DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson will make his 23rd start in The Great American Race Sunday at Daytona Int’l Speedway.
Johnson will use NASCAR’s Open Exemption Provisional, which allows for a 41st starter to world-class drivers who have achieved success in NASCAR or in other series.
He will drive the No. 84 Toyota for Legacy Motor Club, which he co-owns. Johnson qualified for last year’s Daytona 500 and finished third.
Johnson will be eligible to compete for the trophy and All-Star Race eligibility, but he will not be eligible to receive championship points or prize money.
Johnson believes being locked into the field puts he and Legacy Motor Club, which also fields Toyotas for Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek, in a better position.
“Coming in knowing that we’re in allows us to interact and work with our other two cars in a way that we couldn’t otherwise,” Johnson explained. “We just had a 50-minute practice session, and, you know, we were able to work through some ideas and take different paths than our teammates did. I guess you’ll kind of look at the math in a way – 33 percent more information than we can gain this weekend.
“Certainly, by committing to the exemption, we know we have this practice to take advantage of, and we know that we’ll be able to maximize things in the race. Now, if we finish well in the race, it’s going to sting from a financial standpoint, but, you know, we’ve protected, protected the bottom side, but have limited ourselves on the upside.”
Despite the fact that the 83-time Cup Series driver races sparingly these days, Johnson believes the draft is an equalizer.
“Truthfully, it’s the fact that the draft has not changed much in the 25 years,” Johnson said. “Regardless of the aero package, the car, whatever it is, like, these big cars blasting a hole in the air, and the way the draft works and behaves, you’re not out in left field.
“Even if you’ve been away for a while, you can come back and work your way through the duels, get some drafting time, and find that sweet spot and be competitive. The half-mile tracks, a mile and a half, it’s really tough. If you’re not in these cars all the time, and deeply rooted in the process, to have a shot to win is unrealistic.”
After turbulent offseason, which saw the antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR and its settlement as well as a change in championship format, with the sanctioning body returning to a “Chase” type system, it is needed new beginning for the sport.
“Yeah, there’s been so much that’s gone on. Our sport has seen some headwinds in the last four to six months, and to have that all behind us now, and the biggest race of our year, and kick off our season, it’s the perfect thing,” Johnson said. “It’s the right medicine for us, and if we can just make sure that we’re going to have a sunny day, and we go off on time, you know, it’s, we’re due for a sunny race. We’ve had plenty of the other stuff.”
What’s Johnson looking forward to with his 23rd Daytona 500?
“Opening ceremonies; it just has such a moment,” the 50-year-old said. “National Anthem, Thunderbirds coming by. That’s the moment for me.”
