Jimmie Johnson’s NASCAR career has had it all. But on Saturday – as he was moments away from extending his career by reaching the playoffs – there was still some drama left that eventually changed the scenario. Jimmie Johnson was involved in a multi-car wreck, less than two laps from the finish. His hopes of making the playoffs ended with it.

“Things just got ugly down in Turn 1. Unfortunate, but that’s plate racing,” Johnson said after the race.

William Byron sealed his playoffs spot in some style, winning his first career Cup Series race at the iconic Daytona International Speedway. Matt DiBenedetto joined him there with a 12th place finish. Johnson finished 17th in the race, and in the final standings.

How it all went down for Jimmie Johnson

Johnson, Byron, and DiBenedetto – all had some role in the late action at Daytona. The wreck started when Joey Logano and Bubba Wallace made contact, with less than two laps to go. Logano held on but William Byron made contact with him soon.

He was then hit by Matt DiBenedetto, which turned him. He then hit Matt Kenseth, who in turn was hit by another car that sent him up the track and into Jimmie Johnson. The No. 48 car of Johnson went into the wall and suffered heavy damage.

The late drama turned it all around in the playoffs race

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The equation in the playoff race changed completely because of the incident. Just before the wreck, DiBenedetto and Johnson held the final two spots, with Byron languishing in 17th.

Byron passed through just before the wreckage began behind him, and jumped all the way into the playoffs. Johnson was the favorite to make it through before it all went down.

“This is incredible man. Its been a hard couple of years in the Cup Series, trying to get my first win. These guys (his team) have done an awesome job today and got us into the playoffs,” Byron said after the race.

DiBenedetto also escaped it all to just make it through. “We made it. I don’t care how we did it. All my goal was to come here, make it, and we got some really good competitors…Man, I wanted this so bad for the team,” he said after the race.