The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Eight-time winner Johnson feels ill-prepared for Coca-cola 600
Jimmie Johnson has won eight Cup Series races at Charlotte Motor Speedway, more than any driver in NASCAR history. And yet the seven-time champion said he’s never felt more ill-prepared for a race heading into today’s Coca-cola 600.
Johnson retired from full-time stock car racing in 2020, but is participating in a few select marquee Cup races this year for Legacy Motor Club, which he coowns. He’s also racing on a number of other circuits, including next month’s 24 hours of Le Mans as he works to bring more name recognition to his brand.
That means he’s had very limited experience in the Nextgen car, which debuted in 2022.
Johnson ran the Daytona 500 and at Circuit of the Americas this year in the No. 84 Chevrolet, but hasn’t competed at a 1.5mile oval like Charlotte Motor Speedway. And with rain wiping out practice and qualifying Saturday, Johnson could be stepping into the car cold when the race begins today, leaving him a bit unsettled.
“A couple hours (testing) in Phoenix is the only comparable oval experience I’ve had,” Johnson said. “We had 30 to 40 laps in a simulator and that’s been it. I want to survive the first stage (today) and go from there.”
His expectations are modest for a driver who has won the Coca-cola 600 four times.
“A top 10 or top 15 would be an awesome finish for us,” Johnson said.
Johnson said he’s “excited, invigorated and exhausted” since joining Maurice Gallagher last year as co-owner of Legacy Motor Club, the team formerly known as Petty GMS Motorsports.
On the track, it’s been a rough season for the team.
Full-time drivers Erik Jones and Noah Gragson are 25th and 32nd in Cup points, and neither has a top-five finish this season. The best performance from that duo is Jones’ sixth-place finish at Talladega in April.
“Erik continues to show just how good he is,” Johnson said. “He’s had challenging circumstances this year and he just stays focused and gets the job done. Noah, from afar, I wasn’t sure how seriously he took things. His desire and commitment to his craft is what has impressed me the most.
“We have a massive effort on our hands to figure out many ways to improve. I’m proud of everything going on. I can’t ask for more effort from everyone involved. We just need more consistency.”
The rain, which is forecast to continue throughout the weekend, also threatens to put a damper on Johnson’s plans to fly to Paris next week to begin preparations for his latest racing adventure at Le Mans, another of his coveted global marquee events.
“It’s feeling very real,” Johnson said. “I’m very excited for the opportunity. I honestly don’t know what to expect. Right now, it’s great excitement and curiosity.”
With qualifying rained out, Cup Series points leader William Byron will start on the pole today.
NASCAR also said the Xfinity Series race scheduled for Saturday has been moved to Monday.
Verstappen takes the pole for F1 race in Monaco
Defending Formula One champion Max Verstappen produced a superb final lap to take pole position at the Monaco Grand Prix on Saturday and deny Aston Martin veteran Fernando Alonso his first pole in 11 years.
Verstappen called his first pole at Monaco “very lovely” but there was nothing to cheer for his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez as last year’s race winner crashed early in qualifying.
Alpine’s Esteban Ocon surprisingly led near the end of the session before the 41-year-old Alonso moved back to the top as he chased a first pole since the German GP in 2012, when he was with Ferrari.
But Verstappen had other ideas as he brushed the walls of the sinewy street circuit to beat Alonso’s time by just 0.084 seconds and clinch his fourth pole of the season and 23rd of his career.
“I knew this weekend it was going to be tight,” the 25-yearold Verstappen said. “I definitely pushed a bit harder.”
Alonso walked over to Verstappen and shook his hand after a tight tussle between the two-time F1 champions.
“Feels great, I always had confidence in what I could do,” Alonso said. “We’re starting on the front row in Monaco, so job done.”
Alonso has four third-place finishes in five races, so Verstappen joked that he’d try to help him finally win again.
“I’ll think about it. I’d like to see Fernando win, but I’d like to win myself,” Verstappen said. “I love watching his style.”
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was chasing a third straight pole on his home circuit but qualified in third, 0.106 behind Verstappen.
But Leclerc was then handed a three-place grid penalty by race stewards for impeding Mclaren’s Lando Norris. Stewards ruled that Norris was on a fast lap and caught up with Leclerc in the middle of the tunnel, where he was clearly impeded.
Stewards reviewed team radio and found that Ferrari failed to give Leclerc any warning about Norris’ approach until the other driver was already directly behind him.