Daytona Clash Jimmie Johnson Accident Quotes

Jimmie Johnson

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – Sidelined in a single car crash on lap 48:

THIS IS LIKE SHADES OF LAST YEAR DURING SPEEDWEEKS WITH YOUR TEAMMATES HAVING SIMILAR ISSUES, IS THIS MORE OF A HENDRICK AERO ISSUE OR THE TRACK BEING SLICK?

“I don’t know. I guess last year there were a couple of issues there. It’s so bizarre because the car hasn’t been loose anywhere else. The first time I got loose I got into the NO. 41 (Kurt Busch) and crashed him and I feel terrible for that. And then that time, I didn’t think it was going to turn around. I was about half-throttle running along. I’m not sure if the car behind me got close and helped my cause, but it had been very loose off of Turn 4 from the moment I crashed Kurt, on. Maybe the track is changing. We certainly plan to race at night. And it’s weird because I’ve made a living out of a loose race car and to have it bite me this afternoon, and unfortunately take the No. 41 out, I’m disappointed in myself and our situation for that."

WHAT HAPPENED IN THOSE TWO WRECKS?
“It’s bizarre because it drove really good everywhere else, then off of (Turn) 4 the first time I had a handling problem was when it broke free and I got into the No. 41 (Kurt Busch) and then after that it was really loose. After that caution and the last long stretch before I crashed again. Just off of Turn 4. The sun certainly sits on that edge of the track a little bit harder than anywhere else. We will take some notes and learn from those mistakes and apply that to the (Daytona) 500 car."

IT APPEARS THAT DALE EARNHARDT, JR. AND CHASE ELLIOTT HAD SIMILAR ISSUES LAST YEAR IN THE DAYTONA 500. IF THEY ARE SIMILAR HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN BATTLING THIS ISSUE?
“We haven’t talked about it leading into this. I saw Chase (Elliott) really loose a couple of times off of (Turn) 4. We will definitely be aware of it now, but it’s not anything that we planned on having to fight while we were out here."

HOW DID THINGS WORK GOING THROUGH THE NEW CONCUSSION PROTOCOL?
“I think because of the way my crash happened, maybe I did the protocol in there, I’m not really sure. They just evaluated me. It just seemed like a normal routine, so I don’t think I was in question to really go into the protocol. I will find out, I guess, at some point."

DID YOU SEE ANYONE ELSE STRUGGLING WITH THE LOOSENESS OF THE CAR?
“I saw the No. 24 lose it off the bottom a couple of times, the No. 4 car was in the middle inside of me and got pretty loose. I guess as I’m working through the questions and answers now I’m thinking track position probably has a bigger role in it. When I lost track position when I first lost it and got into the No. 41 and then the No. 24 and No. 4 and myself all having troubles I saw around me we were all at the tail-end of the pack and there is just less air back there."

WHAT IS CAUSING THAT?
“I would have to assume that it is relative to the height of the rear spoiler. When there is less air and the air is so turbulent back there, the spoiler is so small it is real easy to get the pressure off of it and then the back just rotates around."

WHAT DO YOU GUYS NEED TO DO TO SOLVE THIS ISSUE?
“We can adjust rear shocks, rear ride height and try to get more pitch in the car in a sense to keep the spoiler up in the air longer."