For NASCAR Cup Series champions Jimmie Johnson and Martin Truex, Jr., there are no more concerns about failing to qualify for ‘The Great American Race’.
Johnson, piloting the No. 84 Carvana Toyota Camry XSE for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, and Truex, behind the wheel of the No. 56 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE for TRICON Garage, were the two fastest of the nine unchartered entries during Wednesday’s single-vehicle qualifying session from Daytona International Speedway.
Truex, the 2017 champion of the NASCAR Cup Series, ranked 22nd-quickest overall with a lap of 49.641 seconds (181.302mph), a time more than a tenth of a second faster than Jimmie Johnson, who was ranked 29th-quickest with a lap of 49.783 seconds (180.785mph).
“It’s huge,” Truex said in a post-qualifying press conference. “I think it’s speedway racing, so a lot can happen. You can have a great car, a great plan, execute a great race, and something can take you out of it. We can go concentrate on working on our car for Sunday now, be smart about it tomorrow night if we need to be.”
Johnson, a seven-time champion of the NASCAR Cup Series and the new majority owner of LEGACY MOTOR CLUB (which fields his No. 84, as well as the No. 42 and No. 43 for John Hunter Nemechek and Erik Jones), agrees, and after barely making the DAYTONA 500 last season, is glad to be in a safer position heading to Thursday’s Duels.
“It’s a big weight lifted off to say the least,” Johnson explained. The experience I had last year, it’s been ringing through my brain at night. I’ve jumped out of bed a few times with some nightmares as this day got closer. We’re doing so much to turn LEGACY MOTOR CLUB around, have it point in the right direction. The partnership with Carvana and bringing Shaquille O’Neil in, what’s in the days ahead, what we have planned, man, it would have really been a bummer to miss the race.”
Ironically enough, both drivers are in a pretty similar position and have ended the full-time portion of their NASCAR Cup Series careers, only to come back on a part-time basis. Truex currently only has the DAYTONA 500 in his plans, while Johnson will run Sunday’s 500-miler as well as the Coca-Cola 600 in May.
Truex is reunited with former crew chief Cole Pearn for this one-off effort for TRICON Garage, who tackled two birds with one stone: making their first NASCAR Cup Series event and qualifying for their first DAYTONA 500.
“Yeah, so far it’s been good,” Truex said about reuniting with Pearn. “I think it will get more fun now. He was pretty nervous today, more nervous than I was, that’s for sure. Yeah, it’s good to have him back. Need to remind him to put his sunscreen on. He’s not in Canada anymore. He got sunburned already today.”
As for Johnson, the plan is unclear as far as what Thursday’s Duel will bring for the No. 84 Toyota Camry XSE team, at least according to crew chief Chad Johnston, who has changed his mind a couple of times.
“Tomorrow – I talked to Chad Johnston twice after qualifying,” Johnson said. “First time I talked to him, it was like we’re just going to ride at the back and not do much in the qualifier. The second time I say him, maybe we have to get in there, work on the right heights, put some pressure on the pit crew. I’m sure by tomorrow we’re going to try and race and win the Duels. We’ll see.”
Martin Truex, Jr. will line up 12th in Duel #1 at Daytona, while Jimmie Johnson will roll from 14th in his 150-mile qualifier.
