Jimmie Johnson looks on during Daytona 500 qualifying

Jimmie Johnson Reflects on Being Fastest Open Driver in Daytona 500 Qualifying

Don’t look now, but Jimmie Johnson looks like he is getting back into form. He was the top open car in Daytona 500 qualifying. The seven-time NASCAR Cup champion wasn’t near the front of the field, but he put together a solid lap that locked him into Sunday’s race.

For Jimmie Johnson, qualifying isn’t something he’s used to. Not since his rookie year has Johnson been in a position quite like Wednesday night. With a few exceptions.

Together with Travis Pastrana, the two drivers took the open spots up for grabs in qualifying.

There are more spots to be earned in the Duels, but the No. 84 and 67 won’t be worrying too much. Now, Johnson is just relieved he can relax a bit before Sunday.

“Yeah, it is a huge relief,” he said to the media afterward. “Came down here for my rookie season when the 48 team was just started up. We had to get in through qualifying. That was a very stressful moment. So I’ve kind of fallen back on that experience, although it was 20-something years ago now.”

Even though he put a good lap out there, Jimmie Johnson felt like he let his team down. It didn’t feel like a fast lap when he was in the car, and he figured they would have to earn their way into the race another way.

Jimmie Johnson Bounced Around to a Qualifying Spot

While Jimmie Johnson was in the car, he felt that it moved a lot. He said that he was bouncing all around and wasn’t sure if that was meant to happen or not. However, he kept it going and tried to drive as fast as he could.

When the RPMs dropped in fifth gear, he was sure something was wrong with the car.

“The experience, because of the RPM being so much lower, with this rules package, I thought there was something wrong with the engine. I didn’t think it was running correctly. Then I saw my name on the pylon when I came around off of turn four. Well, much better than I thought sitting there in fifth,” Johnson said laughing.

Jimmie Johnson is in The Great American Race. Can the seven-time champ surprise the field? It all goes down on Sunday.