Elliott Thinks Johnson Has A Shot To Win The Indy 500

Chase Elliott gives a thumbs up to fans prior to the NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway on March 13, 2022. Photo: Logan Riely/Getty Images

Before he turns his attention to a 600-mile marathon at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday evening, Chase Elliott’s focus will be elsewhere.

Elliott’s former Hendrick Motorsports teammate, seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, will take the green flag as a 46-year-old rookie in the Indianapolis 500 at 12:45 p.m. on Sunday.

“I’m super intrigued and I’m excited for him,” Elliott said before NASCAR Cup Series practice at Charlotte. “I think he has a legitimate shot at it, from what I’ve kind of kept up with. His performance at Texas (Motor Speedway, where Johnson finished sixth) I think impressed a lot of people. I wasn’t super surprised by that, just with as good as he is on ovals and how much oval experience that he has. So I think that’s really cool.

“Like I said, I feel like he’s got a shot at the win tomorrow. I’m going to try and keep up the best I can. I feel like our day is always getting kind of busy when that race is going on, or at least when it starts to wind down. It starts to get really good when we’re starting to do sponsor stuff. I’ll try to keep up with it. Hopefully he’s in the running and, if so, I might be late to one or two obligations if Jimmie is leading that thing coming down to the end.”

Not to throw cold water on Elliott’s expectations, but in 105 previous Indy 500s, only two drivers have won from 12th on the grid — Johnson’s starting spot.

And only 10 rookies have won the most prestigious IndyCar race. Alexander Rossi was the last to do so in 2016.

Ty Gibbs Charges From The Rear To Take Second On Saturday

Josh Berry may have won Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway by a wide margin, but then again, he had a massive head start on second-place finisher Ty Gibbs.

Berry started fourth in the Alsco Uniforms 300 at the 1.5-mile track. Gibbs, on the other hand, started at the rear of the field in a repaired No. 54 Toyota after hitting the wall in Friday’s practice and failing to make a qualifying run.

By the end of Stage 2, Gibbs had worked his way up to seventh, and though he was no match for the race winner, his second-place run was a triumph of sorts, given the adversity he faced.

“We were just a little slower than those guys, and I was too tight (in the) center (of the corners),” Gibbs said. “Our guys worked really hard overnight to get this thing ready, so I’m very thankful to my guys.

“Just need to be able to rotate the center of the corner. That’s where we were lacking the most and that’s where we got beat. But we held onto a second-place finish. We’ll take that – solid day.”

Solid, yes, but not satisfying.

“No, never satisfied unless you win, and you can make mistakes and win, too, but you have to fix those,” Gibbs said. “If not, then you shouldn’t be here.”

NASCAR Cup Series
Charlotte Motor Speedway – Concord, NC
Coca-Cola 600 – May 29, 2022

Sunday’s Starting Line Up

Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed
1. 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Ground Toyota 29.399 183.680
2. 45 Kurt Busch Monster Energy Toyota 29.402 183.661
3. 20 Christopher Bell Yahoo! Toyota 29.403 183.655
4. 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Red White and Blue Toyota 29.427 183.505
5. 24 William Byron Liberty University Patriotic Chevrolet 29.520 182.927
6. 2 Austin Cindric # Menards/Cardell Cabinetry Ford 29.621 182.303
7. 23 Bubba Wallace McDonald’s Toyota 29.623 182.291
8. 8 Tyler Reddick Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet 29.638 182.199
9. 48 Alex Bowman Ally Patriotic Chevrolet 29.643 182.168
10. 34 Michael McDowell Fr8Auctions.com Ford 29.820 181.087
11. 12 Ryan Blaney BodyArmor EDGE Ford 29.617 182.328
12. 99 Daniel Suarez CommScope Chevrolet 29.701 181.812
13. 9 Chase Elliott NAPA Chevrolet 29.721 181.690
14. 19 Martin Truex, Jr. Bass Pro Shops Red White and Blue Toyota 29.725 181.665
15. 14 Chase Briscoe Mahindra Tractors Ford 29.760 181.452
16. 3 Austin Dillon Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Chevrolet 29.822 181.074
17. 21 Harrison Burton # Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford 29.865 180.814
18. 4 Kevin Harvick Mobil 1 Ford 29.868 180.796
19. 17 Chris Buescher Fifth Third Bank Ford 29.914 180.517
20. 31 Justin Haley LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet 29.929 180.427
21. 41 Cole Custer Chicken Cock Whiskey Ford 29.929 180.427
22. 1 Ross Chastain Advent Health Chevrolet 29.946 180.325
23. 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 29.994 180.036
24. 10 Aric Almirola Smithfield Ford 30.020 179.880
25. 43 Erik Jones FOCUSfactor Chevrolet 30.020 179.880
26. 15 Ryan Preece(i) Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford 30.141 179.158
27. 16 Noah Gragson(i) Charlotte Knights Chevrolet 30.188 178.879
28. 42 Ty Dillon Black Rifle Coffee Company Chevrolet 30.223 178.672
29. 47 Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Kroger/Reese’s Chevrolet 30.232 178.619
30. 38 Todd Gilliland # Boot Barn Ford 30.317 178.118
31. 78 B.J. McLeod Circle B Diecast Ford 30.469 177.229
32. 77 Josh Bilicki(i) Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet 30.729 175.730
33. 51 Cody Ware Nurtec ODT Military Salutes Ford 30.958 174.430
34. 50 Kaz Grala(i) SEGI TV Chevrolet 31.884 169.364
35. 6 Brad Keselowski Kohler Generators Ford 58.599 92.152
36. 5 Kyle Larson HendrickCars.com Chevrolet 0.000 0.000
37. 7 Corey LaJoie The USO & Coca-Cola Chevrolet 0.000 0.000