[autotag]Jimmie Johnson[/autotag] had a good day of racing alongside Legacy Motor Club; however, it was cut short near the end of the 2024 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Johnson was near the front in the Final Stage and got turned into the wall alongside Joey Logano. Instead of a good finish, Johnson was forced into a 33rd-place finish.
Following the accident, Johnson spoke about his wreck and the progress that he and Legacy Motor Club are making with the NextGen car. There are reasons to be optimistic moving forward.
“I was cruising along on the bottom and got hit in the right rear and got turned into the outside fence at that point,” Johnson said. “Those restarts are just so aggressive, everybody is pushing to get to the end of the race, and it is go time. Sadly, those pushes didn’t line up right. I don’t know what started that, but something on the outside happened, and they collected me, and off and around we went.”
Four-time #Brickyard400 winner Jimmie Johnson AND Joey Logano with a big crash on the restart.
📺 : NBC pic.twitter.com/35FvZTt2Jz
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 21, 2024
“It was great to be back. Our cars were driving nice all weekend. Unfortunately, in qualifying, we just missed our balance, but very competitive in the race. We drove from 33rd to 17th, and then actually got to 11th there. All-in-all, a strong Carvana Camry, and it felt nice behind the wheel. I’m starting to understand the Next Gen vehicle. I think our group is starting to understand what we need for the cars.”
Johnson has yet to finish in the top 20 spots since returning to NASCAR, but there is progress as the No. 84 Toyota has shown better speed lately. The seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion may not be expected to win races, but he can certainly run in the top 15 spots. Johnson’s next race might be even better, as more time in the NextGen car is excellent for him.
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