and make a three-wide move to the inside. Without much space into the corner, and with the obvious mechanical failure, the car broke sideways and impacted the outside retaining wall hard. The following week, Johnson had another run-in with teammate Kasey Kahne, resulting in a second consecutive DNF; his third in the last four races. Regardless, Johnson (from his wins earlier in the season) was able to qualify for the playoffs. Entering the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, the defending champion was still one of the favorites to win the title, despite his results over the summer stretch. After earning his first Top 5 finish (third) since his Dover victory, fittingly in the fall Dover event, he advanced through the opening round and into the Round of 12. Johnson scored a seventh-place finish at Charlotte to open the second round, but the following week was involved in "The Big One" at Talladega. He was scored with a 24th-place result, after his car was disqualified for violating the NASCAR Damaged Vehicle Policy in which his crew worked on the car during the red flag. In the elimination race at Kansas Speedway, Johnson entered with a seven-point advantage. After having two separate spins, he drove his way through a large multicar accident off turn 2, involving Playoff drivers Matt Kenseth and Jamie McMurray, and rebounded with an 11th-place finish. Assisted by fellow Playoff contenders finding trouble, Johnson qualified into the Round of 8, by just nine points. Unfortunately, Johnson's performance slipped in the third round. He finished 12th at Martinsville, but was followed by a disappointing 27th-place result at Texas. Entering the final race in the round at Phoenix, Johnson was 51 points behind the Playoff cutoff, and in a near must-win situation. However, on lap 148, Johnson's hopes at an eighth championship ended when he blew a tire in turn 3, and hit the outside wall hard, ending his day and eliminating him from the Playoffs. Johnson finished 10th in the final standings, his 15th and final Top 10 finish in the points standings. 2018: Final season with Knaus and Lowe's Johnson's Speedweeks did not go smoothly, wrecking in each of his three races. At the Advance Auto Parts Clash, he was wrecked on the last lap by Kyle Larson; this was the seventh year in a row he failed to finish the Clash. Johnson qualified third for the 2018 Daytona