There’s no mincing words. Jimmie Johnson is in dire peril of missing a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff berth for the first time in his career.
But first things first—before Johnson can think about qualifying for the postseason, his luck has to change.
Though no fault on the driver’s part, Johnson’s no. 48 Chevrolet sustained damaged when Austin Dillon blew a right front tire and hit the outside wall on lap 80. Eventual race winner Denny Hamlin also hit the side of Johnson’s car during the same incident.
Subsequent contact with Paul Menard’s Ford sent Johnson back to pit road for an unscheduled stop, costing him two laps. Ultimately, Johnson came home 19th, four laps off the pace, but it was a hard-fought 19th that could have been worse.
But Johnson finished race 26 points on the wrong side of Playoff eligibility, trailing Daniel Suarez by that number. He’s also 24 points back of Clint Bowyer, who currently holds the 17th spot in the standings.
The early accidents simply deprived Johnson of any chance to make a better run at Bristol.
“After the first incident, it was just too hard to make up ground after that,” Johnson said. “We just had so much damage. To come back 19th is respectable. The other part is that we had to get off strategy because we lost two laps. So the first two-thirds of the race, we were running old tires against the field a lot of the time trying to get laps back. It was just one of those nights.”
“Qualifying (30th) put us in that spot. A better qualifying effort would have had us in a much better position. I wouldn’t have been there when the 3 (Dillon) blew his tire, and life would be totally different.”
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.
- Biffle, Dorton, Sprague join NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2025 nominees for the first time - April 24, 2024
- NASCAR will experiment with different tire compounds for the first time at All-Star Race - April 23, 2024
- Legacy Motor Club reserve driver Corey Heim to sub for Erik Jones at Dover - April 23, 2024