Explained: Jimmie Johnson’s Genius Move to Snub Darlington for Coca-Cola 600

Jimmie Johnson running part-time in the Cup Series hasn’t turned out to be a productive decision so far. Last season, the Legacy Motor Club driver ended up with DNFs in all three races he participated. Since it has only been a tad bit better in the 2024 campaign, the seven-time Cup Series champion had to come up with a smart move.

Given the limited races that Johnson will be competing in, his choices have to be spot on. One such decision seems to make total sense as he decided to race in the Coca-Cola 600 over the Darlington Race.

Jimmie Johnson counts on Charlotte Motor Speedway to make an impact in the Cup Series

It has been over two decades since Jimmie Johnson has been a part of the NASCAR Cup Series. While his skills behind the wheel have been a treat to watch, it is painful for his fans not to see him race regularly these days. With his 2024 campaign not being very impressive so far, all his bets lie on the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

In the four races Johnson has participated this season, the struggle has been quite evident. With a 28th-place finish in the Daytona 500, the former Hendrick Motorsports driver registered his first finish of the season. While his opening race came in February, it wasn’t until mid-April that he competed in his second race. With a P29 finish in Texas, he moved on to Dover to finish P28 again. However, in his most recent participation, his fortunes dipped even lower as he registered his first DNF of the campaign.

Given how Johnson is still finding his feet with the Gen-7 car and its dynamics, it totally makes sense why he chose to compete in the Coca-Cola 600 and not Darlington. While the 48-year-old driver has found success thrice in Darlington, his record in Charlotte has been extraordinary.

In 38 races, Jimmie Johnson has registered eight wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Not just that, with 16 top-five and 22 top-ten finishes, his success ratio on the track is more than impressive. It is only understandable why Johnson chose Charlotte over Darlington.

While Jimmie Johnson will be missed on the Darlington track by Legacy Motor Club fans, there is some good news for everyone.

Jimmie Johnson’s team set to compete with two cars at Darlington Raceway

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It is a pity to not see Jimmie Johnson back at Darlington, especially after seeing him compete in back-to-back Cup Series races. This meant Legacy Motor Club would be seen with two car entries instead of three on Sunday. While John Hunter Nemechek is trying to make a mark, Corey Heim’s short stint with LMC comes to an end as Erik Jones makes a return.

After suffering a back injury at Talladega Superspeedway, Jones’ return will come as a delight to the LMC faithful. As for Heim, he will be once again seen in the Cup Series later this year at Nashville driving the third entry for 23XI Racing. On the other hand, while Jones missed the last two races, NASCAR granted him a waiver to be still eligible for the playoffs. However, Jimmie Johnson believes it is now not possible for Jones to qualify for the last-16 purely on points.

The LMC co-owner said, “Really feel like Eric on points would have been able to make it in the top 16. So, I hated that that opportunity is closed for him. It’s not over. We still want to race and Eric’s very capable of winning. We just need to get everything under him.”

It remains to be seen how Johnson and team manage to support Jones with their playoff ambitions. Unfortunately for them, their switch from Chevrolet to Toyota hasn’t been a productive one. Having said that, while other Toyota cars have performed well, so there’s certainly a lot of hope for Jimmie Johnson and his Cup Series team.