Jimmie Johnson is fastest at Daytona 500 practice

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — It sure seemed like old times.

Jimmie Johnson, making his return to NASCAR competition after a two-year dalliance in IndyCar, topped the first practice session for the Daytona 500 on Friday.

The two-time Daytona 500 winner and seven-time Cup Series champion reached a top speed of 194.25 mph around the 2.5-mile superspeedway. He edged fellow Chevrolet drivers Chase Elliott — his former teammate at Hendrick Motorsports — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and pole-sitter Alex Bowman, the driver who replaced Johnson when he left NASCAR after the 2020 season, to create a feel-good moment for the bow-tie brigade.

It was Johnson’s first extended stint behind the wheel in the Next Gen car at Daytona International Speedway. He did take part in a one-day practice session last month at Phoenix Raceway.

“I honestly think it’s too early to read far into this. It is plate racing, and that was just a practice session,” Johnson said. “We didn’t make any mistakes and did some things right to end up where we did. …

“Anything can still happen. But I’m glad to be in here, I’m glad we’re at the top of the board and not the bottom. I’m sure the headlines would read a little differently if we were on the other end of it.”

Johnson returned to NASCAR in November as partowner of what is now called Legacy Motor Club, an organization that began as Petty Enterprises nearly 75 years ago. He has so far as a driver entered the Daytona 500 — Johnson will start 39th on Sunday — the street course race in Chicago in July and the 24 Hours of Le Mans as part of NASCAR’s Garage 56 project.