AVONDALE, Ariz. — Report by Race Chaser Online Managing Editor Jacob Seelman — Christian Petersen/Getty Images for NASCAR photo —
After a hard crash in turn one during the final round of Friday’s Coors Light Pole Qualifying session for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Phoenix International Raceway, Jimmie Johnson and his Hendrick Motorsports team have moved to a backup car for the remainder of the race weekend at the one-mile oval.
Johnson, who was third provisionally when the crash happened and ultimately qualified fifth (), will have to drop to the rear of the field for Sunday’s Good Sam 500 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM).
Initially, the six-time Sprint Cup champion said he was puzzled by what happened to send the car “dead right” at the highest-speed portion of the corner.
“[That was] certainly a lot of straight in an area of the track that I didn’t need to have straight,” Johnson said on the FOX Sports broadcast of pole qualifying after he was released from the infield care center. “So we’ll have to get to the bottom of it and see what went on.”
“Just [took] a really hard impact to the outside wall. (I’m) thankful that we have SAFER Barriers and soft walls but very disappointed because we had such a fast race car. The guys have been working so hard to get this thing tuned up, and thankfully we have (Saturday) to work on the backup car and try to get it up to speed and get it going.”
Johnson later confirmed via Twitter that the reason behind the crash was that his steering wheel came loose in the center of the corner during his second lap at speed.
“(In regards to) qualifying, the steering wheel came off. I know my interview was vague, but (I) wanted to tell the team first. I’m thankful for soft walls.”
“(The accident) is on me,” he added. “Nothing is wrong with the wheel, coupler or steering shaft. I (just) didn’t get the wheel locked into place.”
Taking the backup car out on Saturday morning, Johnson proved his team’s ability to rebound by posting the 11th-fastest speed in the first practice session following qualifying for Sprint Cup teams.
Final practice for the Good Sam 500 at Phoenix International Raceway goes green at 1 p.m. ET, live on FOX Sports 1.
About the Writer
Jacob Seelman is the Managing Editor of Race Chaser Online and creator of the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network. Seelman grew up in the sport, watching his grandparents co-own the RaDiUs Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team in the 1990s.
The 22-year-old is currently studying Broadcast Journalism at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and is also serving as the full-time tour announcer for both the United Sprint Car Series and the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series.
Email Jacob at: speed77radio@gmail.com
Follow on Twitter: @Speed77Radio or @JacobSeelman77
Email Race Chaser Online: news@racechaseronline.com
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