ROAR! - Weekly Racing Magazine - August 31, 2020

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A BITTERSWEET ENDING FOR JJ

ROB IS RACIN’ JIMMIE’S CAREER LOOKBACK

BYRON SMASHES THE 24 CURSE IN FRONT OF 20,000 SCREAMING FANS JARED’S JUST SAYIN’ YAY FOR FANS AT DAYTONA

IN THE HOT SEAT AJ ALLMENDINGER ON KAULIG RACING

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A BITTERSWEET ENDING FOR BYRON AND JOHNSON In this week’s episode of Out of the Groove, host and creator Eric Estepp takes us through all the excitement and heartbreak from Saturday night’s race. It was an emotional evening, and this is an emotional episode to boot. Matt DiBenedetto is in, Jimmie Johnson is out. Eric takes us through it.

Was there anything else that Jimmie Johnson could have done right to change the outcome? Eric takes us through all the events of the 7x champion’s 2020 season to try to answer 0 0 4

just that. Was it a poorly timed wreck? Was it his diagnosis of covid? How did we end up with the legendary driver missing his last chance at the playoffs?

But that’s not all. Johnson was a heartbreaker, but on the flip-side, there was plenty of excitement from the race. What does Saturday night’s victory mean for William Byron going forward? And where does this Daytona night race fall on the patented Groovy Gauge?

You’ll have to watch the episode and find out.

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 31, 2020

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5 LESSONS LEARNED

5

LESSONS LEARNED AT DAYTONA As the highly anticipated final race of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series regular season, Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway was full of drama and suspense from start to finish. In the end, young William Byron captured a playoff berth in style by scoring his first career premier series victory at what couldn’t have been a more opportune time. But while Byron celebrated, seven-time champion teammate Jimmie Johnson and others lamented what could have been. Following are five takeaways from a night that won’t soon be forgotten.

BY JA RED TURNER

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 31, 2020

5 LESSONS LEARNED

5

ROOKIE TYLER REDDICK’S AGGRESSIVE MOVE INFURIATED VETERANS

N

o one drew more criticism on Saturday night than rookie Tyler Reddick, one of the drivers whose only pathway to a playoff berth was to win the race. Challenging for the lead with less than 10 laps to go, Reddick aggressively slid up in front of Kyle Busch to take over the top spot, but the move caused Busch’s Toyota to veer up until the wall and set in motion a chain reaction accident involving multiple drivers — including more than one who took issue with Reddick’s tactics. “The 8 car obviously just ran out of talent,” veteran Ryan Newman said of Reddick. Busch was likewise frustrated. “Just a slide job gone bad,” he said. “Reddick threw it off into Turn 3 and might have been clear, but wasn’t clear by much and started coming up the track and was losing momentum. I even had to check up because I saw him coming, and it wasn’t enough check-up and I wrecked the field.”

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 31, 2020

5 LESSONS LEARNED

4

‘THE BIG ONE’ SIMPLY COULDN’T BE AVOIDED

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surprisingly tame evening at the notoriously treacherous 2.5-mile track known as The World Center of Racing took an abruptly chaotic turn in the final 10 laps of Saturday night’s NASCAR Cup Series regular season finale. The culprit was a pair of multi-car wrecks that eliminated numerous contenders and ruined many drivers’ shot at qualifying for the playoffs in what amounted to a quintessential last-chance opportunity. Joey Logano, one of the drivers who played a role in triggering the second “Big One” — as the all-too familiar multi-car accidents at Daytona are often called — made no apologies about how things transpired. “It’s just superspeedway racing,” said Logano, who finished 27th but was already locked into the playoffs. “It gets so intense at the end and everyone is pushing so hard. It’s one of those situations where you’re so close to the front you’ve got to stay in it and keep going for it and try to get the lead. … It’s no one’s fault.”

