DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Long after a fireworks extravaganza lit up Daytona International Speedway and well after William Byron and his Hendrick Motorsports team ended their celebration in victory lane, Jimmie Johnson found a moment to reflect.
Johnson posted a photo on Instagram of his battered Chevrolet No. 48, which was stuck in an accident at the end of the race and retired from the finale of Saturday’s normal season in the playoffs. The twist of fate meant that his career in racing would end without an eighth championship in the record-breaking cup series.
“It’s 7,” he wrote. “I’m very proud of that in case you ask that question.”
Johnson ran near the front of the peloton at most of the night and was able to make it to the playoffs until Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano came into contact and started a multi-car scrum that reunited Johnson and nine others in combination with less than two laps for Vamos. Logano hit Bubba Wallace, who slid to the side and nearly destroyed Byron.
Logano tried to straighten out his car, but Matt DiBenedetto hit his rear bumper and made him lose forever. Johnson seemed to be able to escape the butcher shop, but Logano ran into Matt Kenseth, who made a right turn at the Johnson driver’s side door.
Johnson sat on the pit lane in his disorder mutilated a red flag and actually learned that the “end of the storybook” he was talking about the day before was gone.
“The last couple of months, we’ve been really getting our act together and running well,” Johnson said after finishing 17th and missing the final postseason berth by six points. “Definitely disappointed to not be in the playoffs. That was the No. 1 goal to start the year.”
Johnson would have been in the box of 16 cars if he hadn’t missed a run after a positive COVID-19 checkup and had taken a second place to Charlotte after failing to pass the post-race inspection.
He noticed setbacks after sadness at Daytona, a track he has won seven times in two decades. It also crashed 43 times on the historic site.
Johnson treated the latter with grace and dignity, no wonder given the way he treated his business under a bramable spotlight. He headed to victory lane to congratulate Byron and his team, adding team leader Chad Knaus. Johnson and Knaus combined for seven titles in all 48.
“I feel bad, ” said Knaus. “Let’s be honest, let’s not? Jimmie shouldn’t be in that position. Array… It hurts. I hate him for Jimmie. He’s one of my most productive friends. He’s the first guy to get here on the pit street and he looked up at me, turned on the engine, gave me a boost. It means the global for me. He’s a wonderful guy and one of my brothers.
“It hurts, but that’s what we do. We’re competing. We have to do what we have to do.”
Johnson will do the same in the sequence, seeking to end a winless streak that now extends to 120 runs. His last victory came here in June 2017. The draft led to Johnson’s breakup with Knaus and a new team leader, Cliff Daniels.
“Cliff Daniels and the guys on my team are doing everything they can for me,” Johnson said. “There are 10 races left, 10 trophies to pass and there we will have to concentrate our efforts.”
Regardless of how it develops, Johnson has already left an indelible mark on inventory car racing. He won five consecutive championships (2006-10), forcing other drivers and groups to catch up, and adding two more (2013, 16) years after the unprecedented race. He is a Member of the Hall of Fame in the first lap with a racing motorist who will be difficult to match, let alone at the top, for those who advance.
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