FORT WORTH, Texas – Leave it to Jimmie Johnson to find the silver lining in a disastrous day on the race track.
After a promising start from ninth on the grid in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, Johnson’s fortunes headed south in a hurry. First there was a loose wheel that required an unscheduled pit stop, result in a lost lap.
The coup de grace came after restart on Lap 178, when Denny Hamlin’s Toyota broke loose underneath Aric Almirola’s Ford and ignited a seven-car wreck that knocked Johnson out of the race in 35th place and down to 21st in the series standings.
Nevertheless, Johnson was happy just to be able to run in the top 10 – while it lasted.
“A strong Friday, a fantastic Saturday (when he led final practice) and then not the best Sunday,” Johnson said philosophically. “We had a lot of different things work against us today, but we’re getting closer each and every week, and I’m really proud of everybody at Hendrick Motorsports. We will get back to our winning ways soon…
“Today we had plenty of speed, but just a lot of things worked against us. We just need a good clean weekend, and we’ll go to Bristol next week and see if we can do it there.”
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.
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