Jimmie Johnson has a drama filled Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Jimmie Johnson practices Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 10, 2014 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Getty Images)
Jimmie Johnson practices Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 10, 2014 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Getty Images)
Jimmie Johnson practices Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 10, 2014 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Getty Images)

Six-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson had an eventful Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Johnson, who currently sits in 12th, the final Chase spot, has struggled the last few weeks. Last week at Kansas Speedway, Johnson spun in qualifying and was forced to start deep in the field.  His race went from bad to worse when on Sunday he was swept in a crash and ended the day in 40th.

Fast forward to Thursday at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Johnson’s fortunes seemed to have carried over from Kansas. He did advance from the first of the three knockout qualifying rounds but didn’t have the speed to advance to the final round and settled for a 21st starting spot for Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Bank of America 500. But even before the green flag falls Johnson’s woes continued. Friday during final practice Johnson’s Chevy got loose and scrapped the wall between turns 3 and 4 of the 1.5 mile track on the 63rd lap of the session.

“The good news is it’s just a big scratch on the side of the car,” Johnson said. MORE>>>

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.