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[/media-credit]Since he won the big race back in 2006 Jimmie Johnson hasn’t had very fond memories of the Daytona 500.
Monday night proved to be more of the same when the five-time champion’s bid for a second 500 win ended on lap two. Johnson was running in the outside lane when contact from Elliott Sadler sent him head-on into the outside wall. As other cars piled in behind Johnson was hit again in the driver’s side door by David Ragan.
Johnson would be able to walk away with only the wind knocked out of him. He’d be OK though, just a bit confused on what had happened since the field was still coming up to speed.
“We were all just trying to make our lane work,” said Johnson. “A lot of energy in the lane, I was kind of pushing the 78 [Regan Smith] a little bit. I could feel some help from behind, just turned me around. Sent me down to the inside lane and back up to the outside lane. When I was sitting in the middle of the racetrack, I knew at some point someone was going to come along unfortunately. David Ragan had nowhere to go. I unfortunately got drilled by him pretty hard.”
Johnson was credited with a 42nd place finish on Monday, another race to forget. Since his 2006 victory Johnson hasn’t finished higher than 27th and has started his season from the garage. Even worse for Johnson and company was how early the wreck happened.
All the hard work during the offseason, testing in early January and excitement about not only the season starting but the biggest race of the year, almost a waste of time. After being in Daytona for almost two weeks practicing and racing, then waiting out the rain Sunday and into Monday night, only to head back home before he even broke a sweat.
“I’m just really bummed out for this whole Lowe’s team,” Johnson said. “To work as hard as everyone did at Hendrick Motorsports to get this Lowe’s Chevrolet and to have it barely complete two-and-a-half miles of green flag racing is pretty sad. Disappointed, but nothing I can do about it now. We’ll just go on and go to Phoenix and set out marks on winning that race.”
But unfortunately for Johnson his Daytona tale doesn’t end there. While he’s won at Phoenix four times he might have to do so this weekend either without crew chief Chad Knaus or lighter in the pocket and in points. The 48 team is now playing the waiting game to see what penalties, if any, NASCAR hands down from the car failing initial inspection for the Daytona 500 last week.
The 48 had illegally modified C-posts, the sheet metal between the roof and the rear quarter panel. NASCAR did not eject Chad Knaus had they had done in 2006, saying in part because the infraction took place before qualifying. The team had to fly new pieces down to Daytona and fix the car before they could get on track.
However, NASCAR President said it was highly likely the team would be penalized following the running of the Daytona 500. Johnson currently sits 37th in the standings with only two points.
