The younger generation drivers excelled in yesterday’s Texas race. Knowing the Next Gen car inside out, Chase Elliott and others maneuvered their Cup cars expertly on the Speedway. However, one legendary driver from a past generation was in their midst. He could not catch up with the drastically changed mechanics.

Jimmie Johnson, a NASCAR Hall of Famer with 83 wins, appeared in Texas after a long break. He had achieved his 82nd win on the 1.5-mile track in 2017. However, the Cup car has evolved hugely since then, as Johnson fumbled. Veteran racer Kenny Wallace recently dissected his performance.

Jimmie Johnson called out for giving ‘excuses’

Johnson’s experience in the Next Gen car has not been bright. In the 2023 Coca-Cola 600, the Legacy Motor Club co-owner washed up in 37th place after a lap 70 crash. Similarly, he finished 28th in Daytona this year after getting entangled in a crash four laps down. 

Now, Jimmie Johnson did not fare well in Texas either. He was in the first wreck in the crash-filled race, spinning in Turn 4 on lap 50. NASCAR fans rallied to social media, asking him to hang up his racing helmet rather than engage in such embarrassing moments. Recently, Kenny Wallace also analyzed Johnson’s miserable performance with a harsh take.

Wallace compared Johnson’s hiatus with that of a basketball legend, stating, “So he takes the break, he goes and runs IndyCars. He kind of reminds me of Michael Jordan.” After winning his third consecutive championship, Michael Jordan retired in 1993. He cited internal controversies as well as family tragedy for his break.
However, Johnson’s situation is different, as Wallace claimed, “But this looks like this is gonna be a long road to hoe, so to speak.”

After Jimmie Johnson spun out in practice and failed to make the cut for qualifying, he justified his fate. He is used to driving the old cars off the right rear tire. But the side-wall stiffness of the Next Gen car’s tires takes away the freedom to slip and slide around. Johnson himself admitted that he needed to drive off the right front to make it work.

But Kenny Wallace did not hold back on his unfiltered opinion, remarking, “He says, ‘I got no practice, this is really hard on me. There’s not much NASCAR practice right now.’ Listen, we can line the excuses up. But I’ll go with Kenny Schrader. He says, ‘Listen, it’s not how you run, it’s how you place the blame.’”

Yet, despite fans and Kenny Wallace’s misgivings, it seems that Jimmie Johnson is determined to rein in his Next Gen issues.

Johnson is not giving up so soon

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Before winding up his analysis, Kenny Wallace did admit that Wallace was in a tough spot. He also observed that Johnson’s efforts started to pay off: “But around 147 laps of 270, he started getting there. And then he got involved in another mess-up.” 

Even before the race, Jimmie Johnson knew about his shortcomings and had his goal set straight. “I would assume and hope that towards the end of my events, I’ll be much more competitive (and) understand this car.” After the race, a small achievement is apparent among the glaring mistakes.

Johnson completed all 276 laps in the double overtime race, the most laps he has had in the current Cup car. He said optimistically post-race: “I now have an idea of what to do. I feel like I learned a lot this weekend to help myself.”

With this relentless dedication and grit, it might only be a matter of time until Jimmie Johnson dominates race tracks in the Next Gen car.