Jimmie Johnson

Jimmie Johnson
Johnson in 2015
Born	Jimmie Kenneth Johnson (1975-09-17) September 17, 1975 El Cajon, California, U.S.
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight	165 lb (75 kg)
Achievements	2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013 Sprint Cup Series Champion 2003, 2006, 2012, 2013 Sprint All-Star Race Winner 2005 Budweiser Shootout Winner 2006, 2013 Daytona 500 Winner 2003, 2004, 2005, 2014 Coca-Cola 600 Winner 2004, 2012 Southern 500 Winner 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012 Brickyard 400 Winner 2010 Prelude to the Dream Winner Six off-road racing championships
Awards	1998 ASA National Tour Rookie of the Year 2009 Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2013 Driver of the Year
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career
480 races run over 15 years
Car no., team	No. 48 (Hendrick Motorsports)
2014 position	11th
Best finish	1st (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013)
First race	2001 UAW-GM Quality 500 (Charlotte)
Last race	2015 Toyota Owners 400 (Richmond)
First win	2002 NAPA Auto Parts 500 (California)
Last win	2015 Duck Commander 500 (Texas)
Wins Top tens Poles 72 298 32
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
93 races run over 10 years
2013 position	111th
Best finish	8th (2001)
First race	1998 Kroger 200 (IRP)
Last race	2013 Dollar General 200 (Phoenix)
First win	2001 Sam's Club Presents the Hills Bros. Coffee 300 (Chicago)
Wins Top tens Poles 1 24 2
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career
1 race run over 1 year
Best finish	104th (2008)
First race	2008 O'Reilly 200 (Bristol)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 0 0
Statistics current as of April 26, 2015.

Jimmie Kenneth Johnson (born September 17, 1975) is an American stock car racing driver and a six-time champion in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He drives the No. 48 Chevrolet SS for Hendrick Motorsports.

Johnson was born in El Cajon, California, and began racing motorcycles at the age of four. After graduating from Granite Hills High School he competed in off-road series. He raced in Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group (MTEG), Short-course Off-road Drivers Association (SODA) and SCORE International, winning rookie of the year in each series. In 1998, Johnson and his team, Herzog Motorsports, began stock car racing. He moved to the national American Speed Association (ASA) series for late model touring cars, and won another rookie of the year title. In 2000, he switched to the NASCAR Busch Series (now Xfinity Series).

He moved to Hendrick Motorsports in the Sprint Cup Series in 2002. After finishing fifth in the points in his first full season, he was second in 2003 and 2004 and fifth in 2005. Johnson won his first Cup series championship in 2006 and with further wins in 2007, 2008, 2009 and in 2010 became the only driver in NASCAR history to win five consecutive championships. During the 2011 season, Johnson finished sixth in points, while he finished third in 2012. In 2013, Johnson won his sixth championship, one fewer than Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt who have the record for the most championships. Johnson is also a two-time Daytona 500 winner, with victories in 2006 and 2013. Between 2002 and 2015, Johnson has recorded six championships, 72 wins, 292 top-tens, and 33 pole positions.

Johnson became the first racing driver to become Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year (U.S.) in 2009, and has won Driver of the Year five times, most recently in 2013. He also topped Forbes.com's Most Influential Athletes list for two consecutive years (2011, 2012). Johnson is also the only driver to have qualified for the Chase every single year since its inception in 2004.

