He had the dominant car of the race, leading 182 of 267 laps. 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. He became the 12th driver to win 50+ NASCAR races when he won at Bristol in March and went up to 10th on the all-time wins list. I swam in high school. [49] During the last race of the regular season, the Wonderful Pistachios 400, Johnson finished in the 31st position. [225], Johnson was also featured in Ally Racer, a mobile game created to honor his final season by Ally Financial. [112][113][114] At Watkins Glen, Johnson finished 19th after being spun out by Ryan Blaney, leading to an argument between the two after the race. The seven-time Cup Series champion will retire at the end of the 2020 season when his contract with Hendrick Motorsports is up. Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson returned to the NASCAR world after retiring from the sport in 2020. [71] Afterward, Johnson finished sixth after winning his first pole position of the season in the Quaker State 400. On lap 59 of the Daytona 500, he got caught up in a wreck started by Ryan Blaney, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., which also involved his teammate William Byron, Erik Jones, Daniel Surez, Trevor Bayne, and Ty Dillon and ended up 38th. [41][42], After the 2008 season, Johnson became the second driver to win three consecutive NASCAR Cup Series championships, the first being Cale Yarborough. Fans expecting to see him in the No . NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson says the "physicality" of IndyCar vehicles has made adjusting to the sport difficult. 48 team guided Johnson to five consecutive championships between 2016-2010. [111] On March 29 in O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 qualifying at Texas, Johnson got his first pole since 2016 at Texas and scored his first Top 5 finish since the 2018 Coca-Cola 600 two days later. He charged through the field and finished seventh (1st car a lap down) and moved to the "Round of 12" of the Chase. In 2008 Jimmie Johnson also raced in his first-ever truck series race, the O'Reilly 200 at Bristol, where he led 28 laps before spinning out on lap 101. Jimmie Kenneth Johnson (born September 17, 1975) is an American professional auto racing driver. He tells David Malsher-Lopez why, while Ganassi managing director Mike . Throughout the year Johnson largely struggled in IndyCar, frequently running at the back of the field and struggling with spins and accidents. Johnson came into 2017 as the defending NASCAR Cup Series champion. Maury and I connected, this opportunity came to light and its the perfect fit for me. [67] Next, in the Coca-Cola 600, Johnson finished 11th in the race after a penalty on lap 354. The second time I did and moved him out of the way.[44]. He initially had a test scheduled in March with Arrow McLaren SP at Barber Motorsports Park before it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[156] a second attempt with Chip Ganassi Racing on the Indianapolis road course in July was postponed when he tested positive for the virus. Petty GMS was formed in December 2021 when Gallagher, a two-time NASCAR Truck Series Championship team owner, purchased Richard Petty Motorsports. Sour Cream Dips 400, Johnson spun off turn two, flattening multiple tires, and breaking the sway bar which prompted him to a finish of 27th. [68] After the Coca-Cola 600, Johnson went on to win his second race of the season in the FedEx 400. [75] Johnson was able to hold off Keselowski's hard racing, which even prompted Tony Stewart to say that he was driving with a "death wish". It helps fund basic needs, such as technology, outdoor classrooms, playground construction, and reading programs. He won the Coca-Cola 600 that year, which broke the record for the most yellow flags in a Cup Series race, by beating Bobby Labonte by .027 seconds. Johnson's only great run of the season came at the Charlotte Roval race where he ran in the Top 10 for most of the day and battled Martin Truex Jr. for the win on the final lap, but he locked his brakes on turn 17 and spun out of control, taking Truex out with him in the process while Blaney passed them to win the race. Hill and Justin Allgaier gained steadily on Smith over the final 10 laps and eliminated Smiths 2.5-second lead. The next couple of days I was really sore. Johnson is featured in the 2011 racing video game Jimmie Johnson's Anything with an Engine. [154] Johnson finished 31st after being involved in an overtime crash. [59] While at Bristol Motor Speedway for the Food City 500, Johnson finished in the ninth position, moving him up to 11th[60] in the Drivers' Standings. The finish moved Johnson to third in the Drivers' standings. This year weve accomplished so much together with Maury and now adding Jimmie will only continue to help us grow. Lydia Johnson, 8, climbed aboard a Supercross-style dirt bike and hit a local track for the first time with her dad. This also snapped a nine-year winless streak for Johnson at Pocono since sweeping both of the track's 2004 NASCAR Cup Series races. May 23, 2022 at 11:33 a.m. EDT. After graduating from Granite Hills High School he competed in off-road series. During that time, he became a legend winning a record 7 NASCAR Cup series titles tying him with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. In 2018, Johnson received the fourth-annual Byrnsie Award, named after the late Fox NASCAR broadcaster Steve Byrnes, during FS1's RaceDay prior to the running of the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.