Jimmie Johnson done for the day after fiery wreck at Kansas
Bad news for Jimmie Johnson. He is out of the Kansas race after being sent into the wall, but it might have been him to blame. The seven-time NASCAR champion got in front of Corey LaJoie, checked up a little and got turned around.
From replays, it appears that a little tire smoke caused Jimmie Johnson to lift off the gas for a moment. That was enough for LaJoie to carry his momentum right into Johnson’s bumper. From there, it was a tough wreck.
Johnson’s car spit some flames up from under the hood and his day was over.
Jimmie Johnson qualified P19 today and ran most of the day in the top-30, top-25. It was honestly not a bad day for him overall at the time of his wreck. These are just the things that can happen to you racing in the thick of things.
Legacy Motor Club is building itself up. They are with Toyota this season and that means growing pains. There have been a few bright spots but the last few weeks have not been so great.
Between Erik Jones’ injury, John Hunter Nemechek struggling in the Next Gen, and now Johnson wrecking during one of his best performances – that’s just a tough break.
Jimmie Johnson learning, but more to learn after Kansas
While Superman looks a lot like Clark Kent these days, Jimmie Johnson has improved in the Next Gen car. He isn’t in it every week. I’m not sure what his simulator work is like, either. So he has limited experience compared to the rest of the field.
Corey LaJoie was confused about why Johnson checked up. He couldn’t see what Johnson saw when the tire smoke went up. You never know when a wreck is about to happen and Johnson felt that he saw enough to lift for a second.
You just hate to see such a champion of the sport struggle like this. He’s 48 years old, after all, so it makes sense. But it is still tough. I think there is one more solid performance in him, at least.
Jimmie Johnson with another tough finish in the Cup Series. He still has more racing to go this season and more chances to get learn about the car.