At the end of the day Sunday at Pocono Raceway, it could have been a lot worse for five time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson. After dominating the race at Pocono in June, leading 128 of the 160 laps in route to victory, Johnson started Sunday’s race from pole and led twice for 43 laps prior to the halfway point.
On lap 74 though, it all came apart literally. Just after retaking the point, Johnson lost the right front tire on his Hendrick Motorsports Chevy. The car slammed into the wall and while Johnson was able to continue his hopes for a win were gone. He was able to make it to the pits and the crew was able to get Johnson back out without losing a lap. Johnson later said he had no warning the tire was going.
“It just exploded. So, I’m not really sure what caused it,” Johnson said. “But late off of Turn 1 it just exploded and that was it.” MORE>>>
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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