On his 63rd lap in final Sprint Cup practice, Jimmie Johnson scraped the wall near the apex of Turns 3 and 4.
“It’s just a scratch,” Johnson radioed to crew chief Chad Knaus before bringing his car to the No. 48 Chevy’s garage bay.
But it was yet another snafu for a driver who finished 40th last Sunday at Kansas and needs a strong rebound in the next two races to avoid elimination from the Chase.
“Just ran out of race track,” Johnson said after exiting the car. “I was trying to get comfortable at the wall and get my car balance set up so I could run up there. The car is really fast, especially the run prior to our last outing. We feel really good about things.”
“The good news is it’s just a big scratch on the side of the car. The guys are going to take it down to tech and make sure that everything checks out for the second time. We set it up on the scales, and nothing looks bent, so just a little drama and a new paint job on the right side before the start of the race, and we’ll have this Lowe’s Chevrolet ready to go.”
Johnson, who qualified 22nd on Thursday night, was eighth fastest in race trim during Happy Hour and fifth fastest in 10-lap average. That’s an encouraging sign for the six-time champion—if he can just avoid the wall.
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