Jimmie Johnson's gamble didn't pay off, but it was the right thing to do
CONCORD, N.C. -- It is Jimmie Johnson’s own fault he finished eighth -- not second or even first -- in Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400.
It’s his own fault he didn’t finish high enough advance to the second round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. And it’s his own fault he didn’t earn enough points throughout the 26 regular season races and first two playoff races to put himself in a more comfortable position going into the first elimination event, which was at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s new half-oval, half-road course.
But it’s really hard to blame Johnson for gambling on the last lap of the race with the win seemingly within reach.
In the final laps around the wacky 17-turn, 2.28-mile course, the No. 48 Chevrolet driver was chasing down Martin Truex Jr. -- who had already locked himself into the next round of the playoffs -- for the lead.
As they barreled into Turns 13 and 14 -- which are normally Turns 3 and 4 on the speedway’s traditional 1.5-mile oval -- Johnson was desperately fighting for his first win of 2018 and not prepared to settle for second place.
He took a risk and made a move, attempting to steal the lead.
He tried to pass Truex on the inside of the track, and as they approached the three-turn chicane on the front stretch just before the finish line, Johnson lost control of his car, spun out and collected Truex on the back end. NASCAR rules dictated Johnson had to come to a complete, brief stop because his spinout amounted to a shortcut through the chicane, and as he and Truex limped across the finish line, Ryan Blaney in his No. 12 Ford blew past them from third place to win instead.
"I thought that was my chance," Johnson said. "Took myself out of a shot at the championship and obviously affected their day, which I feel bad about."
(AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Johnson’s eight-place finish put him in a three-way tie with Kyle Larson and Aric Almirola for the 12th and final spots in the next round of the playoffs, and he lost the tiebreaker. Had he settled for second place, he would have been on the better end of that tie and still in contention for a record-breaking eighth Cup Series championship.
It's easy to look at this in hindsight and criticize Johnson's decision to try and pass Truex, say he should have just stayed in second or be mad at him for throwing away his playoff hopes with one attempted move. It's easy to tell him he should have known better.
But you don't become a seven-time champion without taking a few risks -- and not all of them pay off -- and you certainly don't rack up 83 career victories by settling for second.
"I wish I wouldn’t have been so focused on a race win, and I could have transferred and kept my championship hopes alive," he said. "But we had such a good car and just one of those split-second decisions to race for the win instead of for the points, and it bit me."
Johnson knew what he was doing too.
He was well aware of the points situation on the last lap of the race. But he didn't care. After barely sneaking into the 16-driver playoffs, his first win of the 2018 was within his grasp.
The worst that he thought could have happened was he'd still finish second. It was worth it -- beyond the small chance he'd lose control, spin out, miss the chicane and have to stop and serve a penalty as the third-place driver several car lengths behind him sped by him for the win?
"I knew where I was on the math," Johnson said afterward about his points situation.
"I didn’t think that I was going to crash or spin trying to overtake him like I did. I thought I was making a calculated move and giving myself the chance to win."
On a 52-winless race streak, Johnson still has a chance in the remaining seven races to get to Victory Lane, even if it won't mean much in the big picture. If he doesn't win, 2018 will be his first season without a checkered flag in his 17 years as a full-time driver.
"I was just going for the win," he said. "Wins are so important. And the veteran could have taken a safe route and didn’t, and unfortunately took us out of the playoffs."
Even seven-time champions still have tough lessons to learn.
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