Jimmie Johnson wrecks out of Clash for seventh consecutive year

For the last six years, Johnson had wrecked out of the preseason exhibition race at Daytona International Speedway. But with about half a lap remaining in Sunday’s Clash, Johnson was sitting third behind race leader Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano.

It was not to be.

Kyle Larson got into the back of Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet and he careened into the wall, and he was relegated to as 12th place finish in the 17-car field.

“You never know with these things,” Johnson said outside the infield care center. “Even sitting in the good position like I was, Joey and Brad were going to have to go at it pretty hard for me to get a shot at it.

“I don’t know how things went from there to the finish, but we were in a good spot and that’s good to know.”

Johnson said the nose on the new Camaro ZL1 is more pointed than the previous SS model and he wondered if getting hit from behind with it played a role in his wreck.

“Larson and I were just talking about that in the Care Center. I need to go back and look at the video and see if he really did get me center and if that could have been a contributing factor to it,” Johnson said.

“A lap before that, I think (Kurt Busch) got into me and pushed me pretty hard and everything was fine. So, in my head I cleared that concern and was looking out the windshield sitting in a great spot.

“Unfortunately I didn’t make it back.”