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 31, 2020

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3

MATT DIBENEDETTO PLAYED IT SAFE & IT PAID OFF

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p until 2020, Matt DiBenedetto has never competed for teams that were overly capable of making it to the playoffs. But in Wood Brothers Racing, which boasts an important partnership with Team Penske, DiBenedetto has finally had the equipment to get it done. And get it done, he did. Needing to preserve a small lead over at least one of the two drivers closest to him in points, DiBenedetto wasn’t able to hold off William Byron — who won the race — but was able to edge Jimmie Johnson by six points for the final playoff berth. DiBenedetto didn’t have a great evening at Daytona — he finished 12th in a car that bore some damage — but it was good enough to preserve enough of a lead over Johnson to make the playoffs for the first time in his career. “I wasn’t happy with the finish, but I came in here saying all that mattered was I just wanted to make these playoffs,” DiBenedetto said.

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 31, 2020

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DAYTONA WAS JIMMIE JOHNSON’S HEARTBREAK HOTEL

N

eeding to make up just a four-point deficit in the standings, Jimmie Johnson arrived at Daytona with a playoff berth well within his reach. Unfortunately for the seven-time champ, it wasn’t meant to be. Running near the front and in position to become playoff-eligible as the final laps ticked down, Johnson saw his playoff hopes dashed in a split second when he was caught up in a multi-car wreck not of his own making. Suffering significant damage to his No. 48 Chevrolet, limped home in 17th position — missing the final transfer spot by a mere six points. While coming so close was a bitter pill to swallow for Johnson, who is retiring from full-time competition at season’s end, he somehow managed to take the outcome in stride. “I knew the position we were in, so it’s not like this is a shocker or a surprise,” he said. “So, my emotions are what I would have expected.

I’m definitely disappointed, but we’ve been running well.”

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 31, 2020

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1

WILLIAM BYRON DELIVERED A CLUTCH PERFORMANCE

C

oming into Saturday night’s final race of the regular season, William Byron couldn’t have been under any more pressure. Clinging to the final spot in the playoffs by just four points, Byron needed to play defense, but with such a small advantage over his closest pursuer, teammate Jimmie Johnson, he also couldn’t afford to simply ride around and play it safe. So Byron took care of business in the best way he possibly could have — by going out and earning his first NASCAR Cup Series victory in nearly three seasons at the sport’s highest level. With the win, Byron earned an automatic playoff berth and delivered one of the most clutch performances seen in the NASCAR Cup Series in quite some time. “You couldn’t have picked a more pressure-packed race,” he said. “When you’re at a superspeedway, the running order changes every two laps practically, and it’s incredible to put that much pressure on a couple of points. You really can’t points race.”

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 31, 2020

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JUST SAYIN’

JUST SAYIN’ JA RED TURNER

▶ PLAYOFFS WON’T BE THE SAME WITHOUT JJ Coming into 2020, Jimmie Johnson knew that missing the playoffs in his last full season was a possibility. Everyone else did, too. But did anyone think it would actually happen?

Not by a longshot. But, sadly, this is the reality that NASCAR now faces after Johnson was unable to race his way into the playoffs on Saturday night at Daytona. Now, instead of witnessing Johnson chase a record-setting eighth NASCAR Cup Series title in the season’s final weeks, about the best that anyone can realistically hope for is to see him go to Victory Lane one more time. Sadly, these playoffs just won’t be the same without Johnson in them.

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 31, 2020

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JUST SAYIN’

▶ DAYTONA SHOULD REMAIN FINAL RACE OF REGULAR SEASON For many years now, a popular suggestion has been that the NASCAR Cup Series end its regular season at Daytona International Speedway — the same place where it begins.

So this year, NASCAR finally decided to give the fans what they’ve long wanted. And, thankfully, it worked. Even more important than producing an action-packed, dramafilled race was the fact that Daytona didn’t produce what NASCAR and everyone else feared: a violent, late-race accident comparable to what we saw in this year’s Daytona 500 with Ryan Newman. So, in short, this experiment worked. Now let’s hope Daytona keeps this spot on the schedule for the foreseeable future.

