“I’m Not Gonna Stay Around”- Richard Petty Hands the Torch to Jimmie Johnson After Nebraska “Logistics” Betray NASCAR

Well, nothing is going according to plan at Kansas Speedway. With untimely rain playing a spoilsport ahead of the AdventHealth 400 race, Richard Petty has already decided to ditch the event.

The Grand Marshal for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race was scheduled to give the command to start the race, but his commitments won’t allow him to stay further at the venue. Yes, he is not going to stay around in Kansas as duty calls him to join a group of rookie and veteran motorcyclists from Bettendorf, Iowa to Indianapolis, Indiana. Sharing an update via his Instagram handle, The King said,

“It’s raining here at the racetrack and I’m not going to stay around to say ‘gentleman start your engines.’ Head to Omaha, gonna catch up with Kyle Petty Charity Ride. See y’all later on.”

If not for setbacks faced due to the pandemic, the charity would have been celebrating its 30th anniversary (instead of 28th) this time. This would have coincided with what has been 75 years since the name Petty was attached to competitive racing. An opportunity that has grown bigger every year, dozens of motorcyclists ride to raise money for Victory Junction and other children’s charities that help organize camps for children with medical conditions. Helping Victory Junction for 20 years now, the charity has raised over $21 million in the last 25 years!

“I keep waiting for somebody to slap me on the ride and say, ‘Hey, it’s just a joke, man, it’s all over,’” Kyle Petty told NBC Sports. “Because it’s just a ride. All we do is ride motorcycles. I tell people all the time, ‘We don’t go to the moon. We don’t cure cancer. We just ride motorcycles… It truly amazes me that it just continues and it continues to grow, continues to bring in more money, continues to touch different people.”

As for the race, replacing Richard Petty, his partner and LMC co-owner Jimmie Johnson will now give the start command to kick-start the AdventHealth 400 race. That is if the rain clouds clear out and the racing surface is dried out in time to get the event up and running.

Given the situation, the idea of a night race in Kansas cannot be ruled out. However, this is just an optimistic guess for the time being.

Jimmie Johnson’s bad luck with the Next Gen car continues at Kansas

Jumping back in the Legacy Motor Club’s #84 Toyota car, Johnson for the first time this season competed in consecutive Cup Series races. However, despite making it to the final stage of the event, he once again got caught up in the wreck, sending his race car spinning off the race track on Lap 176.

Upon seeing smoke ahead of him, Johnson tried to lift and avoid getting caught in a pile-up. However, Corey LaJoie, driving the #7 car, couldn’t react in time and made contact with the #84 car; the wreck sent Johnson into the inside wall. Whereas, LaJoie himself spun and collided with Austin Hill.

After the accident, the California native sort of gave a death stare to LaJoie as his car was pulled out of the racetrack with the safety crew. In an interview with Bob Pockrass, he spoke about his thoughts on the crash. “I was just setting up for the corner, and I got hit from behind. I’m definitely not happy. I know it wasn’t intentional, I know Corey and a lot of these guys out there. They’re not just going to dump you going into the turn. But a little more awareness in that situation would be good.” 

With four out of the nine attempts elapsed, it is hard to see Johnson genuinely compete for a big result. However, with the mile-and-half race still left on his schedule, he will be able to get a redemption shot for his disappointments today at Kansas. He will be back in the #84 LMC Toyota car next at Charlotte Motor Speedway.