By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
Jimmie Johnson experienced one of the heaviest losses of his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career last weekend at the Charlotte ROVAL.
Not only did he spin out of second place on the race’s final lap, but he was one swift move away from scoring the victory, one that would have been his first in 2018 and in 51 total races dating back to 2017.
Though a mistake took him out of the win, it was far from the only factor in the disappointment. Johnson’s No. 48 collected leader Martin Truex Jr. in the final corner and eventually knocked Johnson out of playoff advancement… by a three-way tie.
Going into the last lap, Johnson was only thinking about the race win despite the playoff standing.
“I set it all up and it was going great until I made a mistake on the brakes,” Johnson said Friday at Dover. “It cost me a lot. It wasn’t a bonsai move just trying to clean him out. It was a very calculated move, we both hit the brakes at the same time. Unfortunately, I got it wrong.”
With Kyle Larson passing the stopped Jeffrey Earnhardt yards from the finish line, Johnson was given the rough news minutes later on pit road.
“There were many consequences after that,” he said. I”f the No. 96 [Earnhardt] would have got going, it wouldn’t have cost me the ultimate of moving on.
“It’s way easier after the facet to say, ‘Why didn’t you? How come?’ And all that crap. I was focused on winning a race.”
With plenty of questions and criticism following the move and eventual playoff hit, Johnson has re-thought the end of the race leading up to Dover International Speedway this weekend.
“I’ve thought about it a lot,” he admitted. “What I wouldve done differently, I like to learn from my mistakes. I do feel bad for my team that we didn’t advance. Countless text messages and phone calls, they’ve all supported my decision to race for the win. I had a lot of pride in that.
“I feel bad for Martin and the No. 78 team. I hate that my mistake affected them and could impact their season to some degree.”
Looking forward to Dover, Johnson hits arguably his most successful racetrack, standing as an 11-time race winner on the 1-mile concrete oval. Having his last win come here in the spring of 2017, Johnson is clear-headed in preparation for raceday.
“It is racing and I know in my heart that it was a legitimate attempt to win a race,” he said. “I’ve moved on. A couple things have lingered but they seem to go away when you get into the racecar.”