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 31, 2020

JUST SAYIN’

▶ YAY FOR DAYTONA LETTING A DECENT NUMBER OF FANS IN One of the most pleasant sights from the weekend at Daytona was the presence of fans — roughly 20,000 of them — congregated in the stands for Saturday night’s NASCAR Cup Series regular season finale. While this number represents not even a fifth of the 2.5-mile track’s total seating capacity, it was a significant number, nevertheless, as the frontstretch stands appeared relatively populated when captured by TV cameras each time the field came roaring by the start/finish line. Kudos to Daytona for letting fans in.

They deserved nothing less.

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 31, 2020

IN THE HOT SEAT

IN THE HOT SEAT

AJ Allmendinger

BY ROB TIONGSON

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 31, 2020

Throughout the season, Rob Tiongson interviews various drivers in the world of NASCAR. Today, he talks with AJ Allmendinger, driver of the No. 16 Ellsworth Advisors Chevy Camaro. ▶▶ You’ve made some noise with Kaulig Racing’s No. 16 team with two wins in the past two years including your first on a superspeedway. How satisfying has it been to contend for wins consistently after the trying last few seasons in Cup? The last couple of years, there were a lot of up and down times. It was definitely not for a lack of effort. Everybody was always putting effort in and doing the best that we could, but the Cup Series is especially tough when it comes to competition. It was just one of those things where we kind of plateaued and things started getting hard. And it wasn’t a lot of fun to be at the racetrack at times.

So, I felt like, just myself, I needed a break and I’ve been very fortunate with the NBC Sports deal and being able to look at that side of racing and being able to do some broadcasting in several different series. I was really fortunate when Matt Kaulig and Chris Rice, everybody from Kaulig Racing, gave me a phone call.

For a year and a half, I’ve been able to do this part-time schedule and I’ve had a lot of success. I’m really enjoying it. It’s a lot of fun to be at the racetrack with all the men and women from Kaulig Racing. I’m enjoying it and going out there to win more trophies for Matt Kaulig.

IN THE HOT SEAT ▶▶ One of the neatest moments of the season came with your victory at Atlanta.

With the successes you’ve had in your racing career, how special was it to win your first superspeedway race in any of the top three NASCAR levels?

It was huge. That was something that I always wanted to do put in my list of accomplishments.

It was strange, the way it worked out. With the pandemic, if it was a normal year, I don’t know if we would ever have that opportunity because with Kaulig Racing, we had our races scheduled and we were planning to run the superspeedway and road course races.

The way it came about was when we had the mechanical issue in qualifying at Daytona in the beginning of the year and missed the race, Matt Kaulig and Chris Rice immediately said, “Let’s pick another race or two. Let’s make up for that.”

And I said, “Alright, let’s choose Bristol because it’s close to home and it won’t cost the team a lot of money. And the team had decent success there with speed.”

So, I felt like we’d go there and run well, and we did. And with the pandemic, and just the time off, Matt Kaulig just wanted to race more races. I said, “Let’s do Atlanta. I’ve always enjoyed it and I’ve been pretty decent there in the Cup Series.”

It was one of those dream days where everything worked out and we executed the right way. We had a couple of things fall our way and once we got in the lead, we were able to finish it off. It was a special day for not only me, but for Kaulig Racing as it was their first win on a mile and a half, downforce racetrack. It was just a great day all around.

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 31, 2020

IN THE HOTSEAT ▶▶ It was really cool. and I loved how excited you were!

You kissed the camera lens and it was like you won the Daytona 500. It was such a bright spot for the sport and the season, but I was like, “He thanked everybody but Mr. Tickles! What’s up with that?”

We’ve got a pandemic dog now too, so we’ve got a French Bulldog puppy named Xena, so we’ve got two of them to take care of now! ▶▶ Let’s imagine that a new fan is watching you in a NASCAR XFINITY Series race and they’re looking for a driver to support. Give them three reasons they need to become an AJ Allmendinger fan.