Racing career

Beginnings

Johnson started racing motorcycles in 1980 when he was four. Three years later, he won the 60cc class championship, despite having an injured knee.^[1] Afterward, he moved to the Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group (MTEG) Stadium Racing Series where he won several more awards. In 1993, Johnson was given the opportunity to drive for Herb Fishel. He refused the deal and continued racing buggies and trucks in off-road stadium and desert races. He also reported for ESPN in the Short Course Off-Road Drivers Association (SODA). Three years later, Johnson drove for Herzog Motorsports in the off-road truck series in 1996.^[1] By 1997, Johnson had progressed to SODA's Class 8; Class 8 is short-course off-road racing's class of two-wheel trophy trucks which generate about 800 horsepower.^[2] He battled Scott Taylor and Brendan Gaughan for the championship.^[2] That year, Johnson won both races at Lake Geneva Raceway's first race weekend in May.^[3] He also won the season's third event at Antigo before finishing second to Brendan Gaughan at Antigo's second race.^[4] Johnson returned to Lake Geneva in July, winning the Saturday race and finished 2nd on the following day.^[5] Taylor ended up winning the championship with Gaughan second and Johnson third.^[6] During his time in the SODA, SCORE and MTEG series, he accumulated over 25 wins, 100 top-three finishes, six championships, and received Rookie of the Year honors in all three leagues.^[7]

In 1998, he began racing on asphalt ovals when he entered the American Speed Association (ASA)^[8] as well as part-time in the NASCAR Busch Series (now Xfinity Series).^[1] In the same year, Johnson won the ASA Pat Schauer Memorial Rookie title.^[8] One year later, he had two wins and finished third in the standings.^[7] In 2000, he was announced the driver for Herzog Motorsports in the Busch Series. During the season, he finished tenth in the point standings. During the 2001 season, Johnson recorded one win, which was at Chicagoland Speedway, and finished eighth in the point standings. He also began racing in the Winston Cup Series (now Sprint Cup Series) for Hendrick Motorsports. In the following season, Johnson left Herzog Motorsports to move to Hendrick Motorsports in the Winston Cup Series, driving the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet.^[7][9][10]

Sprint Cup Series

2002–05

Johnson began racing full-time in the Winston Cup Series during the 2002 season. He earned his first career pole position for the 44th Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, becoming the second rookie to do so (the first was Loy Allen, Jr. in the 1994 Daytona 500.) In his 13th career start, Johnson scored his first career win in the NAPA Auto Parts 500 at Auto Club Speedway. 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 Dover International Speedway races. He recorded 4 pole positions and 3 wins (tying the rookie record set by Tony Stewart in 1999),^[11] as well as six Top 5's and twenty-one Top 10 finishes. He finished fifth in the final point standings.^[7][9]

During 2003, Johnson finished 9th on the all-time list for consecutive weeks ranked in the top-10 in points with 69. He recorded three wins (Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte and swept both New Hampshire races), two pole positions, fourteen Top 5's, and twenty Top 10 finishes, which he won both races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the season. He also was able to win the All-Star race for his first time, as well as finishing second to Matt Kenseth in the final point standings, 90 points behind Kenseth, and 207 ahead of Johnson's future teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr.^[12] His two pole positions in the season were at the Kansas Speedway and Pocono Raceway.^[9]

In 2004, Johnson started slowly at Rockingham Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway with results of 41st and 16th, after a Top 10 finish in the Daytona 500. However, he quickly was able to rebound with a win at the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 at Darlington Raceway. Subsequent victories at the Coca-Cola 600, the Pocono 500, and the Pennsylvania 500 came in the middle of the season, seeing Johnson sweep the Pocono races. However, finishes of 37th and 32nd at Talladega Superspeedway and Kansas Speedway moved him toward the bottom of the point standings. Afterward, he was able to win in the UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. The second victory of the 2004 Chase for the Nextel Cup, at the Subway 500 in Martinsville, Virginia on October 24, 2004, was marred by tragedy. Owner Rick Hendrick's son Ricky, twin nieces, brother, and chief engine builder Randy Dorton as well as Joe Turner, Scott Lathram were killed in an airplane crash en route to the race. All eight passengers and both pilots died in the incident, and Johnson was told after completion of the race.^[13] Johnson had a total of 8 wins during the season, as well as 20 Top 5's and 23 Top 10 finishes. At the end of the season, Johnson finished 2nd in the point standings.^[9][14]

