Jimmie Johnson

Jimmie Johnson

status	active
NASCAR Cup Series statistics
Best placement	1. - (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2016)
Starts Victories Poles Top 10 619 83 35 354
NASCAR Xfinity Series Statistics
Best placement	8th - (2001)
Starts Victories Poles Top 10 93 1 2 24
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series statistics
Best placement	104th - (2008)
Starts Victories Poles Top 10 1 - - -
Data status: March 13, 2019

Jimmie Kenneth Johnson (born September 17, 1975 in El Cajon , California ) is an American automobile racing driver who is active in the NASCAR Cup Series , in which he won seven titles. He drives the number 48 Chevrolet, sponsored by Ally , for Hendrick Motorsports . The owner of the car is Jeff Gordon .

With seven titles he is the record winner of the NASCAR Cup Series together with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt .

Career

Early years

Jimmie Johnson began his racing career on 50 cc motorcycles at the age of five, where he celebrated his first successes. At the age of eight he won the championship in the 60cc class, although he suffered a knee injury a few races before the end of the season. He switched from motorcycling to racing cars and competed in several off-road leagues, including the SODA Series, SCORE International and the Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group. He collected over 25 wins, 100 top 3 results, six championships and received the Rookie of the Year award in all three racing series. Johnson drove for Herzog Motorsports in the SODA series in 1996 and 1997. Johnson was also a live reporter for ESPN on the SODA series.

In 1998 Johnson drove in the American Speed ​​Association (ASA), in which he finished fourth in the overall standings and received the "Rookie of the Year" award. At the same time, Johnson began racing in the NASCAR Busch Series , now the Nationwide Series. In 1999 Johnson continued in the ASA and Busch Series, won two races in the ASA and finished third at the end of the season. In 2000, Johnson became a permanent driver in the Busch Series for Team Herzog Motorsports, finished tenth in the overall standings and came third in the battle for the award of Rookie of the Year . He won his only one of 81 Nationwide Series races in 2001 at the Hills Brothers Coffee 300 at Chicagoland Speedway .

During the 2001 season, his team could no longer provide him with a car due to a lack of sponsors, as the previous sponsor Alltel had switched to Penske Racing after Roger Penske's son Greg was appointed to the board of Alltel and spoke out in favor of the change. During the drivers briefing for the Busch Race at Michigan International Speedway , Johnson asked Jeff Gordon, who was also participating in the race, for advice. Gordon stayed in touch with Johnson and a few months later Hendrick Motorsports offered a spot on the development program, with the option of promotion to the Nextel Cup for the 2002 season.

Cup Series

During his time in the Cup, Johnson always finished at least fifth overall, was runner-up twice (2003, 2004) and won the NASCAR Cup Series from 2006 to 2010. Since his rookie season, Johnson has been the second of all active drivers in wins averaging 4.5 wins per season (behind Jeff Gordon with 5.6 wins) and second in the average top 10 single season finishes with 21.25 (behind Tony Stewart with 21.28). In 2006, Johnson became only the second driver to win the prestigious Daytona 500 and Allstate 400 at the Brickyard in one season. He is also the only driver who has managed to win the legendary Coca-Cola 600 three times in a row. He also holds the record in NASCAR for five championships in a row (2006-2010).

2002 season

Johnson began racing in the Sprint Cup in 2002, which was still called the Winston Cup at the time. In his very first Daytona 500 , he took pole position straight away and finished 15th at the end of the race. By the end of the season Johnson had won three races, the NAPA Auto Parts 500 , the MBNA Platinum 400 and the MBNA All-American Heroes 400, and became the first rookie to lead the overall standings. He finished his first full season in fifth place in the championship. In the ranking of Rookie of the Year , however, he had to admit defeat to Ryan Newman , despite 21 top 10 results.

2003 season

In 2003, Johnson had three wins, 14 top-5 and 20 top-10 results. In addition to the New England 300 and Sylvania 300 , he also won the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway . He finished the season in second overall behind champion Matt Kenseth . In addition to the three point races, Johnson also won the Winston .

2004 season

In 2004 Johnson started the season with a few bad results, but won his first race of the season in the fifth race at Darlington Raceway , the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 . With further victories at the Coca-Cola 600 , Pocono 500 and Pennsylvania 500 , he secured qualification for the Chase for the Nextel Cup . But after two bad results in Chase at the EA Sports 500 in Talladega and the Banquet 400 in Kansas , he had already written off the championship. After he won three races in a row with the UAW-GM Quality 500 , the Subway 500 and the Bass Pro Shops / MBNA 500 and had a few good results, he was within 18 points of Kurt Busch before the last race of the season . However, Busch remained in the lead and was eight points ahead of Johnson champion.