I have a cool cat and dog now. That’s really the first and main reason. Really, I think it’s one of those things where you see my passion for going out there and trying to be at my best. You talked about when I won the race at Atlanta. My passion for the sport and how much I love being at my best for the team that I drive for is hopefully a big reason that fans are attracted to try and root for me. And for a third reason, my hair. Let’s call it that. your risk taking is with your words going on the air versus, you know, being in a heated battle, making contact with the wall, having a tire failure, or something like a crash.

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 31, 2020

▶▶ While it may be a while’s away, with 2021 looming, how hopeful do you feel about continuing your NASCAR efforts with Kaulig Racing?

I mean, it’s something that if it’s on the table, I would definitely think about it. No matter what, we’ll be doing races next year and what that number looks like remains to be seen. But I really love being a part of this team and hopefully Matt and Chris and everybody enjoy having me here. I really feel like there’s a great chance that we’ll be racing together next year.

How many races? I can’t tell you that. We’ll see how it kind of works (out) through the talks. With the NBC Sports (deal), I like that side as well.

So, I’ve got the best of both worlds. But if there was ever a full-time opportunity, it’d definitely be hard to not say no.

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IN THE HOT SEAT

▶▶ If a Hollywood movie studio approached you to make “The AJ Allmendinger Story,” which actor would you recruit to depict you on the big screen?

Well, everybody tells me I look like Tweeter from Varsity Blues. Scott Caan, blonde hair, all slicked back. People have said that before. Or Brad Pitt, what am I saying? ▶▶ Brad Pitt seems to be a very popular pick for you drivers with this question. He needs to meet you. But I would’ve said Richard Gere, maybe not now, but way back during the Officer and the Gentlemen times.

I was gonna say, Richard Gere is like 107 years old! Why him? ▶▶ I’m not calling you old, but you both have that classic debonair look…

Alright, alright. Nah, we’ll go with Brad Pitt or Tweeter.

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 31, 2020

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17 JIMMIE JOHNSON

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21 CHRIS BUESCHER

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23 MICHAEL MCDOWELL

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 31, 2020

WINS

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JUSTIN HALEY

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HARRISON BURTON

752

6

BRANDON JONES

652

7

JUSTIN ALLGAIER

750

8

ROSS CHASTAIN

860

9

MICHAEL ANNETT

663

10 RILEY HERBST

582

11 RYAN SIEG

526

12 BRANDON BROWN

472

13 JEREMY CLEMENTS

440

14 MYATT SNIDER

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15 JOSH WILLIAMS

386

16 JESSE LITTLE

384

17 ALEX LABBE

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27 MATT MILLS

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28 COLBY HOWARD

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29 KYLE WEATHERMAN

155

30 KODY VANDERWAL

148

31 JEB BURTON

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32 DAVID STARR

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33 STEPHEN LEICHT

102

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 31, 2020

WINS

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TOP 5

TOP 10

6 0 13 17 5 0 15 18 2 0 10 15 2 0 7 14 2 0 11 15 2 1 7 11 1 0 5 12 0 0 9 19 0 1 3 13 0 0 3 13 0 0 3 7 0 0 0 4 0 0 1 4 0 2 2 5 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 8 0 0 1 6 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 BLUE AREAS HIGHLIGHT PLAYOFF QUALIFIERS

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MATT CRAFTON

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BRETT MOFFITT

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BEN RHODES

483

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10 TODD GILLILAND

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11 DEREK KRAUS

398

12 TANNER GRAY

342

13 RAPHAEL LESSARD

338

14 STEWART FRIESEN

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15 JOHNNY SAUTER

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16 TY MAJESKI

275

17 AUSTIN SELF

215

18 TATE FOGLEMAN

197

19 SPENCER BOYD

184

20 JORDAN ANDERSON

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21 SPENCER DAVIS

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22 CORY ROPER

161

23 CODIE ROHRBAUGH

159

24 NATALIE DECKER

118

25 TYLER HILL

118

26 CLAY GREENFIELD

115

27 PARKER KLIGERMAN

105

28 TIMMY HILL

92

29 ANGELA RUCH

84

30 JENNIFER COBB

84

31 RYAN TRUEX

79

32 CHASE PURDY

78

33 DAWSON CRAM

75

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 31, 2020 5/15/2020 8:30:21 AM

