One seven-time champion will fill in for another. Jimmie Johnson is taking over Grand Marshal duties for Richard Petty who had to leave Kansas. Petty is joining his son Kyle’s charity ride. The NASCAR race at Kansas was delayed due to rain.
Since Richard Petty had to go meet with Kyle Petty for the charity ride, Jimmie Johnson will give drivers the command to start their engines. NASCAR is waiting for the rain to go away and then they will have to dry the track for about an hour to get it into race condition.
Legacy Motor Club put out a statement via Kansas Speedway.
“Richard Petty is scheduled to join the Kyle Petty Charity Ride and the logistics to get him to meet up with the ride could not be altered. Stepping in for Richard to give the command for the AdventHealth 400 will be the driver of the No. 84 AdventHealth Toyota Camry – Jimmie Johnson.”
Jimmie Johnson qualified inside of the top 20 for the first time since the year 2020. He is hoping that slowly, he is learning the Next Gen car. He has nine races on his schedule. At least he seems to be slowly building confidence in the car.
I love it when the driver has to give the command. Because who starts his car? I know a team member will be there to assist, it’s just funny to think about. Johnson will likely give the command late tonight.
Rain keeps falling at the track, but there is hope in the near future. The bad weather should let up soon enough. From there, the jet driers will need just an hour or so to dry the track and get everything ready for the race.
Jimmie Johnson hoping for best Next Gen finish
In his limited starts in the Next Gen car, Jimmie Johnson has not been good. The seven-time champion is a far cry from his level of performance from 2020, let alone 2016 or before. In his six starts in the Next Gen car, Johnson has a best finish of P28, twice.
Now I was in Daytona for the Duels. Johnson put on a hell of a show. He felt comfortable in that short race, I think. He made moves that I didn’t expect him to make based on what we had seen from him in this car. However, things just haven’ clicked in the full-length races.
Johnson qualified P19 on Saturday. That doesn’t sound major but that is big for the 84 car. Starting in the middle of the pack instead of in the 30s is huge for Johnson to gain confidence and run with faster drivers.
Jimmie Johnson will give the command and then hop in his car and hope to pull off a career-best in this Next Gen car. What are your expectations for Johnson tonight?
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