JOHNSON CAN STILL DRIVE
Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and former Daytona 500 winner Jimmie Johnson proved he is much better in a stock car than in an Indy car. The owner and part-time driver at Legacy Motor Club made the starting lineup as the fastest of the two drivers that had to make the race based on qualification time.
Johnson raced through the field from 39th on the grid and ran as high as sixth before he was caught in the big crash during the first overtime. He was credited with 31st, but drove a much better race than that finish indicates.
“All in all, just a great day —- I hate that we didn’t get to the finish line, but we got a lot closer than I thought,” Johnson said. “If I would have taken a bet before the race started, I would have thought some issues earlier than that, but we had a great day. The Carvana car was awesome. Very, very proud of this race team.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t get the finish line.”
THE LAST DROP
There was no burnout after Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won the Daytona 500.
“I’m not doing a burnout,” he radioed to his team at the start/finish line after winning the race. “I ain’t got no fuel.”
Stenhouse won the race with a tank of fuel that was good to the last drop.
THE MAKES
While Fords ran at the front of the field and led more laps than Toyotas and Chevrolets combined during the Daytona 500, NASCAR got its preferred result with all three manufacturers placing a car in the top three.
Stenhouse won in a Chevrolet, with Logano second in a Ford and Christopher Bell grabbing third in a Toyota. Bell, however, was the only Toyota driver to place in the top 10, while there were five Chevrolets and four Fords in the top 10 at the checkered flag.
This story appeared in the Feb. 22, 2023 edition of the SPEED SPORT Insider.
