Daytona 500: Jimmie Johnson clocks fastest speed chart in opening practice session

Two-time Daytona 500 winner Jimmie Johnson set the pace for Friday (February 17)’s practice session. The 47-year-old driver returned to a familiar position, topping the charts with a lap of 194.225 mph. The season opener marks Johnson’s return to the Cup series after spending two years racing in the Indycar series.

The seven-time Cup-series champion piloted the No. 84 Chevrolet Camaro for Legacy Motorsport, the team co-owned by him. The Camaro’s seemed to be quick over a single lap as they occupied the top five positions on the chart.

Johnson said after the session (via NASCAR):

“It’s my first weekend in this car, It’s (crew chief) Todd (Gordon’s) first weekend working on the Next Gen car and the first time we’ve all worked together. So we’re going through quality reps right now.”

Jimmie Johnson had no prior experience driving next-gen cars and neither had his pit crew worked on it before. Johnson’s return shows that the 47-year-old is still operating at the sharp end of his skills. Having qualified for the Daytona 500 grid, Johnson endured a tough duel race.

Johnson used the practice session to get up to speed with the next gen cars and understand their behavior while drafting.

Johnson added:

“It’s just so fun to get out there and mix it up. I was in a great draft with Chase and understanding the bump-drafting aspect of where this car is and got some quality reps there, too.”

Chase Elliot posted the second-fastest speed at 194.195 mph, followed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and pole-sitter Alex Bowman. The next eight positions were locked in by Ford drivers led by Aric Almirola. The Toyota runners seemed to be off the pace with Martin Truex Jr. setting the 17th fastest time, quickest of all the Toyota drivers.

Kyle Busch was in his backup car due to the incident on Thursday (February 16)’s second duel. The No. 8 driver was joined by Austin Dillon, Ross Chastain, and Daniel Suarez.

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Daytona 500 grid released

The grid for the 65th Annual Daytona 500 is locked in. Alex Bowman grabbed the pole position in Wednesday (February 15)’s single-lap qualifying. Bowman was joined by his teammate Kyle Larson on the front row, who started from the pole last year.

This is the fourth time in five years that Hendrick Motorsports have managed to sweep the front row. It also marked Bowman’s sixth consecutive front-row start at the Daytona 500.

It also marks the first race in Daytona 500 history where the reigning Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series champions will be starting on the grid. Joey Logano starts third after winning the duel 1, Ty Gibbs starts in 33rd position while Zane Smith starts in 17th position.

Kyle Busch will start from the rear end of the grid (36th position) after an accident in the qualifying duel. After an eventful duel race, Indycar veteran Conor Daly also managed to book his spot in the Daytona 500.

NASCAR and MOTOCROSS legends Jimmie Johnson and Travis Pastrana occupy the last row after facing setbacks in the duels.