The Lottery for No. 48 is highly sought after by several potential NASCAR Cup Series drivers. It’s a big win for one lucky driver. And perhaps for Hendrick Motorsports too.
Since seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson has said the 2020 season is his last full-time year in the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. The question most ask is who will replace him? Without an answer from team owner Rick Hendrick, speculation in the rumor mill is running rampant on social media.
FONTANA, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 01: Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Ally Chevrolet, leads a pack of cars prior to the start of the NASCAR Cup Series Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on March 01, 2020, in Fontana, California. Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images
FONTANA, Calif. – Before the green flag waved Sunday at Auto Club Speedway, Jimmie Johnson took prime position behind the pace car as the rest of the NASCAR Cup Series field fanned out five-wide behind him in a respectful salute to the seven-time champion.
When the green flag waved to signal the beginning of the Auto Club 400, Johnson saw his wife Chandra and daughters Genevieve and Lydia doing the honors from his second-place starting position.
FONTANA, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 29: Clint Bowyer, driver of the #14 Rush\HAAS CNC, points to his autograph after qualifying for the pole position for the NASCAR Cup Series Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on February 29, 2020, in Fontana, California. Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images
FONTANA, Calif. – It’s far too early to be thinking about Christmas, but Clint Bowyer was the Grinch whole stole the thunder from local favorite Jimmie Johnson during Saturday’s time trials at Auto Club Speedway.
With a stronger run off turn four on his qualifying lap, Bowyer edged Johnson by 0.007 seconds to earn the pole position for Sunday’s Auto Club 400 (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 12: Matt DiBenedetto, driver of the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford, speaks with the media during the NASCAR Cup Series 62nd Annual Daytona 500 Media Day at Daytona International Speedway on February 12, 2020, in Daytona Beach, Florida. Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Matt DiBenedetto is our first driver in a new feature at Fan4Racing. ‘In Focus’ will put a spotlight on various NASCAR drivers, crew members, and people in the industry. We also hope fans will enjoy learning more about each person.
At Wood Brothers Racing for the 2020 season, Matt DiBenedetto has made the most of his journey to get there. So, it’s not surprising that we might expect him to make the most of his time in the No. 21 for the organization. And so far, DiBenedetto is on a roll.
With just two NASCAR Cup Series races in the books, DiBenedetto is having his best-ever start of a season. It’s clearly still too early to judge his entire season. But his results thus far give some reason for optimism. With finishes of 19th at Daytona and a second at Las Vegas, he’s in a three-way tie inside the top-ten of the series point standings. And just 25 points away from the lead.
For the first time in his career, DiBenedetto is even with Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson at this point in the season. Hamlin is a three-time Daytona 500 winner. While Johnson is a seven-time Cup Series champion. Heading to Auto Club Speedway this weekend, that certainly gives DiBenedetto some confidence in that kind of company.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 21: Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Ally Chevrolet, drives during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on February 21, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images
Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway provided Jimmie Johnson with just the sort of consistent strong he needed after two winless seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Driving the new sleeker Camaro introduced into NASCAR’s top series this year, Johnson finished ninth in Stage 1, seventh in Stage 2 and fifth in the race after surviving a chaotic restart with two laps left.
The seven-time champion was upbeat after posting his first top-five result since last year’s July race at Daytona International Speedway.
“It was a strong day,” Johnson acknowledged. “With about 15 to go or so, I got into the outside wall and lost some spots. But we didn’t have a strong enough tire rub to cause any problems. We put rights (right-side tires) on before that final restart. Chaos was happening in front of me and I was able to sneak through to get a top-five finish…
“We’re trying to just understand this new Camaro body and the setup that needs to go with it. We’re close, but there’s still a little bit more work for us to do on our car to get the balance between the clean air and the traffic closer. But for the first try on a downforce track, the guys did a really nice job.”
