INDIANAPOLIS - Jimmie Johnson may have accomplished a childhood dream by racing in Sunday's Indianapolis 500 for the first time in his career, but that dream ended a bit prematurely.
The seven-time NASCAR champion still needed to pit one more time when he inherited the race lead with 12 laps to go. But at least he could always say for the rest of his life that he led the Indy 500.
Then he crashed.
Johnson touched the outside grass in Turn 2, sending his car into the outside SAFER barrier. The crash caused a red flag which would ultimately see a two-lap sprint to the finish and Johnson’s teammate Marcus Ericsson in victory lane.
When the checkered flag finally did drop, Johnson was scored with a 28th-place finish, seven laps down.
“A tough day at the office today,” Johnson said. “Track position was way more important than I thought it would be, and I struggled to really advance in the field. And sadly, the car just got away from me in the race and we had a crash there in Turn 2.”
Johnson still seemed to take his first Indy 500 in stride, however.
In fact, he was later seen congratulating his teammate after the race.
“Absolutely loved my experience in my first Indianapolis 500,” Johnson said. “So happy for Chip Ganassi Racing and Marcus Ericsson.”
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