2005 season

In 2005, Jimmie Johnson stayed in the top five overall, winning the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 in Las Vegas , the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway , the MBNA NASCAR RacePoints 400 at Dover International Speedway and with the UAW-GM Quality 500 the second race of the season at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Along with victories in the 2004 season, Johnson won four races in a row at Lowe's Motor Speedway. At the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway , Johnson had a chance for the championship title, but an accident caused by a puncture ended his championship ambitions. Tony Stewart , Greg Biffle , Carl Edwards and Mark Martin finished in the championship ahead of Johnson, who finished fifth.

2006 season

In the 2006 season Johnson won his very first Daytona 500 , although his actual crew chief Chad Knaus was temporarily suspended by NASCAR during a rule violation in qualifying. In the Auto Club 500 on California Speedway he finished second behind Matt Kenseth and beat him in the subsequent UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 on Las Vegas Motor Speedway by half a car length. With his victory in the Aaron's 499 on the Talladega Superspeedway in front of teammate Brian Vickers , Johnson completed his career grand slam, which means at least one win in each of the races described as the four crown jewels of the series. After winning the Nextel All-Star Challenge and the associated cash prize of one million US dollars , he finished second at the Coca-Cola 600 a week later. Later in the season, Johnson won the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard after falling back to 38th place due to a puncture in the race. Despite a bad start in the Chase for the Nextel Cup with a 39th place at the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway , Johnson secured his first championship 56 points ahead with a win at the Subway 500 at Martinsville Speedway and four second places Matt Kenseth.

2007 season

Johnson as defending champion, as tradition demands, with his wife as a guest at George W. Bush

The start of the 2007 season was anything but good for Johnson. After an accident at the Daytona 500, he had to give up the race and was ranked 39th. In the next race, the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway, Johnson reported back with a third place, before winning three races in four weeks with the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 , the Atlanta 500 and the Goody's Cool Orange 500 . After further good results with the victory at the Crown Royal Presents The Jim Stewart 400 at the Richmond International Raceway , a slack followed in the middle of the season with three results outside the top 35. With victories at the Sharp AQUOS 500 at California Speedway and the Chevy Rock and Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway, Johnson secured a place in the Chase for the Nextel Cup, in which he was the championship leader ahead of Jeff thanks to his six wins this season Gordon started who had dominated the regular season on the championship table.

With a win at the Subway 500 at Martinsville Speedway , Johnson won the seventh race of the season and with another win at the Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway , he came within nine points of Gordon, who has been back in the lead to date Mastery had taken over. He donated his prize money for the latter race to the victims of the forest fires in San Diego . Johnson continued his winning streak, winning two more races with the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway and the Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway . He was the first driver to win four races in a row since Jeff Gordon in the 1998 season. With a seventh place in the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Johnson secured his second championship in a row, 77 points ahead of Jeff Gordon.

2008 season

Johnson's racing car of the 2008 season

In the 2008 season , Johnson secured pole position at the Gatorade Duel 1, the Daytona 500 , the Auto Club 500 , and the Food City 500 . His first win was the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at the Phoenix International Raceway . This was followed by a few mixed races with placements outside the top 30 in the Crown Royal Presents The Dan Lowry 400 in Richmond and in the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte and four other placements within the top 10 by halfway through the season. Johnson started the second half of the season with a second place at the LifeLock.com 400 in Chicago and a win at the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard in Indianapolis . After two further top 10 finishes and two results outside the top 15, including a 33rd place at the Sharpie 500 in Bristol , Johnson took his third win of the season at the Pepsi 500 in Fontana and also won the Chevy Rock and Roll a week later 400 in Richmond .

Johnson then started third in the championship standings in the Chase for the Sprint Cup , finishing second and fifth in the first two Chase races, followed by a win at the Camping World RV 400 in Kansas . Further victories followed at the TUMS QuikPak ​​500 at Martinsville Speedway and the Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 in Phoenix . In between, Johnson drove into the top 10 three times and finished once in 15th place. In the last race, a 15th place was enough for him to secure the championship title with 69 points ahead of Carl Edwards . It was his third title in a row and, 30 years after Cale Yarborough, Johnson is only the second driver to win it.

2009 season

In the 2009 season , Johnson showed similarly strong performances as in previous years. He mastered the qualification for the Chase for the Sprint Cup with confidence. During the chase, Johnson scored four wins, so he won the championship again at the end of the year. Johnson is the first driver in the history of the Sprint Cup to win the title for four consecutive years. At the end of the year he was honored with the Associated Press' Athlete of the Year award .

2010 season

The 2010 season started well for Johnson with three wins in the first five races. As the season progressed, however, Johnson was involved in a number of accidents, some of which were the result of unusual mistakes Johnson made. Jimmie Johnson was able to secure the fifth consecutive championship in the Sprint Cup on November 21, 2010 by finishing second in the last race of the season, the Ford 400 , as the first driver in Nascar history. It was also the first time since the Chase for the Sprint Cup that a driver won the championship who did not start as a points leader in the last race.

