Coble: Daytona 500 notebook
Jimmie Johnson: 2027 Daytona 500 will be his final NASCAR race
DAYTONA BEACH – Jimmie Johnson isn’t going away, but the countdown clock started ticking the moment he climbed out of his No. 84 Toyota Sunday at the Daytona International Speedway.
He
has nothing more to prove. He’s tied with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt with
a record seven NASCAR Cup Series Championships. He walked away as a full-time
driver after the 2020 season. He tinkered with IndyCars, selected NASCAR starts
and the 24 Hours of LeMans.
But as a co-owner of LEGACY MOTOR
CLUB, he’s decided his time is more valuable in the shop and boardroom. That’s
why he announced next year’s Daytona 500 will be his last.
“I didn't use the word retirement
way back when in 2020,” Johnson said. “I still love to compete and want to be
on the track and racing. The journey as an owner, and certainly where I am in
life right now, to compete at the Cup level, week in and week out, is just a
door that's shutting from here now.
“When
we come back in (20)27, it doesn't mean I'm not going to race and do other fun
things. I've got plenty planned this year and hope to have some more fun later
in the year as well. But a quick start to the year with this race. Also, the
Mint 400 that's coming up, and then the truck race in San Diego. (I’m) just
trying to find, you know, fun bucket list things to do.”
The
Mint 400 is a 400-mile off-road race next month in the treacherous foothills of
Las Vegas. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will also compete on June 19 at
Naval Base Coronado in San Diego.
Johnson
won 83 races and had 233 top-five finishes in his 18-year full-time career.
“I'm
now savoring and enjoying the emotions, feelings, conversations, all the
moments around the time I've spent in this sport and all the great times we had,”
Johnson said.
LEGACY
fields car for Eric Jones and John Hunter Nemechek.
Johnson
started 31st and finished 29th Sunday. He was one lap
behind race winner Tyler Reddick. His finish was influenced by a spin along the
frontstretch with seven laps remaining.
DAYTONA
SELLOUT – Sunday’s race was a sellout, and fans came from every corner of the
Earth. According to officials from the Daytona International Speedway, tickets
were bought from fans from six continents and all 50 states … The purse for
Sunday’s race was a record $31 million.
STAR
GAZING – In addition to Miranda Lambert, who performed a pre-race concert, Kurt
Russell, who was in the pace car to lead the 41-car field to the green flag and
comedian Nate Bargatze, who gave the command to start engines, other
celebrities at the Daytona International Speedway included Country Music star
Chris Stapleton, former NFL star Marshawn Lynch, Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua,
Super Bowl coach Jon Gruden, former Tampa Bay running back Mike Alstot and of
course, Michael Jordan, who doubled as a winning car owner for driver Tyler
Reddick.
SO
CLOSE – Brad Keselowski needed a walking cane getting to his No. 6 Ford and
again after the race was over after suffering a broken leg while skiing in
December. The only time it didn’t hurt was while he was racing at nearly 190
mph during the Daytona 500.
He
contented to win with 500 yards to go when he was swept into a large crash in
the shadows of the flag stand.
“Yeah,
a lot of chaos,” Keselowski said. “(On the) last restart, I gave William Byron
a great push, and it just wasn’t enough to move our lane. I was giving him all
I had, and then right here at the end I had this huge run and the 35 (Riley
Herbst) wrecked us.
“(It)
tore up the 9 (Chase Elliott), tore up the 22 (Joey Logano), a bunch of cars
that didn’t deserve to be wrecked, so that was a big bummer and really stupid. (It
was) still a decent day for us to come home with a top five and to be
competitive and have a shot to win.”
BE
LIKE BIFF – There were plenty of tributes to former NASCAR Cup Series driver
Greg Biffle, who along with his wife, son and daughter, and three other people
died in a plane crash last December. Roush/Fenway/Keselowski Racing used the number fonts similar to Biffle’s on their cars during Sunday’s Daytona 500.
AJ Allmendiger also used No. 16 identical to Biffle’s No. 16 on his Kaulig
Chevrolet. “First and foremast, it’s sad we have to run it,” Allmendinger said.
“To us, it was a no brainer to do it if they (Roush Racing, Biffle’s former
team) allowed it.”
Brad Keselowski's Ford with Greg Biffle's No. 6 font.
AJ Allmendinger's Chevrolet with Greg Biffle's No. 16 font.
