DAYTONA BEACH — Seven-time Cup Collection champion survived and savored landmark achievements as driver and group proprietor Sunday evening.
The 49-year-old legend scored a third-place end within the Nice American Race, his finest exhibiting since profitable for the second time in 2013. As well as, Legacy Motor Membership’s two full-time vehicles ran fifth (John Hunter Nemechek) and twelfth (Erik Jones), regardless of the latter absorbing injury in a .
“This feels unimaginable, and I’ve feelings that I did not count on to have,” mentioned Johnson, who bought an possession stake in Petty GMS Motorsports in 2022 and rebranded the group the next season. “I’ve by no means been on this place as an proprietor. It is actually opened up a unique set of feelings. The satisfaction that I’ve on this consequence, and the satisfaction that I’ve on this firm and what we’re making an attempt to realize and the journey we’re on, I am so glad and so completely happy proper now.”
Daytona 500:
Within the second lap of extra time, Johnson got here off Flip 2 in twelfth place — a logjam fashioned behind former champions Denny Hamlin and Austin Cindric as they battled for the lead. Cole Custer slid to the surface, misplaced management and swept up Hamlin, Cindric and a number of other others as escaped the wreckage to clinch his second consecutive Daytona 500 title.
Johnson held his place in the midst of a three-wide pack, handed Nemechek on the precise and surged round pole sitter Chase Briscoe to comply with Byron and Tyler Reddick to the checkered flag.
“Fortunately, Denny’s automotive, the route it went, stayed up towards the surface wall for a time period and allowed some vehicles to get by way of, and I used to be one,” Johnson mentioned.
“I have been right here 22 occasions now, and the seas do not half like that each time. So I am glad I obtained one in my favor.”
Johnson competed in 12 Cup Collection races over the earlier two seasons, together with each the 2023 and ’24 Daytona 500s. He positioned thirty first and twenty eighth, respectively.
Byron, who turned the youngest multi-time Daytona 500 champion in historical past, relished one other probability to race with former Hendrick Motorsports teammate Johnson.
“At one level, I used to be behind Jimmie with like 25 laps to go. Simply seeing him nonetheless on the market wheeling, his automotive was fairly unfastened, and he is simply throwing it round,” Byron mentioned. “That is simply Jimmie.”
Johnson secured a spot within the subject for his Shaquille O’Neal-designed No. 84 Toyota on velocity Wednesday. From his viewpoint within the white-flag lap, a top-10 exhibiting would have been “good.”
However, a top-three end with the additional benefit of not needing to organize for one more race till Memorial Day Weekend’s Coca-Cola 600?
“It signifies that I can get after it tonight and have a good time with my group,” Johnson mentioned. “Usually, I would be apprehensive about recovering and preparing for the subsequent race.
“One factor I didn’t do as a full-time driver was savor the moments, and I will have the ability to savor this one.”