[205]. He started and finished second behind team-mate William Byron in Duel 2. In 2013, Johnson began his season with a 14th-place finish in the 2013 Sprint Unlimited when he crashed on lap 14 along with Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, and Denny Hamlin. [64] Afterward, he recorded a third-place finish in the STP 400 at Kansas on April 22, 2012, and a sixth-place finish in the Capital City 400 at Richmond one week later. Johnson became the first rookie driver to lead the point standings and to win twice at the same track during a season, by sweeping both races at Dover. 18th of 36 points races on the 2023 schedule, what would be just the fifth ever Memorial Day Double attempt. At Chicagoland Speedway, Johnson started fourth and took the lead on lap 7 from Austin Dillon. "It was one of those deals. Cameras followed him from January 2010 to the 52nd Daytona 500 held on February 14, 2010. When Johnson made the decision to retire from full-time NASCAR after the 2020 season and switch to IndyCar in 2021, he knew he had to lower expectations. He rebounded at Bristol by finishing 4th but had bad luck once more at Darlington. After finishing fifth in the points in his first full season, he was second in 2003 and 2004 and fifth in 2005. [139], Prior to the Go Bowling 235 at the Daytona road course, the No. He had to swerve quickly to the right to avoid the No. [187] Johnson lives in Charlotte, North Carolina[3] like many other NASCAR drivers. It was also the first time since his 2006 win that he finished better than 27th in the Daytona 500, after a streak of six years where he had never finished better than 27th because of crashes and mechanical failures. [105] Entering the final race in the round at Phoenix, Johnson was 51 points behind the Playoff cutoff, and in a near must-win situation. In 2009, he became the first racing driver to win the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year Award in the United States. [170] He still attended the event to cheer for teammate Travis Pastrana. [208], In 2012, Johnson was featured in a NASCAR segment of Top Gear along with NASCAR drivers Jeff Gordon, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Kyle Petty. Johnson's Cup ride, the No. [73] After finishing seventh during the Lenox Industrial Tools 301,[59] Johnson recorded his third victory of the season and his fourth career win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, tying Jeff Gordon for what was the record for the most wins in the Brickyard 400.[74]. Jimmie Johnson will return to NASCAR and compete in select NASCAR Cup Series races in 2023, starting with the Daytona 500, after entering an ownership agreement with Petty GMS owner Maury Gallagher and chairman Richard Petty. Junior Johnson, byname of Robert Glenn Johnson, Jr., (born June 28, 1931, Wilkes county, North Carolina, U.S.died December 20, 2019, Charlotte, North Carolina), American stock-car driver who ranks among the most influential figures in National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing ( NASCAR) history. Lose with a load of whiskey, and you go to jail. This was followed by a streak of three poor finishes of 36th at Bristol, 28th at Atlanta, and 40th at Richmond due to crashes and mechanical failures. Because there are more than four non-chartered cars on the entry list and his No. I am. The car eventually ran in the 2020 Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500, finishing 36th due to engine issues. Early in their respective racing careers, Jimmy Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were celebrating after a race, and things got a bit out of hand. Johnson inadvertently stirred up the lighthearted tempest when he posted a photo of his pleated new uniform last Friday, drawing playful derisive comments from Chase Elliott, Clint Bowyer and Kyle Busch (all of whom prefer NASCAR's baggier style). Chad Knaus collected 82 NASCAR wins as a crew chief, 81 of them were with Jimmie Johnson. However, Johnson won the Coca-Cola 600, his first win in the race since 2005. [28] Throughout the season, he became the only modern era driver to win at least three races in each of his first five seasons. After the season concluded, he won an ESPY for the second consecutive year, and won the Driver of the Year award for