Daytona 500: Massive Wreck Takes Out Jimmie Johnson and Multiple Other Racers

Seven-time Dayton 500 champion, Jimmie Johnson, had his day cut short following a massive car crash with 16 laps left to go. Making matters worse for Johnson is that this is his final race at the event. In total, nearly half of the field was affected by The Big One.

The crash began with Brad Keselowski being turned into the wall and taking a slew of cars out with him on Lap 181. The initial crash appeared to be a result of a push by Joey Logano and Aric Almirola, who also was taken out in the scene.

For Johnson, his illustrious career at the Daytona 500 comes with an unfortunate ending. He will retire from the sport following the 2020 season. He made the announcement in November.

“I’m so thankful for 18 incredible years of racing in NASCAR,” Johnson said in his announcement. “The sport has been good to me. It has allowed me to do something I truly love. I showed up chasing a dream and achieved more than I ever thought possible. I’m looking forward to next season and celebrating what will be my last year as a full-time NASCAR Cup driver. I know what this team is capable of, and I hope 2020 is one of the best yet.”

Johnson’s winless drought now stretches to 96 races.

Seeing his race come to an abrupt end was a not-so-pleasant sight for his fans.

“Big sad jimmie johnson didn’t get to win his last #DAYTONA500 but atleast it’s his last daytona crash,” one user tweeted.

Afterwards, Keselowski explained what happened on his end as his car was the forefront of the major wreckage.

“It was just one of those racing deals,” Keselowski said.”…Unfortunately, it didn’t come together there at the end. I probably made a little bit of a bad move not blocking the 6 and 95. I didn’t know the 95 was that darn fast. He pushed the 6 like a rocket and I didn’t think they would come with that big of a run and when they did, I didn’t cover it. I put myself into a position where when they did wreck, I couldn’t make it through.”

A slew of crashes have headlined the Daytona 500 on its second day after it was postponed on Sunday. Among those was a spinout from William Byron.