Tag: Jimmie Johnson

Jimmie Johnson discusses first 1.5-mile race with Toyota at Texas in 2024

Jimmie Johnson discusses his first race at a 1.5-mile track with Toyota at Texas. Find out what Johnson said about his race at Texas!

[autotag]Jimmie Johnson[/autotag]’s first 1.5-mile race in the NextGen car didn’t go well during the 2023 Coca-Cola 600 after crashing out. However, Johnson’s second race was an improvement at Texas Motor Speedway. The seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion spun out in Stage 1 but crawled back onto the lead lap. Johnson ran all of the laps and finished in 29th place.

Following the event, Johnson talked about his return to Texas with Legacy Motor Club and was pleased with the opportunity to learn more about the NextGen car.

“Certainly, learned a lot today with our AdventHealth Camry. It’s the most laps I’ve had in this new car,” Johnson said. “Just trying to understand how you make speed, how you adjust the car, really going through a whole weekend of practice, into qualifying and adjustments and changing over for the race.”

“I now have an idea of what to do. I didn’t run enough in [Charlotte Motor Speedway], so I feel like I learned a lot this weekend to help myself. We have some work to do. We are not where we need to be as a company, but we will keep working hard and get there.”

NASCAR’s lack of practice has hurt Johnson’s efforts to learn more about the NextGen car, so completing the entire race is significant. Finishing 29th place may not be great, but last Sunday’s experience was the most crucial part. Johnson can now apply what he learned to his No. 84 car and try again at Dover Motor Speedway in two weeks.

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Jimmie Johnson gives big update on charter negotiations with NASCAR

Jimmie Johnson gives a big update on charter negotiations with NASCAR. Find out what Johnson said about the current state of negotiations!

NASCAR and its teams are working on a charter agreement that will expire after the 2024 Cup Series season. The charter system was implemented to guarantee teams specific financial payments and other perks. However, the teams are looking for a better business model and to make the charter system permanent with time rolling off the clock.

According to NBC Sports’ Dustin Long, Legacy Motor Club co-owner [autotag]Jimmie Johnson[/autotag] met with the media ahead of the on-track action at Texas Motor Speedway. Johnson gave a big update on the current stance of negotiations between NASCAR and its teams.

“I think it’s going to come down to deep in the year…Right now it’s still posturing,” Johnson said. “I know we feel like the clock is ticking, but if you look at how much time is left, we’re just getting into the eighth inning, maybe ninth inning of what really needs to happen in negotiations for all parties.”

“But what’s ultimately been most impressive to me is just how the team ownership group has stuck together. I think we’re a lot stronger as a unified group, hearing a consistent message. That’s something that’s been more difficult for owners in the past, but the ownership group has been very committed to that and I think that’s been very useful.”

The best thing for NASCAR would be a new charter agreement with its race teams. The idea of organizations having a permanent charter is great because they have put so much into the sport. A better financial model should also be in order as teams struggle to make a profit annually. Hopefully, the two sides can reach an agreement with the ninth inning coming soon.

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Which NASCAR driver has the most wins at Texas?

Which NASCAR driver has the most wins at Texas Motor Speedway? Check out who tops the list in Fort Worth!

NASCAR has only been going to Texas Motor Speedway since the 1997 season, but several notable moments have taken place at the venue. Since that point, the NASCAR Cup Series has competed in 43 races. However, which NASCAR driver has the most wins at Texas? The answer won’t surprise you due to their previous success in the sport.

[autotag]Jimmie Johnson[/autotag] has seven victories at Texas, which makes him the most successful driver at the track in NASCAR history. Johnson is the only driver over five wins, as Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch are tied for second place with four victories. Johnson’s last win at Texas came in 2017 and included a stretch from 2012 to 2015 where he won five out of seven races.

As for other active NASCAR drivers with the most wins at Texas, Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick are the only competitors with more than one with three victories. Busch holds a small margin over the two drivers but no one will be catching Johnson for several years due to his success at Texas.

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Jimmie Johnson set for NASCAR Cup Series return at Texas in 2024

Jimmie Johnson is scheduled to return to the NASCAR Cup Series at Texas Motor Speedway in April 2024.