the third time, tying Jeff Gordon, Mario Andretti, and Darrell Waltrip as the only three-time drivers to win the award. It fired off OK with a lot of grip. Johnson had a chance to win the championship coming into the November 20 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but finished fifth in points after crashing at the midway point of the event with a tire problem. Johnson noted he was "so happy to be alive and OK. He ended up 19th. That goal faded as he became one of the greatest NASCAR drivers of all time,. [81] One week later, Johnson finished 22nd after spinning sideways late in the race. He stays in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA together with his family. [207], Johnson starred in an episode of the HBO reality television series 24/7, titled "Jimmie Johnson: Race to Daytona". [55] Johnson finished fourth in the Good Sam RV Insurance 500,[49] after bumping Kurt Busch on the final lap. At Talladega, Johnson was spun by Paul Menard and got involved in a multi-car accident with 28 laps to go, finishing 22nd. At Talladega, Johnson started fifth and led 50 laps, only to finish second to Earnhardt Jr. At Kansas, Johnson gambled by staying out on the last round of pit stops and held off Harvick and Earnhardt again to win his third race at Kansas and of the season. [40] Johnson later became the first racing driver to be named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year (in 2009). [130], On July 3, 2020, two days before the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis, Johnson announced he had tested positive for the coronavirus, forcing him to miss the race and Justin Allgaier to take over the No. Hill, 28, took the races second stage, leading Brandon Jones, Kyle Busch, Sam Mayer and Sammy Smith to the finish line. He called me one day and said, Ive been talking to Jimmie Johnson, and I said youve got to be kidding. Returning to Daytona, Johnson started 12th and led 35 laps before finishing second to Dale Earnhardt Jr., in a repeat of the Talladega race. He went on to finish 12th in the spring event at Martinsville after being involved in a crash on the first green-white-checker attempt. He spun out on lap 134 in turn 4, bringing out the seventh caution, and was never a real threat. A fourth-place finish the following week at Darlington allowed Johnson to further solidify his point lead over Edwards. Johnson began the 2016 season with a 16th-place finish at the Daytona 500. It was also the first race with new sponsor Ally Financial and crew chief Meendering. This snapped a 663-race streak in which Johnson started a Cup event. In the 2009 season, Johnson recorded his fourth consecutive championship, becoming the only driver to win four back-to-back season titles. The following week, Johnson would finish just outside the Top 10 at Richmond, after colliding with teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr late in the event, leading to an eventual flat tire and spin for the driver of the No. [61] Next, Johnson finished tenth in the Auto Club 400, despite having an oil leak,[62] but the rain saved Johnson from a low finish. Johnson avoided the accident and was put into the position to win the title. He also remained the only driver to qualify for the Chase every year since its inception in 2004. 1 pick in '22 MLS SuperDraft", "Las Vegas Episode Guide 2006 Season 3 Urban Legends, Episode 15", "HBO's 24/7 Jimmie Johnson: Race to Daytona to Debut January 26", "Top Gear Thursday: Richard Hammond Says NASCAR Driving is 'Like Climbing into the Belly of a Dragon', "Jimmie Johnson becomes first athlete co-host for SportsCenter", "Jimmie Johnson visits a massage therapist on 'Repeat After Me', hijinx ensue", "NASCAR Champ Jimmie Johnson Gets Animated For Bubble Guppies", "Schwartz: NASCAR Drivers Lend Their Voices To Nickelodeon Show", "Jimmie Johnson To Be on Cover of Sports Illustrated", "Video! Johnson said his new NASCAR deal escalated quickly after he entered into discussions with Gallagher over the past month. Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports Jimmie Johnson retired from NASCAR after the 2020 season, but the 46-year-old driver made headlines after saying he's open to returning to the sport to The. 48 car for Chip Ganassi Racing. Johnson won his first pole position of the season at Martinsville and had the dominant car, leading 346 of 500 laps on the way to his eighth Martinsville race win. 48 Lowe's SS. Johnson began the 2012 season with a 14th-place finish in the Budweiser Shootout after crashing on lap 74. No Purchase Necessary, U.S. res 18+, Ends 1/23/23. However, he didn't keep up with the momentum. 