CRANDALL: The Johnson family balancing act

Just as he's mastered the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series circuit, Jimmie Johnson has also found the right balance at home.

Johnson might be a seven-time champion with 80 career wins, but his Twitter bio keeps things in perspective. It reads, "2-time dad. Husband. Racer."

Married to former model Chandra Janway since 2004, Johnson has since become a father to two girls, Genevieve, 7, and Lydia, 3. An active user of social media, Johnson frequently shares his life away from racing, like pictures of family adventures or quips about life as a dad.

This offseason the Johnsons spent quite a bit of time in Aspen, Colo., where they have a home. An abundance of posts about skiing dominated his social media channels. Whether it's spending time in Aspen or going elsewhere, Johnson says his family enjoys travel and exploring during a small media roundtable over the weekend at Daytona International Speedway.

"We're just living," Johnson said. "I've always felt – and thankfully Chani's in the same boat – if we don't get out and live, it's hard to maintain balance in life, and this job requires so much. We've realized the offseason won't cover that. We need breaks throughout (the season). We need other experiences along the way between races and Aspen is just an extension of that."

Johnson's family is just as visible when at the track.

The familiarity with girlfriends, wives, and children on pit road has increased in recent years. Some – like Carl Edwards – have kept their families away from the cameras. But it quickly became commonplace to see Chandra, Genevieve, and Lydia wherever Jimmie was. It's something he wouldn't have any other way, as Johnson is not a driver who might look at race weekend as a chance to escape home.

"It's been a transition for me to not have them around," Johnson said. "When Genevieve was born, they didn't miss a race. We traveled everywhere together, and then Lydia came along and anything woke her up – noise would. Obviously, we're in a noisy environment."

Bands, fireworks, even change in tone during the race (like a caution after a long green-flag run), affected Johnson's youngest daughter. It resulted in the family being more strategic in flying into that weekend's venue just for race day.

"I'm only good for a couple of days away from them; it's hard to not be with them and around them," Johnson admitted. "The fitness (program) has really gotten me out of the motorhome because it's easy to sit here and not do anything. (Saturday) we got up and left the motorhome lot at 6:45 a.m. with a group of guys and went for a bike ride down to the beach and back.

"Finding other ways to fill that void and clear my head, have a little peace of mind, is good for me."

With Johnson's continued success, the more memorable a victory lane it makes. In 2010, after capturing his fifth consecutive championship, Genevieve – just a few months old – was front and center with her mom and dad in the celebration. One day, Johnson said at the time, the family would be able to look back on it and have those pictures.

Lydia is in that position now. But while she's too young to grasp what is happening around her, Genevieve has become a pro at pre-race ceremonies and capturing confetti in victory lane. While they get a kick out of watching Genevieve soak all the experiences in, it's also brought the Johnsons to an interesting parenting position.

"(Genevieve) asked me what 'famous' meant, because at school the kids are saying your dad's famous," Johnson laughed. "I'm like, 'How do you answer that question?' I certainly never grew up this way. To go overseas she's been on a commercial flight, but she's only ever been on team planes and our plane. I think about that and I'm like, wow, bizarre.

"She's starting to get it – there's some challenges there, and we want to be able to parent correctly and handle all that right. Lydia's too young, and she's like a charger, anyway. As Chani calls her, she's a force."

Somehow, you feel sure the Johnsons will have no problem working it out.