Jimmie Johnson, 7 others switching cars for Daytona 500
ASSOCIATED PRESS
David Gilliland (92) scrapes the apron in Turn 1 as Justin Marks (51) and Jeffrey Earnhardt (00) pass him during the first of two qualifying races for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 15 in Daytona Beach, Fla.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. >> Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson and seven others are switching to backup cars for the Daytona 500.
All of the teams sustained damaged in qualifying races Thursday. The group includes Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron, 2012 Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Austin Dillon, Aric Almirola, Matt DiBenedetto and David Gilliland.
NASCAR also said Friday that Johnson, Keselowski, Almirola and DiBenedetto will swap engines.
NASCAR rules for Speedweeks mandate any engine change not related to crash damage would require starting at the rear of the Daytona 500 and the next race in Atlanta. Since the engine changes are due to crash damage, none of those four will have to start at the back of the pack in Atlanta.