[autotag]Jimmie Johnson[/autotag] competed in the 2024 Daytona 500 but didn’t have a great day after an early accident resulted in a 28th-place finish. However, Johnson is scheduled to return to the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 84 car for Legacy Motor Club at Texas Motor Speedway. It will be the seven-time Cup Series champion’s second start of the 2024 NASCAR season.

Johnson has only started one 1.5-mile track in the NextGen car during the 2023 Coca-Cola 600, and he crashed out for a 37th-place finish. The Legacy Motor Club co-owner and driver has made four starts since returning in 2023, and none of those races have been free of accidents. In fact, the 2024 Daytoan 500 was Johnson’s best finish since returning to NASCAR.

Johnson hopes to run well in Texas and gain valuable experience behind the No. 84 car. A top-20 finish would be a success, but expectations shouldn’t be too high. Johnson has had a lot of success at Texas in the past, but this is a new car for him. Either way, it is great to see Johnson back behind the wheel of a race car in the Cup Series.

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Jimmie Johnson provides big update on mindset for another Daytona 500

Jimmie Johnson provides a big update on his mindset of racing in another Daytona 500. Find out what Johnson said about the possibility!

[autotag]Jimmie Johnson[/autotag] barely snuck into the 2024 Daytona 500 after a last-lap pass on J.J. Yeley in his qualifying duel. However, Johnson’s competitive time in the Great American Race didn’t last long after he was involved in an early crash. The No. 84 car suffered significant steering damage, and he came home with a miserable 28th-place finish.

Following the Daytona 500, Johnson talked about his day and gave insight into the damage to the No. 84 car throughout the event. Also, the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion provided a big update through the Associated Press on possibly racing in the Daytona 500 again.

“As long as we can find partners, I’ll keep coming back,” Johnson said. “Others said that I retired. I never said it.”

It is great to see Johnson still involved in NASCAR after he stopped being a full-time competitor. The former Hendrick Motorsports driver will run nine races, including the Daytona 500, in 2024, so there will be much more on deck for him. NASCAR wins with Johnson still showing a desire to race, and so do the fans worldwide.

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Jimmie Johnson talks about disappointing day at the 2024 Daytona 500

Jimmie Johnson talks about his disappointing day at the 2024 Daytona 500. Find out what Johnson had to say about the Great American Race!

[autotag]Jimmie Johnson[/autotag] barely made the 2024 Daytona 500 and had high hopes entering the race on Monday evening. However, Johnson’s competitive chances didn’t last long after a wreck triggered by Brad Keselowski and John Hunter Nemechek. The driver of the No. 84 car tried to sneak through but was involved and suffered major steering damage.

Following Johnson’s long day and 28th-place finish, he talked about the early wreck and the damage in the incident. The seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion was very disappointed that he couldn’t truly race long with a clean car.

“I had hoped to race longer. It’s a matter of time before you get caught up in something around here,” Johnson said. “There’s optimism in the beginning, hopeful we could straighten out the suspension and then at least run in the draft.”

“Then, as time went on, we realized the severity of the damage, and we just had too much damage to even really hang in the draft unless I had a unique situation. So then, at that point it was just wondering if there were going to be more cautions and if we would gain some positions through the cautions.”

Johnson has a new appreciation for the Daytona 500 after being forced to qualify for the event through the qualifying duels. The Legacy Motor Club driver couldn’t race competitively for most of the event, but it was still a great experience. Johnson’s next race in the Cup Series will take place at Texas Motor Speedway on April 14.

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Jeff Gordon tells Dale Earnhardt Jr. why he’s a bit surprised Jimmie Johnson is still racing in NASCAR

When so many of Jimmie Johnson’s contemporaries have left NASCAR racing for good, the 48-year-old driver still going.

Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson was just inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame last month. He’s 48 years old and retired from full-time NASCAR racing after the 2020 season, then trying out other styles of racing, including the Indianapolis 500.

He obviously has nothing to prove. But Sunday, he’ll start 23rd in the 2024 Daytona 500 — a race Johnson won in 2006 and 2013.

Johnson competed in last year’s Daytona 500, along with two other Cup Series races, and he has a nine-race schedule planned with the team he co-owns, Legacy Motor Club, behind the wheel of the No. 84 Toyota.

But when so many of his contemporaries have left the cockpit for good, Johnson’s still going. And his former Hendrick Motorsports teammates, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr., are a little surprised Johnson is still racing.

