Blaney wins, Johnson out in NASCAR Cup playoffs
Jimmie Johnson saw an opportunity to snap a 58-race losing streak, and went for it. It cost him a shot at an eighth NASCAR championship and allowed Ryan Blaney to steal a surprise win in the debut race of the “roval” at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Had Johnson just settled for second, he’d still be in the playoffs. Instead, he wrecked with Martin Truex Jr. and wound up in a three-way tie for the final transfer position into the second round of the playoffs. He was eliminated on a tiebreaker.
“I knew where I was on the math,” Johnson said.
“I didn’t think that I was going to crash or spin trying to overtake him like I did.”
Kyle Larson and Aric Almirola advanced by picking up desperation points on the final lap. Eliminated along with Johnson was Daytona 500 winner Austin Dillon, as well as Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Erik Jones.
The roval is a combination speedway and infield road course created to improve the racing at Charlotte. The race was unexpectedly clean until the end, which was marked by two wrecks among the leaders.
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