ROB’S RACIN’

ROB’S RACIN’:

JIMMIE JOHNSON’S GALLANT DRIVE SYMBOLIZES INCREDIBLE CAREER

BY ROB TIONGSON

A

lthough Jimmie Johnson’s courageous bid for the NASCAR Playoffs fell short by six points, the effort and determination spoke loudly for the seven-time Cup champion.

Following the past three trying seasons after his 2016 title, it seemed like Johnson and his No. 48 Ally Chevrolet team would make a valiant comeback.

With subpar average finishes of 16.8, 16.7, and 17.4 from 2017 through ’19, the 44-year-old El Cajon, Calif. native compiled a decent average finish of 14.8 prior to Saturday night’s 400-miler at Daytona.

Similar to his Hendrick Motorsports comrades like Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, and William Byron, the future NASCAR Hall of Fame racer struggled when racing resumed following the two-month COVID-19 0 3 8

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 31, 2020

les.

pause. Hendrick, the leading Chevrolet organization prior to the hiatus, scored a Thursday night win at Charlotte with Elliott, but lacked the overall speed displayed in the first four races.

Moreover, Johnson, who entered Round 5 of the year ranked fifth in the point standings, dropped to 17th with a rather paltry average finish of 18.06.

Certainly, Johnson, had some spring swoons such as a 38th in the Real Heroes 400 at Darlington, a race in which he wrecked while leading on Lap 90. Perhaps the biggest dagger to Johnson’s season was the post-race disqualification following the Coca-Cola 600, dropping from his initial runner-up result to a costly 40th.

Initially, it seemed like that Charlotte debacle didn’t take the winds out of their sails, particularly with a third at Bristol, seventh at Atlanta, and 10th at Martinsville. However, it was evident that Johnson and crew chief Cliff Daniels struggled with speed and handling from Round 12 at Homestead through Round 22 at Michigan.

Of course, Johnson, who claimed to not be superstitious, revealed a white, brightly colored “rAlly” paint scheme that’d be the primary look of his car starting with the Daytona road course race and beyond.

Karma or not, Johnson shook off some of the bad juju with a solid fourth, his first top-five since the spring Bristol race in June.

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 31, 2020

START RUN STORE Logging solid top-10 results during the Drydene 400 doubleheader weekend at Dover, it seemed like Johnson and his No. 48 team were on the verge of another patented comeback.

For a majority of Saturday night’s race at Daytona, Johnson raced with confidence, aggression, and incredible resolve. Finishing fifth in the first two stages of the regular season finale, he scored some critical stage points over his Playoff bubble rivals in Matt DiBenedetto and Hendrick teammate William Byron.

Avoiding the usual shenanigans customary to pack racing at Daytona, Johnson was in position to possibly win or race his way into the Playoffs in the final laps. While Johnson scathed through the first “Big One” on Lap 152, he wasn’t as fortunate on Lap 159.

Running towards the front of the field on the outside lane, Johnson had nowhere to go as he was involved in the Turn 2 melee. Driving his wrecked machine to pit road, Johnson’s team worked ardently on repairing his car.

No longer in race-contending shape, Johnson and his team were still determined and ready to fight for every possible spot and point available on the track. Despite the now incredibly, insurmountable odds they faced following the crash, it did not stop this resilient bunch.

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ROB’S RACIN’ Ultimately, Johnson placed 17th in the race, six markers from the final Playoffs spot earned by Matt DiBenedetto.

Once he clambered out of his car, Johnson was gracious in defeat and immediately congratulated William Byron, his Hendrick teammate.

