NASCAR Cup Series: Reviewing the first four drivers out of the playoffs
Jimmie Johnson
The first man out of the round of 12 is seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson. Johnson’s season has been the worst of his career, which is further solidified when you realize the fact that he hasn’t won a race since he won at Dover International Speedway in June of last year.
This season, Johnson has posted career-lows in wins, top five finishes and top 10 finishes through the first 29 races of the season. Along with the rough luck, it’s been highly documented that long-time sponsor Lowe’s is walking away from the #48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet after the 2018 season.
Johnson’s average finish of 16.6 is the second lowest average finish of his career. His lowest is 16.8, which came just last season.
Things finally culminated for Johnson at the Charlotte Motor Speedway roval when he found himself sitting second place in the closing laps of the inaugural playoff road course race. On the final lap, he inched closer to leaded Martin Truex Jr. before locking up his brakes in the final chicane and spinning.
During the spin, Johnson collected Truex Jr., resulting in Ryan Blaney taking home the checkered flag. To make matters worse, Johnson found out later that if he had simply finished in second, he would have made it into the next round.
Instead, Johnson found himself in a three-way tie with fellow competitors Kyle Larson and Aric Almirola. Larson managed to get past a stalled Jeffrey Earnhardt to become the final competitor in the round of 12.
Overall, Johnson has hit career-lows. To end on a high note, he needs to build on his performance at the roval and find speed in the remaining seven races. Dover International Speedway, his best racetrack, is next on the schedule, so hopefully momentum will be on his side.
Johnson still has fuel in the tank, and a strong finish could prepare this team for a title run in 2019. It would also be beneficial to Hendrick Motorsports if the #48 team experiments a little and finds something for next season. Hopefully ol’ seven-time will be back to his normal self a year from now.