Qualifying brings Johnson reversal of fortunes
By Jared Turner - SceneDaily Staff Writer
Saturday, May 10, 2008
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Chris Graythen / Getty Images
DARLINGTON, S.C. – How quickly the fortunes of Jimmie Johnson changed on Friday at Darlington Raceway.
First, Johnson crashed his primary car in Turn 1 in the noon Sprint Cup practice. Then, after going to a backup car for the final practice less than two hours later, the Hendrick Motorsports driver hit the wall again – this time on the frontstretch after spinning off Turn 4.
The second incident damaged the splitter on Johnson’s Chevrolet but didn’t do enough damage to require a second backup car. That proved to be a good thing for the California native, who promptly drove the repaired machine to a third-place starting spot for tonight’s Dodge Challenger 500.
“I’m just glad I didn’t hit anything [in qualifying],” Johnson said after posting a lap of 179.206 mph. “In some ways it’s been a tough day, but in other ways we’ve had a great race car and have been very competitive. The car has felt very good. I made two mistakes just charging hard and trying to get all I could out of the car.”
The two-time Cup champion is particularly happy to be starting near the front given the uncertainty of tonight's race, the first on the new Darlington surface.
“Track position is going to be very important in the race, plus a good pit stall pick," the two-time Darlington winner said. "It’s going to be tough to pass with the speed in the track."
Johnson just hopes all his bad luck is behind him for this weekend.
"We went through two cars and almost needed a third, so I’m just happy to be out of here with a top five starting position and starting in the front," he said. "I think it’s going to be important."
- Mentioned Drivers:
- Jimmie Johnson
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