“First and foremost, congratulations to my teammate getting his first Cup win like that,” Johnson said.

“This setting and the drama to go with it, that’s a big win for Chad Knaus and William Byron. I’m really happy for those guys. I really felt like we had a way to transfer, to win, or point our way in the way it went in the first two stages.

Things just got ugly down in turn one. Unfortunate, but that’s plate racing.”

Instead of making excuses or feeling self-pity, Johnson observed his missed opportunities but commended his crew on their efforts with their efforts towards a lateseason rally.

“When I look back at the disqualification at Charlotte and then missing the Brickyard 400 due to my COVID-19 positive test and only miss it 0 4 2

by six points, we did all that we could this year,” he said. “I’m so thankful for Hendrick Motorsports and the career that I’ve had there, the relationship with Ally and their continued support for this race team. Cliff Daniels and these guys on my team, they pour their guts out for me.”

Before Johnson hangs up his helmet on full-time Cup racing, the competitive, spirited racer turned the page with his NASCAR story. Specifically, he observed how he’d like to pen these final 10 races of the year and his sparkling career.

“There’s 10 races left, 10 trophies to go chase and we’ll have to focus our efforts there,” Johnson observed.

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 31, 2020

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BY THE NUMBER

38

BY THE NUMBER

CAR NO.

BY K EITH WA LTZ

■■ 2005 – Elliott Sadler (Getty Images photo)

J

ourneyman NASCAR racer David Gilliland made 243 NASCAR Cup Series starts in car No. 38, but pioneer racer Gwyn Staley enjoyed the most success in cars carrying the number as he won three times during the 1957 season.

Interestingly, three-time NASCAR champion Lee Petty was the first to drive a car carrying No. 38. During the inaugural Cup Series race on June 19, 1949, at the three-quarter-mile

■■ 2020 – John Hunter Nemechek (Getty Images photo)

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Charlotte Speedway dirt track, Petty finished 17th after his 1948 Buick was eliminated in a mid-race crash.

Staley scored the first victory for car No. 38 on Aug. 26, 1957, at Coastal Speedway, a halfmile dirt track in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Driving a 1957 Chevrolet entered by Julian Petty, Staley started third and led only 15 of the 200 laps.

Driving the same car, Staley added two more victories that season as he also visited Victory Lane at the New York State Fairgrounds and Pennsylvania’s Langhorne Speedway.

Overall statistics show that cars carrying No. 38 in the NASCAR Cup Series have won seven times and recorded 96 top-10 finishes in more than 860 starts.

Other drivers to win in car No. 38 are Elliott Sadler (2), Ned Jarrett (1) and Bob Welborn.

Bob Jenkins’ Front Row Motorsports has been the caretaker of No. 38 since 2010 and rookie John Hunter Nemechek currently drives the No. 38 Ford.

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 31, 2020

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THE CURSE OF THE 24 CAR IS NO MORE In this week’s episode of Danny B Needs a Minute, Danny has a full breakdown of this Saturday night’s race at Daytona, and what the impact is on these drivers moving forward. The 2020 NASCAR regular season is officially over, and it’s time to move on to the 2020 NASCAR Playoffs.

First things first, was the schedule change moving this weekend’s race from its usual spot on the calendar to July - worth the risk? Danny gives his honest take on what it means to run this late in the season.

Of course, it’s Daytona, so there was the 0 4 6

inevitable big one. Danny takes us through the beats of the stage 3 gamechangers.

Heavyweights like Kyle Busch were taken out, and of course the man of the night himself, Jimmie Johnson, had his night ruined getting collected in a wreck.

But it’s not all wrecks and bad news. Danny takes us through William Byron’s first Daytona win, and what this means for the driver of the No. 24. Is the curse of the No. 24 over, or did it just have the night off? Danny has the answers in this week’s episode of Danny B Needs a Minute.

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 31, 2020

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 31, 2020

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: AUGUST 31, 2020

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