After the qualifying round, Jimmie Johnson is not locked into the Daytona 500 on speed and will have to race his way in during the Duels. This is not the spot Johnson wanted to be in as he begins his limited NASCAR season.
Toyota as a whole was not good in qualifying, they rarely are at Daytona. The Toyotas thrive in long runs at Daytona and will try to do the same this year. For Jimmie Johnson, it is going to be a battle in the Duels with JJ Yeley, Kaz Grala, and BJ McLeod.
David Ragan and Anthony Alfredo locked themselves into the Daytona 500 on qualifying speed.
Joey Logano will start on the pole and Michael McDowell is on the front row with him. Meanwhile, Jimmie will have to worry about tomorrow night.
When asked if he is nervous about the Duels, he admitted that he is.
“Of course. Much more nervous now,” Johnson said after qualifying, via Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports. “I thought we were going to be in a little bit better position than this, but it is what it is. We will go to work.”
Jimmie Johnson is the first Hall of Famer to race in the Cup Series after being inducted. He was part of the 2024 class with his former crew chief Chad Knaus. While he expected to make it in qualifying, he’s got his work cut out for himself.
Jimmie Johnson in unfamiliar territory
So, here is the thing, Jimmie Johnson isn’t used to this. I know he’s Seven-Time, but he is really going to have to earn his way into the race tomorrow. What that looks like, I’m not sure. He needs to finish ahead of the other open drivers and just have the best race he can have.
Erik Jones, Johnson’s driver-teammate, was the fastest Toyota on the night. That was good for 22nd overall. So, it’s clearly not a driver thing, more of a manufacturer trend. Still, that doesn’t make Johnson any more comfortable going into tomorrow.
Last year, Johnson made his way in on time. However, things are tougher this year. Anthony Alfredo had a fast Beard Motorsports No. 62. David Ragan is a great superspeedway driver and is with RFK Racing, so he’s got great equipment and the talent to go with it.
Jimmie Johnson has to go to work. He needs to keep his car clean, race well, and earn his way into the big show on Sunday. There’s only one goal right now, make the race. After that, anything can happen.
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