48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in the Cup Series, doing so for 20 seasons (19 as a full-time driver). This is a life-changing opportunity for me, and one I had to take, Johnson, 47, said. Jimmie Johnson has confirmed a second race as a part of his plans for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season with Legacy Motor Club. Returning to Texas, Johnson had the dominant car, leading 255 laps to his sixth win of the season. After winning in 2013 and 2016, he became the third driver to become a seven-time champion. [166] During his first oval race in the series, the XPEL 375 at Texas, Johnson finished a then career-best sixth. [79] In the Daytona 500, Johnson started well, assuming the lead from Jeff Gordon on lap 32 and leading a handful of laps before falling back to the middle of the pack. He wasn't so lucky on the second spin late in the race; while running fifth, he spun out again at the same place, and hit the wall in pit road, causing some nose damage. Johnson began the Chase for the Championship by leading a race-high 118 laps at Chicagoland, but received a speeding penalty during a green flag pit stop late in the race, ultimately finished 12th. On 17-9-1975 Jimmie Johnson was born in El Cajon, California, USA. [23] Johnson had a total of eight wins, 20 Top 5's and 23 Top 10 finishes. He also was named the 2008 Driver of the Year and won an ESPY as the Best Driver. His second victory of the season came in the fifth race, the Auto Club 400, where Johnson passed Harvick in an overtime finish. [133][134][135] He finished the race in 18th. Hired to drive the team's second Chevrolet, Neil Bonnett went winless in 1984. Johnson finished eighth the following week at Loudon. He plans to compete in the inaugural race at the new Chicago Street Course on Sunday, July 2. The driver is married to Chandra Janway, his starsign is Virgo and he is now 47 years of age. Cup Series invader Kyle Busch, winner of Fridays Truck race, lost a shot at the Las Vegas triple but had a strong top-five run. 84 Chevrolet is one of them, the two-time Daytona 500 winner technically isnt locked into the race. During the season, he won seven races (including a sweep at Phoenix), a career-high of six poles, 15 Top 5's, and 22 Top 10's. From my standpoint, its a big, big step. He went on to finish fourth followed by a third-place finish at the rain-shortened Coke Zero Sugar 400 a week later, his best finishes of the season. It worked out.. [100] 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. After losing his starting spot due to a pre-race inspection fault, Johnson started at the rear of the field. Johnson made his NASCAR Busch Series (now NASCAR Xfinity Series) debut at the 1998 Indianapolis Raceway Park event, where he finished 25th for ST Motorsports. After spending the last two seasons in IndyCar, formerly retired. Neil Bonnett - 3, 1985-86 After winning premier series championships with Hall of Fame driver Darrell Waltrip (2012) in 1981 and '82, Junior Johnson & Associates expanded to a two-car team in 1984. Fresh off his second Daytona 500 victory, Johnson challenged host Ellen DeGeneres to a go-kart race. Petty GMS announced Friday that seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson has entered into an ownership agreement with the team, becoming part-owner of the organization alongside. However, on a restart on lap 246, Johnson was slow to get up to speed and was subsequently touched and spun by Joey Logano, costing Johnson a shot at the win and giving the race to Matt Kenseth. The next week at Texas, Johnson was again one of the fastest cars, putting up a Top 10 lap before getting loose and hitting the wall in stage 2. However, a 24th-place finish kept him from advancing to the Eliminator Round. Jimmie Johnson and LEGACY MOTOR CLUB are ready to take command on the track, like @jamindavis25 does on the field. With Kenseth finishing 23rd, Johnson took a 28-point lead to the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In December 2010, Johnson visited Collinswood Language Academy. Johnson said the meetings came through his longtime agent Alan Miller, who also represents Petty GMS driver Erik Jones. There was a four wide salute before the race to honor him. "From his early days running moonshine through the end of his life, Junior wholly embodied the NASCAR spirit." He was able to redeem himself for this mistake the following week at Pocono by earning the pole position, leading the most laps, and winning his third race of the season, which increased his point lead to 51 points over Edwards. Johnson was ranked No. Bootlegging moonshine was essentially a hereditary trait for Junior Johnson, a Wilkesboro, North Carolina native. Early life and race career. He then rebounded with back-to-back wins at the 2017 O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 in Texas (started from the rear of the field) and the 2017 Food City 500 at Bristol, his first win at The Last Great Coliseum since 2010. [167] Johnson proceeded to collect his first career IndyCar top 5 in his first ever trip to Iowa Speedway at the Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300 presented by Google on July 24, 2022. Jimmie