed having with Johnson.

“He (Johnson) went on a bike ride today, and I thought I saw him, and I just asked if that was him on his bike,” said Edwards. “That was really it. That was it, yeah.”

“He went for a run this morning, too,” said Busch.

“He did?” countered Edwards.

“Yeah,” said Busch.

When told by a reporter that Johnson ran 10 miles, Busch said, “You know how far I went? Ten feet.”

“An M&M for every mile,” retorted Edwards, himself a serious workout warrior. “I don't see how he does that. That's unbelievable.”

There’s no telling which of the four Chase drivers will prevail in Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead. But in a triathlon among the four, the smart money would be on Johnson.