Johnson before the Richmond race in September 2011

2011 season

In the Budweiser Shootout in 2011, Johnson was able to convince again by starting from 23rd position and reaching fourth place. In the Daytona 500, however, he was relegated to a sobering 27th place after an accident. His first win was the Subway Fresh Fit 500 on the Talladega Superspeedway , beating Clint Bowyer by just 0.002 seconds and setting the record for the closest finish in the series. During the Coca-Cola 600 he only lost the victory because of an engine failure. After the Toyota / Save Mart 350 (Sonoma, 16th race) Johnson was in third place in the drivers' standings.

The next 10 races up to the Chase for the Sprint Cup went well for the 5-time champion, but he couldn't get any bonus points for the chase rating. At the start of the chase in Chicago, Johnson was in 6th place in the drivers' standings, although he was listed as the leader in the tables for a long time before the play-off system. At Hollywood Casino 400 he was finally able to celebrate his second win this season. But then his title chances should slip away. He was only able to convince during the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway , but was overtaken by the eventual champion Tony Stewart shortly before the end, which was a sensation on this short track, and finally finished second. Johnson finished the season in sixth place overall.

2012 season

In the 2012 season Johnson won five races in Darlington, Dover, Indianapolis, Martinsville and Forth Worth. He was also able to win the All-Star Race for the third time , drawing level with Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt. He had a chance for the title until the last race of the season, but due to a penalty and a gearbox damage in the last race of the season, he only finished third overall.

2013 season

The 2013 season got off to a strong start for Jimmie Johnson when he won the 55th edition of the iconic Daytona 500 on February 24, 2013. This was followed by three more successes on the traditional Martinsville Speedway, on the Pocono Raceway and on the Charlotte Motor Speedway, where Johnson won the Allstar Race for the fourth time and is therefore the driver with the most victories in this race. Martinsville and Charlotte are among Johnson's specialty routes. On July 6, he also won the summer race in Daytona Beach, the "Coke Zero 400", with 94 of 160 leading laps. So Johnson won both races at Daytona. This "sweep" was last made by Bobby Allison in 1982. Since his Martinsville success in April, Johnson consistently led the points table up to Chase. In the Chase he was able to park his Hendrick-Chevrolet with the starting number 48 two more times in Victory Lane (Dover and Texas) and thus built a comfortable 28 point lead over Matt Kenseth. In Homestead Miami, the final race of the season, Johnson finished ninth to secure his sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title.

2014 season

Statistically, 2014 was Johnson's weakest season, with an average placement of 15.3. His worst value to date was 13.5 from his rookie season in 2002. Nevertheless, he was able to bring in four wins this season. He finished the season in eleventh place, the first time Johnson had not been in the top six drivers overall.

2015 season

Despite 4 wins this season, Jimmie Johnson doesn't make it further than the Challenger Round of the Chase. After he had already left the Chase, he was still able to win in Texas, thus winning the fall race at the texas Motor Speedway for the fourth time in a row.

2016 season

In the 2016 season Johnson was able to qualify for the Chase with two races won by then. In the first lap of the chase he was able to collect the most lead laps in two races, but was unable to bring the victory over the finish line due to penalties for excessive speed in the pit lane. Even so, he made it to the next lap, where he won the race in Charlotte. It was the first time it reached the top 8 after the new Chase system was introduced in 2014. On this lap he was able to win the first race again, this time in Martinsville. He was one of the four drivers who could win the title in Homestead. He won the final race, among other things, because the ahead of him Carl Edwards had an accident and had to retire. With the win, he secured his seventh title, drawing level with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.

Other racing series

Johnson took part in two races in the Grand-Am sports car series in 2007 , the Daytona 24-hour race and the Porsche Brumos 250, both of which were held at Daytona International Speedway . Teammates were Jim Mathews and Marc Goossens .

Johnson also competed in a number of off-road events, such as the Race of Champions in 2002 and 2004 for the USA team . In 2006 he was supposed to start again at Travis Pastrana's side , but could not compete due to an injury and stood by as an advisor.

Jimmie Johnson Foundation

In February 2006, Johnson founded the Jimmie Johnson Foundation named after him. She supports children, families and associations in need across the United States. In particular, she tries to make the children's dreams and wishes come true.

The Jimmie Johnson Foundation supports charities that advance the foundation's mission. The projects supported include and included the fulfillment of children's wishes through the Make-A-Wish Foundation , the support of the American Red Cross or the construction of a bowling alley for children with chronic and life-threatening diseases in the Victory Junction Gang Camp .

Web links

Commons : Jimmie Johnson  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Driver statistics on racing-reference.info