In 2005, Johnson won at Las Vegas, Lowe's Motor Speedway, Dover International Speedway, and then again at Lowe's. In total, Johnson had 4 consecutive wins at his sponsor (Lowe's) sponsored track in Charlotte, North Carolina. Johnson had a chance to win the championship coming into the November 20 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but finished 5th in points after crashing at the midway point of the event with a tire problem.^[15] He recorded 13 top-fives, 22 top-10 finishes, and one pole position.^[9]

2006–10: championship streak

In 2006, Johnson began the season by winning the Daytona 500. He finished second at the next race at California Speedway and won the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Johnson also won the Brickyard 400, as well as two other victories at Martinsville and Talladega in the season. During the season, he became the only driver in the modern era to win at least three races in each of his first five seasons. At the end of the season, he recorded one pole, 13 top-five and 24 top-10 finishes, as well as winning the championship title, which was his first in his NASCAR career. In December of the same year, Johnson was announced the 2006 Driver of the Year.^[7][9][16]

In December 2007, Johnson commenced a program of exercise sessions and a run schedule supervised by John Sitaras, in order to balance his strength. Sitaras' initial assessment found that half of his body was much tighter, having acclimated to offsetting the g-force load from turning left while driving.^[17][18] In two years, Johnson's body fat percentage dropped from 20% to 8% (visible also in the change of the shape of his face), while his strength and stamina greatly improved.^[19] Johnson later became the first racing driver to be named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year (in 2009).^[20][21]

During the 2007 season, Johnson continued on a streak, and recorded ten wins, four pole positions, 20 top-five, and 24 top-10 finishes. His wins included both Richmond races, Atlanta, Martinsville, as well as one at Las Vegas Motor Speedway,^[7] Auto Club, Texas and Phoenix. Afterward, he won his second consecutive title, as well as being named 2007 Driver of the Year. Johnson also had the best average finish in the Chase with a 5.0. At season's end, he had a total of 33 wins, which was 18th at the time on the all time list.^[9][22]

After the 2008 season, Johnson became the second driver to win three consecutive Sprint Cup Series championships, with the other being Cale Yarborough. During the season, he managed to record seven wins, a career high of six pole positions, 15 top-five and 22 top-10 finishes. In five of his seven wins, he started from the pole position. He became the only driver to record three wins in each of their first seven seasons. In the Chase for the Sprint Cup, he had recorded 14 wins, eight more than any other driver. Also in the season, he was named 2008 Driver of the Year, and won an ESPY as the Best Driver. After the season, he also moved to third on the active winners list at the time.^[9][23]

In the 2009 season, Johnson recorded his fourth consecutive championship, becoming the only driver to do so. Throughout the season he won 7 races, 4 pole positions, 16 top-fives and 24 top-tens. 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 Sprint Cup every year since 2004. During the season he became second on the active winners list, while 13th on the all time winners list. After the season concluded, he was awarded an ESPY for the second consecutive year, and won the Driver of the Year title for the third time, tying Jeff Gordon, Mario Andretti, and Darrell Waltrip as the only three time winners of the award.

During 2010, Johnson managed to win his fifth consecutive championship, becoming the third driver who made up points to win the title since 1975. In the season, he earned 2 pole positions, 17 top-fives, 23 top-tens, and won 6 races. He also remained the only driver to qualify for the Chase every year since its inception in 2004, and became tenth on the all time NASCAR win list. Johnson was also voted Driver of the Year for the fourth time in his NASCAR career, joining Gordon as four time winners of the award.^{[9][24][25][26]} He also managed to win Tony Stewart's charity race, the Prelude to the Dream, which was his first victory on a dirt oval.^[27]

2011

In 2011, Johnson began the season with a fourth place finish in the Budweiser Shootout, after starting from the 23rd position.^[28] One week later in the 2011 Daytona 500, he started 23rd, but finished 27th after being involved in a crash on lap 29.^[29] During the Subway Fresh Fit 500, he managed a third place finish. Following a 16th place finish after the Kobalt Tools 400 he collected two consecutive top-five finishes.^[28]

Statistically, Johnson's 2011 season was his second worst performance to date, even though he finished sixth in the points. He only won two races during the season. 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. On the last lap, with Johnson in front, he and Earnhardt, Jr. were in fifth and sixth off of turn 4, behind two other pairs of cars - their Hendrick teammates Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin, and the Richard Childress drafting pair of Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick. In the tri-oval, Earnhardt, Jr. gave Johnson enough of a push to nip Bowyer at the finish line by 0.002 seconds. This was the closest recorded finish in Talladega history, and tied the 2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 for closest margin of victory in NASCAR history.^[30] After finishing in the first 15 positions in the next four races, Johnson failed to finish the Coca-Cola 600 after his engine failed.^[28] The next week, in the Heluva Good! 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.^[31] During the Toyota/Save Mart 350, Johnson finished seventh after starting 12th on the grid. The finish moved Johnson to third in the Drivers' standings.^[32]

After returning to Daytona International Speedway for the Coke Zero 400, Johnson and Earnhardt, Jr. ran together for most of the race, like at Talladega, until Johnson pitted under a caution flag. Johnson fell down the grid and was involved in a last lap accident, prompting him to finish 20th.^[33] During the next two races, Johnson finished third and fifth in the Quaker State 400 and the Lenox Industrial Tools 301.^[28] Two weeks later, Johnson found himself finishing 19th during the Brickyard 400 after coming to pit road with 30 laps remaining in the event.^[34] Johnson finished fourth in the Good Sam RV Insurance 500,^[28] after bumping Kurt Busch on the final lap.^[35] In the next race, Johnson managed to finish tenth.^[28] Johnson finished in the top-five in the following three races.^[28] During the last race of the regular season, the Wonderful Pistachios 400, Johnson finished in the 31st position.^[28] While at Chicagoland Speedway for the GEICO 400, Johnson finished 10th.^[28] Afterward, Johnson managed to finish 18th in the Sylvania 300, then second in the AAA 400. One week later, Johnson recorded his second victory of the season in the Hollywood Casino 400.^[28] During the Bank of America 500, Johnson was involved in a crash and finished 34th. In the following race, Johnson finished second. For the next two races, Johnson finished 14th in each, and finished 32nd in the Ford 400 to finish sixth in the Driver's championship standings.^[28] The Championship, for the first time since 2006, went to Tony Stewart.

2012

Johnson began the 2012 season with a 14th place finish in the Budweiser Shootout after crashing on lap 74.^[36] During the Daytona 500, Johnson was involved in a crash on lap 2 when he turned into the wall after contact from Elliott Sadler, then was t-boned by David Ragan, also collecting Danica Patrick, Kurt Busch and Trevor Bayne. Damage to the car was severe, prompting him to retire and finish 42nd.^[37] Afterward, he finished fourth and second in the Subway Fresh Fit 500 and Kobalt Tools 400.^[38] While at Bristol Motor Speedway for the Food City 500, Johnson finished in the ninth position, moving him up to 11th^[39] in the Drivers' Standings.^[40] Next, Johnson finished tenth in the Auto Club 400, despite having an oil leak,^[41] and twelfth during the spring event at Martinsville after being involved in a crash on the first green-white-checker attempt.^[42] In the following event, the Samsung Mobile 500, Johnson finished second after leading much of the race before he was passed by Greg Biffle.^[43] 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.^[38] On May 6, 2012, Johnson started 19th in the Aaron's 499 at Talladega, but finished 35th after his engine failed on lap 110.^[44]

Johnson won his first race of the season one week later in the Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington. The win was also Rick Hendrick's 200th Sprint Cup Series win.^[45] A week later, he matched Gordon and Dale Earnhardt with three wins in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race after winning the 2012 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.^[46] Next, in the Coca-Cola 600, Johnson finished 11th in the race after a penalty on lap 354.^[47] After the Coca-Cola 600, Johnson went on to win his second race of the season in the FedEx 400.^[48] In the Pocono 400, he recorded a fourth place finish after starting 24th on the grid.^[49] During the next two races, Johnson placed fifth,^[38] moving him to fourth in the standings.^[50] Afterward, Johnson finished sixth after winning his first pole position of the season in the Quaker State 400.^[51] However, in the Coke Zero 400, Johnson finished 36th^[38] after retiring from a crash on lap 124.^[52] After finishing seventh during the Lenox Industrial Tools 301,^[38] 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.^[53]

After making the Chase for the Sprint Cup, Johnson secured three straight top five finishes in the GEICO 400, Sylvania 300 and AAA 400.^[38] Following a seventeenth place finish in Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500, Johnson recorded four top-ten finishes,^[38] including two consecutive wins from the pole position at Martinsville and Texas, which was his sixtieth win in the series, to take a seven point lead over Brad Keselowski.^[54] At Phoenix, Johnson blew a right front tire, which caused him to collide into the wall and finish in the 32nd position.^[55] He was racing for the win and the championship the following week at Homestead, but his chances of winning the championship was over after he had a pit road penalty and had a gear failure and he finished 36th in that race, and finished third in the Drivers Championship behind Keselowski and Bowyer.^[56]

2013

In 2013, Johnson began his season with a fourteenth 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.^[57] Afterward, he placed fourth in the first Budweiser Duel, resulting in a ninth place starting position in the 2013 Daytona 500.^[57]

In the Daytona 500, Johnson started well, assuming the lead from Jeff Gordon on lap 33 and leading a handful of laps before falling back to the middle of the pack. Over the last few laps, Johnson was racing alongside Brad Keselowski for the lead until a caution came out for debris. Johnson took the advantage of leading on the last restart. On the last five lap shootout, Johnson led a lane with Greg Biffle and Danica Patrick. He then held off a last lap charge from Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Mark Martin to win his second Daytona 500.^[58] This was Johnson's first Daytona 500 win with regular crew chief Chad Knaus, as he won the 2006 race with Darian Grubb as Knaus was serving a five-race suspension. 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.

The following week at Phoenix, Johnson started inside the top ten and finished second behind Carl Edwards. He followed this with a sixth place finish at Las Vegas. At Bristol, he was running on the lead lap until a spin late race forced him back to a 22nd place finish. At Fontana, he struggled for most of the race, salvaging a 12th place finish. 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. Johnson also assumed the point lead, which he would hold on to for the remainder of the regular season. Johnson's consistency was enough that there were points in the summer where he was more than a full two race wins' worth of points ahead of Carl Edwards or Clint Bowyer. Afterward, Johnson finished in sixth at Texas. At Kansas, he led nine laps and finished third behind Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne. Johnson finished twelfth the following week at Richmond, allowing him to build even further on his point lead. At Talladega, he was the only driver besides Matt Kenseth to lead double digit laps (16), and finished in fifth place. A fourth place finish the following week at Darlington allowed Johnson to further solidify his point lead over Edwards.

At the 2013 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Johnson won his record fourth All-Star race after a fast pit stop allowed him to start the final 10-lap sprint in second, and later managed to pass Kasey Kahne for the victory.^[59] One week later, Johnson finished 22nd after spinning sideways late in the race. At Dover, Johnson led 143 laps, but finished 17th when he jumped Juan Pablo Montoya on the last restart. He said in his interview that he ran half-throttled, but he lied to FOX SPORTS. 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. This also snapped a nine year winless streak for Johnson at Pocono since sweeping both of the track's 2004 Sprint Cup races. At the Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan, Johnson closed in on Greg Biffle for the lead with less than ten laps left, but suffered a flat tire with less than five laps to go. Johnson would finish the race in 28th, his worst finish of the season to that point.^[60] Johnson then finished ninth at Sonoma. At Kentucky, Johnson started third. He had the dominant car of the race, leading 182 of 267 laps. 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. Johnson was able to charge through the field after the caution and restart to salvage a ninth place finish.

Returning to Daytona for the Coke Zero 400, Johnson led 94 laps and held off Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick on a green-white-checker finish to win his fourth race of the year. In winning the race, Johnson became the first driver since Bobby Allison in 1982 to sweep both Daytona races in a season.^[61] This was a significant improvement in Johnson's runs on the restrictor plate tracks, as he had been crashed out of the running at both Daytona races in 2012, had an engine failure early while leading at Talladega in the spring and was part of a crash on the last lap in the fall.

At New Hampshire for the Camping World RV Sales 301, Johnson qualified 2nd, but failed post-qualifying inspection after his car was found to be too low, and started the race in 43rd,^[62] the first time in his career he started dead last. In the race, Johnson passed seven cars in the first four laps and reached the top 20 by lap 50, while reaching the top 10 by lap 165; Johnson would finish sixth.^[63] He almost won the pole position at Indianapolis but was bumped to second by Ryan Newman. Johnson led the most laps and almost won, but a slow final pit stop cost him the race to Newman. The following week at Pocono, Johnson won another pole position, setting another track qualifying record. He led 43 of the first 80 laps before he cut a right front tire that knocked a spark plug loose and affected the handling of the car. Johnson's pit crew worked hard to repair the car, fixing the plug on the last pit stop, and managing to salvage a 13th place finish.

Returning to Michigan, Johnson qualified third but crashed in happy hour, forcing him to a backup car and a 43rd starting spot. After running up to the lead through pit stop strategy, Johnson lost an engine on lap 55, relegating him to a 40th place finish. This was followed by a streak of three poor finishes of 36th at Bristol, 28th at Atlanta, and 40th at Richmond due to crashes.

Johnson started the Chase seeded in second place. He began the Chase with a fifth place finish at Chicago, followed by a fourth place finish at New Hampshire. At Dover, Johnson led 243 laps and held off Dale Earnhardt, Jr. over the last 25 laps to win his eighth race at the track, also redeeming himself for the restart line violation that had cost him a shot at winning the June race.^[64]

Johnson spent the next several races stalking Matt Kenseth for the points lead, eventually gaining it at Talladega, though losing it when he and Kenseth tied for points lead at Martinsville. Returning to Texas, Johnson had the dominant car, leading 255 laps to his sixth win of the season. The following weekend at Phoenix, Johnson avoided trouble in tight racing on 2 separate occasions (a near scrape in turn 4 on the first lap, and later a near spin after contact with Carl Edwards in turn 1) to escape with a 3rd place finish. He also capitalized on Kenseth suffering from a poor-handling car. With Kenseth finishing 23rd, Johnson took a 28-point lead to the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In the finale, Johnson raced conservatively to a ninth-place finish to secure his sixth title. He closed out the season with six wins, three poles, 16 top five and 24 top 10 finishes, with an average finish of 9.8 and average start of 10.7.

2014

Statistically, 2014 was Johnson's worst season to date. Johnson was held winless through the first 11 races of the 2014 season. Skepticism began to arise, as he had never gone more than 12 races into a season without a win, and hadn't gone that long since the first few years of his Cup career. However, Johnson won the Coca-Cola 600 at the end of May, his first win in the Coca-Cola 600 since 2005.^[65] Afterward, he went on to win at Dover the following week.^[66] A few weeks later, Johnson recorded his first Michigan race victory, after several years of being deprived of a shot at victory as the result of running out of gas or blowing an engine. He didn't keep up with the momentum. After finishing 7th at Sonoma and a top ten in Kentucky, Johnson was collected in a big wreck in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona finishing 42nd, ending his day.^[67] Johnson's streak of misfortune continued the next several weeks, finishing 42nd for the second week in a row at New Hampshire. This was followed up by an inconsistent run at Indy (14th), and poor showings at Pocono (39th) and Watkins Glen (28th). Despite the poor finishes, Johnson qualified 4th for the Chase. He finished 12th at Chicagoland, 5th at New Hampshire, and 3rd at Dover to advance to the next round. However, trouble struck when he finished 40th and 17th in the next two races. On October 19, he started 2nd at Talladega and he led a high of 84 laps. He ended up 24th-place finish and he missed the next chase round along with his teammates Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Kasey Kahne, and JGR driver Kyle Busch. At Martinsville, he started 7th but finished 39th because the front of the car got wrecked. Some of his teammates had good luck. Dale Jr. won and Gordon finished 2nd. At Texas Motor Speedway for the 2014 AAA Texas 500, Johnson dominated and held off Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick to score his 70th career win, and also ended an 18-race-winless-streak. At Phoenix, he struggled for most of the day and finished 38th after blowing a tire and crashing out. At the season finale at Homestead, Johnson finished 9th, and closed out 2014 11th in the standings. This marks the first time in his Sprint Cup career that he has finished outside of the top 10 in points.