But not entirely.

Recently, Gordon — currently the vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports — was a guest on the Dale Jr. Download podcast, and he explained to Earnhardt about Johnson:

“I am surprised he’s driving, I’ll be honest. You know, like, again, I admire what he did in IndyCar. I’m like, ‘Man, phew!’ I went and did one sports-car race and got my butt kicked. And it was the hardest I’ve ever had to work in a race car in a long time. And it made me think a lot about Jimmie and that commitment that he made to go run IndyCar. Whether you could say it was successful or not successful, just taking that step and committing to it is what I admired so much about it.

“It just goes to show you, I think, his mindset, his talent, his ability. So on one hand, I’m surprised he’s gonna run in the Cup Series, especially with the Next Gen car right and how different this car is. But at the same time, I’m not because I’ve seen him take on big challenges throughout his whole life.”

Johnson weighed in on this recently as well. He told Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass that the nine races he has planned for 2024 are because he truly wants to race in them and running this schedule still allows him to balance his family life and business ventures, along with more racing.

More from Johnson, via Fox Sports:

“I know my friends that have all retired are like, “Why in the world would you want to go back to a plate race?” But this is Daytona. I just can’t see not racing in this race. I’ve always been after the marquee events. Sure, this is a plate race. But, man, having a shot to win another Daytona 500 is really something I want to experience.”

For Sunday’s Daytona 500, Johnson had to race his way into the 40-car field on Thursday at Daytona International Speedway, and he made it but just barely.

And this is exactly where he wants to be, telling Fox Sports:

“I am in race cars now because it’s truly what I love to do and want to do. … The desire to win, the desire to increase the win total number, to experience the thrill of victory — that’s always there. And that’s a given. So, one, I’m just going to continue to chase that. I love that aspect of it. But what will make me stop? There isn’t some number I’m trying to achieve and say, ‘OK now that’s enough.’ It’s probably going to be when my wife grabs him by the ear and says, ‘Look, you don’t need to be out there anymore. If you’ve been doing this long enough.'”

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Jimmie Johnson talks about making the 2024 Daytona 500

Jimmie Johnson talks about making the 2024 Daytona 500 through the qualifying duels. Find out what Johnson had to say about the subject!

[autotag]Jimmie Johnson[/autotag] entered the final lap of Duel No. 1 at Daytona looking down the barrel of elimination. Johnson was behind J.J. Yeley, and if he didn’t find a way by him, it would’ve likely ended his chances of making the Daytona 500. However, a stack-up in the final turn of the qualifying duel made Yeley go to the top while Johnson kept his foot on the pedal. It somehow worked out.

Johnson finished ahead of Yeley and secured a spot in the Great American Race. After the event, the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion talked about the race’s closing laps and making the 2024 Daytona 500. It was clear that Johnson’s stress levels were through the roof.

“I just have such a better appreciation for what many have gone through to race in,” Johnson said. “I was so fortunate for so many years to not have to worry about getting in on speed for a variety of different reasons. Last year went well. We got in on speed. To go through that just now, literally have it come down to the last hundred yards of the Duel, that wasn’t in my playbook.”

“I’m glad I prepared as I did. I’m glad the team was ready. We had a very fast car. Unfortunately with the crash that took place that I was caught up in, pitting, just had us in an awkward position at the back of the field, the last car in either lane. Coming through three and four, there was almost a wreck again. [J.J. Yeley] chose one lane, I chose the middle lane. The middle lane prevailed by the time we got to the start/finish. Just as simple as that.”

It looked rough for Johnson at one point, but he won’t be watching the Daytona 500 from a suite. Instead, he will be competing in the Great American Race, looking for his third victory in the event. It is good for NASCAR to have legends like Johnson still involved, and it makes for a great story that he needed to fight for a spot in the sport’s biggest race.

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Last-lap Duel magic puts Johnson in Daytona 500 field

Jimmie Johnson wasn’t going to race in the Daytona 500. At least that’s what the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion told himself as he saw J.J. Yeley’s bumper in front of him on the final lap of Thursday night’s Bluegreen Vacations Duel race. …

Jimmie Johnson wasn’t going to race in the Daytona 500.

