Breaking news
NASCAR Cup Dover II
Eliminated: Johnson won't win a seventh Sprint Cup title in 2015
Once again, it’s over at Dover for Jimmie Johnson.
Jim Utter
Edited: Oct 5, 2015, 8:37 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Typically that has referred to Johnson earning one of his record 10 Sprint Cup Series victories at the 1-mile concrete oval while on his way toward one of his six series championships.
Not this season.
A torn rear axle seal on his No. 48 Chevrolet sent Johnson to the garage on Lap 103 of 400 for extended repairs. He eventually made it back to the track but could muster only a 41st-place finish.
It’s heart-breaking for sure, but there isn’t anything we can do about it.
Jimmie Johnson
With Kevin Harvick winning the race and locking himself into the next round of the Chase, the bad Johnson left him among the four drivers who failed to advance out of Round 1.
Suddenly, the driver who entered the Chase as tied with the most wins this season (four), is now out of the hunt for a NASCAR record-tying seventh championship this season.
Nothing but perfection allowed
“Back in the old Chase format, a bad finish like this would have taken you out of the hunt anyway, and with this format, you’ve got to be ‘on’ for all 10 races,” said Johnson, who can finish no higher than fifth in the series standings this season.
“We were down so many laps at the end with the rear-end change, there wasn’t much more to gain. I kind of sensed the opportunity to get back into this wasn’t going to present itself.”
Johnson called the axle seal “a $5 part” and something that typically is not exposed to the rigors of race conditions.
“This shows how critical everything is on a race team and how critical every component is,” he said. “You can’t take anything for granted.
“It’s heart-breaking for sure, but there isn’t anything we can do about it.”
Even more shocking than Johnson’s early exit from the Chase is the fact a poor finish came at Dover International Speedway, site of many of Johnson’s most dominant performances in his NASCAR career.
He’s won more races at Dover than any other track and has 15 top-five and 20 top-10 finishes in 28 career races.
Hosting two races each season – in the spring and in the fall during the Chase – Johnson’s team has used strong performances at Dover, including victories, to fuel their championship runs.
What now?
Johnson was emphatic that missing the Chase cutoff would not deter the effort from himself or his team the remainder of the season.
Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are the only Hendrick Motorsports drivers still remaining in the hunt for this season’s title.
“We’re here to win races. We had a very, very fast race car today. The last few weeks we’ve had very competitive cars,” Johnson said.
“Moving forward, we want to win more races – that’s what the rest of the season is for us. We want to help our teammates advance and help one of our teammates win the championship.”
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Kyle Busch makes up the difference, keeping his Chase hopes alive
Next article Earnhardt and McMurray tie for the final transfer spot
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Jim Utter
Erik Jones agrees to multi-year contract extension with Legacy Motor Club
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Erik Jones agrees to multi-year contract extension with Legacy Motor Club
Goodyear's option tires at Richmond "were like Mario Kart with a star"
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Richmond II
Goodyear's option tires at Richmond "were like Mario Kart with a star"
NASCAR: Austin Dillon move was "really close to crossing the line"
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Richmond II
NASCAR: Austin Dillon move was "really close to crossing the line"
More from
Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Johnson on the NASCAR business world: "It's a war"
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Jimmie Johnson on the NASCAR business world: "It's a war"
Jimmie Johnson explains why the time was right for Legacy to add a third car full time
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Jimmie Johnson explains why the time was right for Legacy to add a third car full time
Why the 2027 Daytona 500 is the end of a road for Jimmie Johnson
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Daytona 500
Why the 2027 Daytona 500 is the end of a road for Jimmie Johnson
More from
Hendrick Motorsports
Winners and losers from a frantic NASCAR Cup race at Talladega
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Talladega II
Winners and losers from a frantic NASCAR Cup race at Talladega
Official race results: NASCAR Cup Talladega Chase race
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Talladega II
Official race results: NASCAR Cup Talladega Chase race
Kyle Larson wins wild Talladega NASCAR Cup race after charging from 11th on final lap
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Talladega II
Kyle Larson wins wild Talladega NASCAR Cup race after charging from 11th on final lap
Latest news
Carson Hocevar credits tow truck driver for saving his race at Talladega
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Talladega II
3 h
Carson Hocevar credits tow truck driver for saving his race at Talladega
Brad Keselowski to address questions about NASCAR future and RFK exit at Martinsville
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Martinsville II
4 h
Brad Keselowski to address questions about NASCAR future and RFK exit at Martinsville
Hamlin says Chevy teams 'suck at the teat' of Hendrick on superspeedways
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Talladega II
7 h
Hamlin says Chevy teams 'suck at the teat' of Hendrick on superspeedways
Valtteri Bottas denies he might lose his Cadillac seat for F1 2027
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
8 h
Valtteri Bottas denies he might lose his Cadillac seat for F1 2027
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe