The plan was simple for Jimmie Johnson for his Daytona Duel race. He needed to just beat the other open cars and race into the Daytona 500. The NASCAR Hall of Famer got taken out when he least needed it.
Pit stop cycles under green split the pack up into four different groups. As the field came back together to link up and draft, Jimmie Johnson was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
With 11 laps to go, the yellow flag flew. Daniel Hemric got loose, into the wall. He made contact with others, Austin Dillon wiggled and collected Johnson. Things could have been worse for Seven-Time. He managed to leave the incident without much damage.
The incident collected Hemric, Johnson, Dillon, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Jimmie Johnson has to beat JJ Yeley if he wants to make the Daytona 500. They are going to battle to the bitter end in this race to see who gets the edge over the other. At the start of this Duel race, it looked like Johnson would easily beat Yeley. Then, the accident.
Jimmie Johnson told himself ‘it’s not over’
When Jimmie Johnson went spinning on the track, it was a shock. The first race of the Duels had gone caution-free for two years in a row. This year, it was different. That wreck put a wrench into things for Johnson and he had to get creative.
Going into the race, Johnson was nervous. He was starting in not such a great position. But, he’s Seven-Time. He knows what he’s doing.
“Once we settled in at the start of the race I felt really good with my car, we had a really fast car, and was able to drive from the back to the front,” Johnson said to media after the Duel. “Something just ran through my mind like ‘It’s not over.’ We have a pit stop, we have the end of the race, who knows what’s going to happen? Just keep my guard up. Then sure enough I had two or three different moments that were quite challenging that maybe put a year or two on me.”
Jimmie Johnson is in the Daytona 500, this time in a Toyota. A wild finish and a well-earned spot in the big show on Sunday. Tyler Reddick went on to win the first Duel.
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