At least that’s what the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion told himself as he saw J.J. Yeley’s bumper in front of him on the final lap of Thursday night’s Bluegreen Vacations Duel race. Yeley held the final transfer spot into the Daytona 500, keeping Johnson at bay over the final laps through blocks and keeping with the draft.

Johnson had no help from behind to challenge Yeley. It left him thinking about how he’d spend his Sunday afternoon instead of competing for a third Daytona 500 win in his No. 84 Carvana Toyota.

“I’m literally going down the back straightaway knowing it’s the white flag, I can see the 44 car [Yeley] in front of me,” Johnson said. “The 19 [Martin Truex Jr.] has pulled out to help me, but he’s so far back, he’s not going to get to me in time. I’m like, ‘I’m not going to make it. I’m not going to make the Daytona 500. I’m going to have to call all our partners. I’m going to have to stand in the suite and shake hands during the 500 and not drive a car.’

“This is running through my mind as I’m catching him. I’m like, ‘I got to figure out a way.’ And then an almost wreck happens and leave it (the pedal) on the floor and hope for the best. Just went the other direction than JJ’s car and it worked out.”

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Johnson went to the middle through Turn 4 when the field stacked up and Yeley chose the outside. It cost Yeley his momentum, and Johnson took the draft behind Chastain to go around Yeley and finish 12th. Yeley crossed the finish 16th.

It was a survive-and-transfer moment for Johnson, who had never experienced having to race his way into the Daytona 500. Thursday, leading into the race, Johnson kept his emotions in check by focusing on his Legacy Motor Club team’s strategy, knowing that he had Toyota teammates in the race and every other detail he needed.

“As I put my suit on in my bus before I walked out, the weight of the situation hit me, and the butterflies started to kick up,” Johnson said. “Once we settled in at the start of the race, I felt really good with my car. We had a really fast car and I was able to drive from the back to the front.

“(But) something just ran through my mind. I’m like, ‘It’s not over. We have a pit stop, we have the end of the race, who knows what’s going to happen?’ I just keep my guard up and sure enough, I had two or three different moments that were quite challenging that maybe put a year or two on me.”

The most significant incident came with 11 laps to go. Johnson was collected in an accordion-effect crash started three cars in front of him as Daniel Hemric got sideways from contact by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. The incident collected Hemric, Stenhouse, Austin Dillon and Johnson. Johnson spun and needed four fresh tires.

Johnson restarted 18th with six laps to go. Yeley restarted 14th.

“I needed a pusher,” Johnson said. “Anybody does in that back lane. When it comes to the end of the race, it’s tough to get people to pull out or try to find a way to you. I could have used a little help there — didn’t get it, which is fine. We figured out how to do it on our own.

“All the best plans that you set into place before the race starts, they always seem to go out the window when the race is taking place.”

Sunday will be the 21st time Johnson has competed in the Daytona 500, which he’s won twice. Johnson will make his second consecutive start in the event as owner/driver for Legacy Motor Club, doing so in the organization’s third entry.

Toyota will have nine entries in the field with Johnson qualifying for the Daytona 500.

Jimmie Johnson’s last-lap pass secures a spot in the 2024 Daytona 500

Jimmie Johnson’s stunning last lap pass on J.J. Yeley has secured him a spot in the 2024 Daytona 500.

[autotag]Jimmie Johnson[/autotag] has locked himself into the 2024 Daytona 500 in stunning fashion. Johnson was behind J.J. Yeley on the final lap after a late-race caution put him in a rough spot. Chase Elliott stacked up the top lane, which created chaos behind him. Johnson ended up spinning and had minor damage. It affected the race car, but a little luck went his way.

As the white flag flew, Johnson trailed Yeley down the backstretch. However, a stack-up in the final turn allowed Johnson to pass Yeley after he made the wrong move. The No. 84 car beat the No. 44 car to the line in a stunning turn of events. Johnson will now race on Sunday afternoon and look for his third Daytona 500 victory.

Yeley will not make the Daytona 500 after his valiant efforts. As for Johnson, he will need to fix his car but will get more track time throughout the weekend. The Legacy Motor Club team moved to Toyota, and it paid off big time. Johnson said it was very stressful and a challenge would be thrown his way. Per usual, Johnson beat the challenge in front of him.

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