Johnson, making his return to stock car racing after a two-year dalliance in IndyCar, topped the first practice session for the Daytona 500 on Friday. Johnson is the all-time winningest Cup Series driver at the following tracks: Johnson won a Cup Series race at every track on the 2020 schedule except at Chicagoland Speedway (where he won his first NASCAR race, in the Busch Series), Kentucky Speedway, Watkins Glen International, The Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway and the Daytona International Speedway Road Course. [10] Johnson finished second in the two races at Fairgrounds Speedway he participated in over those two years. Johnson was also named Driver of the Year for the fourth time in his career, joining Gordon as the only drivers to win the award that many times. [50] During the Subway Fresh Fit 500, he managed a third-place finish. 48 is also playable in Forza Motorsport 6, via the NASCAR expansion pack. 48 team changed the Ally paint scheme from black to white, which Johnson branded as a "rAlly" livery in an effort to "reset" his luck. The best way to make a small fortune in racing is to start with a big one. Ol' seven-time has returned to NASCAR after a humbling two years in IndyCar as part owner and sometimes driver at what's called Legacy Motor Club. His Top 10 finishes during the period came only in the Coca-Cola 600 and Brickyard 400, where he finished third in both races. Hill passed Chandler Smith for the lead as they approached the start-finish line to take the white flag. Feedback on our suggestions. The two-time Daytona 500 winner and seven-time Cup Series champion reached a top speed of 194.25 mph around the 2 1/2-mile superspeedway. Josh Berry, replacing the injured Chase Elliott in the Hendrick Motorsports No. Johnson will also drive in select races for the team. So the deal was to put Lowe's money behind him and let him run with it. [214], Johnson has appeared on the cover of several magazines, including NASCAR Illustrated;[215] Sports Illustrated;[216][217] Men's Fitness,[218] and Success. The Johnson family was involved in the whiskey business before he was born. Later during a caution on lap 362, he lost fuel pressure but was able to get the car refired and stayed on the lead lap again. The first was the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway, where Johnson started on the outside pole and tandem-drafted with Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the entire race. Damage to the car was severe, prompting him to retire and finish 42nd. Seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson has weighed in after making his return to the NASCAR Cup Series. Johnson made an appearance as himself in the 2005 film Herbie: Fully Loaded, commenting on Herbie's sunroof as unusual for a stock car to have, and his car is also briefly seen from Herbie's POV. At that point, I thought, I dont care if I win or finish. [222] His 2011 car was later added to the game in the Spec II update of the game, with his 2013 car also being featured in the 2013 sequel Gran Turismo 6. Updated Feb 19, 2023 at 8:39pm. At Dover, his Chase hopes came to an end when his car broke a driveline, leading him to finish 36 laps down in 41st place. [70] During the next two races, Johnson placed fifth,[59] moving him to fourth in the standings. Johnson took the advantage of leading on the last restart. [92] Johnson finished third and eleventh in the next two events of the season at Las Vegas and Phoenix. JUNIOR JOHNSON WAS BORN TO RUN MOONSHINE. Through Johnson's 19 full-time season at NASCAR's highest level, he racked up 83 wins in 686 starts, including two Daytona 500 wins (2006, 2013), in addition to his record-tying seven . My fans are always extremely loyal. Johnson now became the only driver to win at least three races in each of his first eight seasons, as well as the only driver to qualify for the Chase for the Championship every year since 2004. Johnson wins 200th for Hendrick", "Kahne wins at Charlotte, teammates in top 11", "Stewart emerges from wild finish for Daytona win", "Fourth Brickyard win stamps Jimmie Johnson as Chase favorite", "Keselowski is no longer 'Bad Brad' he's just better", "Blown tire all but ends Jimmie Johnson's title hopes", "Gears and lug nuts doom Jimmie Johnson's title hopes", "Jimmie Johnson 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Results", "Jimmie Johnson wins Daytona 500; Danica Patrick eighth", "Jimmie Johnson races to record 4th All-Star win", "Trouble snares Hendrick quartet at Michigan", "Johnson 1st driver to sweep Daytona since 1982", "Johnson's time disallowed, will start at rear", "Jimmie Johnson caps major rally at New Hampshire", "Jimmie Johnson wins record eighth victory at Dover", "Jimmie Johnson makes it nine wins at Dover", "Jimmie Johnson falls from No. Johnson has long been attempting to narrow down the list of races in which he wants to compete throughout the year.