By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
It came down to the final corner for Jimmie Johnson. A race win. One that would end a career-long winless streak, put him as the first-ever Charlotte ROVAL winner and would have advanced him through to the Round of 12.
With all that at stake, the thunderous roar of the crowd and spectacular events on the frontstretch were no surprise.
Following a Turn 1 accident that ended Brad Keselowski and Kyle Larson’s days, the race fell into the laps of Martin Truex Jr. and Johnson, who restarted 1-2 with three laps to go. Here, it was an all-out “What do you have?” with two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup champions.
“I put pressure on him out of the chicane and into NASCAR [Turns] 3 and 4,” said Johnson, who closed quick on Truex’s bumper. “He got off the bottom and it was open for me. I was trying hard to get in there.”
Jumping from side to side entering the track’s final chicane on the frontstretch, Johnson lost the rear of his Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 and spun through the turf… and into Truex’s No. 78.
The two-car accident opened the door for Ryan Blaney to drive by with the win. Johnson finished eighth while Truex was 14th.
“I didn’t think I initially got into him,” Johnson said. “But clearly I did and spun him. It was just one of those split-second decisions for the race win.”
Though seemingly desperate, Johnson’s move came with confidence, as the seven-time champion successfully passed in that corner throughout the day.
“I had been so good in that final braking zone,” he said. “I felt I could take a shot at it. I had passed the whole field there time after time. I was hopeful I could get it done. I didn’t enter the corner thinking that I’m going to take Martin out. I felt I could get in there and race for it.”
Unfortunately for the No. 48, the spin relegated him to a four-way tie in the playoff standings, forcing Johnson into the bottom four on tiebreaker.
“I took myself out of a shot at the championship,” he said. “I knew where I was on the math. I didn’t think I was going to crash trying to overtake like I did. I thought I was making a calculated move to give me a chance to win. It didn’t turn out that way.
“When you tie, one point makes a difference. I can look at any of the three races — I look at the issues we had in Las Vegas, we left a lot on the table there. I feel terrible it took me out, took Martin out and certainly took us out of the championship.”
With seven races left in 2018, Johnson will attempt to continue his streak of winning in every season (17). Next week, he enters Dover as an 11-time track victor.
“We have some great tracks coming ahead,” he said. “As everyone has seen, we’ve gotten these cars a lot faster. We just have to start capitalizing on that.”