4 weeks agoAfter running out of fuel in his second Duel race, two-time Daytona 500 winner Jimmie Johnson fell from running as high as second to an eventual 19th-place finish. As a result, he starts 40th and next-to-last in Sunday's race as he was forced to advance to the Daytona 500 by virtue of his qualifying position instead of his Duel finish. Given his past history, his starting position, and the fact that the Toyotas seem to be the fastest in the draft based on the Duel races, he is a very tempting selection for DFS consideration, especially since he only costs $5,500. The problem is that most people don't expect him to finish the race, as he hasn't finished in five of his 12 starts since his return and he has never finished better than 26th in a race. There is some value here, but his ceiling is likely too low to make him a top option.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
4 weeks agoJimmie Johnson clinched a spot in Sunday's Daytona 500 by qualifying 29th in Daytona 500 qualifying on Wednesday evening, which ranked second among drivers for non-chartered teams. Johnson's qualifying run was impressive, as he outqualified both of his full-time drivers Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek while tying his Toyota stablemate Bubba Wallace in qualifying, even though the 23XI Racing cars are usually far faster than the Legacy Motor Club cars. The seven-time champion and two-time Daytona 500 winner is unlikely to contend in either his Duel race or the Daytona 500 itself, as he has never finished better than 26th or had an average running position better than 19th since his 2023 return. But at least he avoided the ignominy of a high-profile DNQ.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
4 months agoJimmie Johnson is arguably the second-greatest Phoenix driver of all time behind only Kevin Harvick, but all four of his wins came at the height of his championship power run in 2007-2009 and he has not raced there since the 2020 season finale, his last race as a full-time driver where he did manage his last top five finish. Johnson actually qualified a little better than usual as his 23rd-place starting position is tied for his second best since his return, but he was still outqualified by his teammates John Hunter Nemechek and Erik Jones and neither of them has had a good season either. The Legacy Motor Club qualifying times suggest they may have a little more speed than usual so it's possible Johnson might beat his best finish of 28th for Legacy, but it's hard to imagine him actually being competitive.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
5 months agoJimmie Johnson used to be great at Las Vegas with four wins from 2005 to 2010, most notably the 2006 event where he led only the final lap after passing Matt Kenseth on a green-white-checkered restart. However, he has not been competitive anywhere with the Next Gen car and Legacy Motor Club hasn't been much better. He starts 29th today and considering he finished either 28th or 29th in four of the five races he finished, you can probably figure on him getting a similar finish today if he doesn't crash. Since his average running position has never been better than 28th this season, even a top 20 would be a big stretch.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
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