Jimmie Johnson disqualified from second-place Coca-Cola 600 finish after car fails post-race inspection
by Gary GasteluJimmie Johnson’s second-place finish at the Coca-Cola 600 was nullified after his car failed inspection following the end of the longest NASCAR race ever.
Johnson finished less than one second behind Brad Keselowski after an overtime period that saw the scheduled 400-lap race go 405-laps covering 607.5 miles.
The Hendrick Motorsports Camaro’s rear alignment was found to be past the allowed tolerance, and Johnson was relegated to 40th place.
“We think something must’ve broken, but won’t know until we get it back to the shop,” said Johnson crew chief Cliff Daniels. “Tough news after a strong night.”
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Cup Series director Jay Fabian said Hendrick has the right to appeal the decision, but that the rule was designed to prevent cars being built to intentionally break during the race to make them perform better, which has happened in the past.
Seven-time Cup Series champion Johnson was looking to get his first win since June 2017. Johnson is currently 15th in the NASCAR standings in what is expected to be his final season. Meanwhile, the win moved Keselowski into fifth place.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story has been updated to correct the model of Johnson's car.