Were we too hard on Jimmie Johnson and Hendrick Motorsports? Here’s what we learned from NASCAR’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.
Jimmie Johnson has always put on a show at Texas Motor Speedway, and the seven-time NASCAR champion did it again on Sunday. Johnson won the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 and earned his first win of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.
It didn’t come without a price, though, as Johnson had to visit the infield care center after the race for dehydration. He may be the most in-shape driver in NASCAR but even Superman is only human.
Meanwhile, Kyle Larson continued his reign in Texas with another podium finish (we’ll let you guess where) and pit road remains the most dangerous place to hang out on the racetrack. The Lone Star State gave us far more than one thing to talk about.
Here are our takeaways from the 2017 O’Reilly Auto Parts 500:
1) We can all stop worrying about Jimmie Johnson
Now that Johnson and the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team have a win under their belts, we can stop the speculation about whether or not they’ve finally run out of gas. Johnson found a way to win when he needed one at Texas.
Not only that but he should be admired for the fact that he was literally pushing his body to the limit in order to make it happen. It was a gutsy performance in a time of need, and it proved that Johnson still has what it takes to thrive in NASCAR.
Now let’s hope he takes that Easter weekend off and gets some well-deserved rest. And a lot more Gatorade.
2) We can all stop worrying about Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Everyone’s been watching Dale Earnhardt Jr. this season, wondering if his prolonged absence last year would have any affect on his driving this year. When he struggled early, some folks were quick to blame the concussion. But Earnhardt should have also silenced his doubters at Texas by coming home fifth.
Sure, it’s not a race win or even a trophy, but fifth is nothing to turn one’s nose up at. There are a lot of drivers who’d have loved to finish fifth on Sunday. And it’s something to finally get the monkey off his back. Now with a top 5 to give them some confidence, let’s see what the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports team is able to do at Bristol.
3) We can all start appreciating Kyle Larson
If you’re not already, you should start talking more about Kyle Larson. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver is finally having the kind of season that NASCAR fans have been waiting for him to have. He notched another second-place finish in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 and is still your Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points leader by 17 markers over Chase Elliott. We may tease him for being a constant runner-up, but there are far worse things than always finding yourself in the top 2, especially if it leads you to being number one in the championship.
4) Pit road is a very dangerous place
Pit road isn’t just for speeding penalties anymore. Another week and there was another incident during pit stops; this time, Erik Jones made contact with Chris Buescher and sent him on a ride that he didn’t want. It was an accident and mistakes happen, but seriously, how many times does something have to happen on pit road that spoils somebody’s race? At least it wasn’t as bad as the one at last year’s Indianapolis 500.
5) The Ryan Blaney Show could soon be a thing
NASCAR fans have to have some sympathy for Ryan Blaney, who won the first two stages of the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 and led more than 100 laps only to not get the checkered flag at the end. He drove one heck of a race for a small team and a young man whose career is still developing. Now if only Blaney could get Earnhardt to take his phone calls, he’d be all set.
Next: Could Blaney get Wood Brothers their first win?
The next Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race is the Food City 500 on Sunday, April 23 from Bristol Motor Speedway at 2 p.m. ET. Until then, keep up with all the latest NASCAR news at the NASCAR section of FanSided here.