Johnson triggers wreck, then wins Clash at Daytona

‘I’m far from done’

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida, Feb 11, (AP): Jimmie Johnson’s youngest daughter prays every night for Daddy to win a race. When Johnson scuffled through the worst season of his career, he felt the strain of not reaching victory lane.

“It was putting some pressure on me,” Johnson said.

Johnson called the invocation “cute to hear.”

He didn’t feel the same about critical comments saying Johnson was past his prime. The 43-year-old Johnson tweeted “I’m far from done” in the offseason, and with a risky move in the rain, he showed there’s plenty left.

Johnson triggered a wreck that wiped out nearly the entire 20-car field at Daytona and zipped to the lead to win the rain-shortened exhibition Clash on Sunday.

The seventime Cup Series champion failed to win a race for the first time in his career in 2018, but a dose of aggression put him back in victory lane during the opening weekend of Speedweeks. Johnson’s win capped a banner day for Hendrick Motorsports: teammates William Byron and Alex Bowman locked in the front row for the Daytona 500 earlier in the day in qualifying.

“It’s been a pretty awesome day,” Hendrick said. “I hate we had the wreck there at the end, but it’s been a really good day for the team.”

The celebration at Daytona comes with a caveat: the last Daytona 500 pole-sitter to win the race was Dale Jarrett in 2000, and Johnson’s victory doesn’t count in the official NASCAR record book.

Paul Menard led 51 laps and controlled the race interrupted three times for rain. With more rain looming, Johnson dipped low and tried to sidedraft

Johnson

Menard as they battled for the lead. But Johnson turned Menard and started a chain-reaction accident that left cars sideways and smoking behind the No. 48 Chevrolet.

“I looked in the mirror and there were a lot of cars caught up in it,” Johnson said.

The rain that ended the race hit not long after the decisive move and Johnson won for the first time with new crew chief Kevin Meendering and new primary sponsor Ally.

“I inherited a great core group of guys with the 48 team,” Meendering said. “There’s a strong foundation there, and the team really works well together, and it jells together It’s made that transition a lot easier.”

Johnson and longtime crew chief Chad Knaus split at the end of last season after seven championships. Knaus beat Johnson in the race to the first race day bash - by just a few hours. But the race to victory lane in a race that really counts comes in the regular season, and Johnson hasn’t won a Cup race since June 4, 2017 at Dover.

“We still need a points race win to say we’re back in victory lane,” Johnson said. “But it was a great first step today.”

The wreck came 55 laps into the 75lap event, and the race was called just four laps later. Kurt Busch was second, followed by Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney and Bowman.

Busch said team owner Chip Ganassi complained to NASCAR about Johnson driving below the doubleyellow line to make the move. But Johnson was not penalized because the wreck forced him that low.

“I think Johnson had a legitimate run to go for the lead,” Busch said.

Menard was positioned to win for Wood Brothers Racing only weeks after the death of team founder Glen Wood. Wood was 93 and had been the oldest living member of the NASCAR

Jamie McMurray (40), Martin Truex Jr (19), Brad Keselowski (2) and Kyle Busch (18) get caught up in a multi-car crash during the NASCAR Clash auto race at Daytona International Speedway, on Feb 10, in

Daytona Beach, Florida. (AP)

Panama’s Los Toros de Herrera baseball team poses for photos after their 3-0 victory over Cuba’s Los Leneros de las Tunas at the Caribbean Series

baseball tournament’s final, championship game at Rod Carew Stadium in Panama City, on Feb 10. (AP) With a team that wasn’t even supposed to be in the tournament, Panama beat Cuba 3-1 on Sunday to win its second ever Caribbean Series and first since 1950.

Panama was represented in the tournament for the first time since 1960 only after the Caribbean Professional Baseball Leagues moved the series out of Venezuela due to security concerns shortly before it began. With Panama hosting, the Toros de Herrera were invited to play as a guest.

The only Panamanian team to win the tournament was the Carta Vieja Yankees, who did it in 1950 with a roster full of American players.

Hall of Fame when he died last month after a long illness.

“I felt like it was aggressive sidedrafting,” Menard said. “I got turned to the inside and hooked to the right and all hell broke loose.”

Johnson had been caught up in many crashes in the Clash, failing to finish on the lead lap in each of the seven exhibition races. He was down at least 25 laps in five straight Clashes, and understands just how quickly a race at Daytona can change.

“I have a split-second decision to try to win a race, and I set up the pass and got position on him clean, “Johnson said. “I don’t know what triggered his car wobbling and then the accident started from there.”

Johnson had already proved at Daytona he was good on the long run – and with the 48 in the garage. He competed in the 40 to 44 age division early Sunday in the Daytona Beach half marathon and finished with a time of 1 hour, 34 minutes, 18.4 seconds.

This win adds to what’s already been a big year for Panamanian baseball – countryman Mariano Rivera became baseball’s first unanimous Hall of Fame selection in January. Rivera was in attendance for the first night of the tournament.

Despite winning this year’s tournament, it’s still uncertain whether Panama will play next year in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Allen Cordoba and Elmer Reyes had RBIs in the bottom of the first against Freddy Asiel Alvarez and added a run in the seventh on Rodrigo Vigil’s hit.

Carlos Benitez produced the Cubans’ only run of the game in the fifth inning.

“There are no secrets, I had 29 warriors with a lot of talent and every day they gave me their best,” Panama manager Manuel Rodriguez said. “When you play baseball in this way, you are going to get the titles and this win will help the baseball in Panama.”

Javy Guerra, a shortstop in the minor leagues with the San Diego Padres, was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

The Cubans won their last title in 2015 and were looking to add a fourth championship in Panamanian soil, where they were the champions in 1952, 1956 and 1960. (AP)