2015

Jimmie began his season by finishing 5th in the Daytona 500 for the second year in a row. The following week, he won the Folds of Honor Quiktrip 500 in Atlanta.^[68] But he couldn't keep up the momentum. He crashed twice in Las Vegas, both times into the wall, which left him 41st. He managed to get 11th in Phoenix, and 9th at California, his first top ten there in two years. At Martinsville, he struggled to a 35th place finish. However, his momentum returned when he managed to hold off Kevin Harvick to win the Duck Commander 500 at Texas. At Bristol, he avoid tight trouble early in the race, and managed to come home second to Matt Kenseth. At Richmond, he finished 3rd. These finished moved him back up to 4th in the standings.

Race of Champions

Johnson first raced in the Race of Champions in Europe in 2002. He was eliminated in the first runoff by then world rally champion Marcus Grönholm of Finland but he and Jeff Gordon and Colin Edwards racing as Team USA won the teams' championship. He returned to the event two years later but lost the quarter finals 0–2 to Mattias Ekström of Sweden who was DTM German Touring Car champion that year.

Johnson entered the 2006 event but did not start due to injury received just days before the race.^[69] He still attended the event to cheer for team mate Travis Pastrana. In the 2007 event Johnson was eliminated before the quarter-finals by F1 driver Sébastien Bourdais of France.^[70][71]

Grand-Am

In 2004, he began his Grand-Am career in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, where he finished eighth. He also entered the event one year later, which his team, Howard-Boss Motorsports, managed to finish second. Two years later, he entered two events, which were both held at Daytona International Speedway. During the races, his team finished 9th and 19th. In 2008, Johnson moved to Bob Stallings Racing with Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty to race in the 2008 Rolex 24 at Daytona, where the team finished second. One year later, he returned with GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing for his fifth Rolex 24 appearance. During the race, his team managed to finish seventh. He returned to the team in 2010, to race in the Rolex 24 and Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen.^[72] During the Rolex 24 at Daytona his team finished 21st,^[73] while at Watkins Glen the team managed to finish sixth.^[74] He returned to the Rolex 24, in 2011 where his team managed to finish 15th.^[75][76]

Personal life

Jimmie Johnson
Johnson (center) with his wife Chandra and President Barack Obama in 2011
Born	Jimmie Kenneth Johnson (1975-09-17) September 17, 1975 El Cajon, California, United States
Nationality	American
Occupation	Racing driver, philanthropist
Spouse(s)	Chandra Janway (m. 2004)
Children	Genevieve Marie (b. 2010) Lydia Norriss (b. 2013)
Website
jimmiejohnson.com

Johnson was born in El Cajon, California,^[77] on September 17, 1975,^[1] the son of Catherine Ellen "Cathy" (née Dunnill) and Gary Ernest Johnson.^[78][79] He attended Granite Hills High School,^[80][81] while he raced motorcycles during the weekends. He was a varsity water polo player, diver and swimmer and graduated in 1993. The number 48 is retired from all sports teams uniforms at his school and Johnson was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame.^[82] He has two younger brothers, Jarit and Jessie. Jarit Johnson has made several Pro 2 off-road racing starts in the Traxxas TORC Series.^[83] Johnson lives in Charlotte, North Carolina^[1] like many other NASCAR drivers. He is married to Chandra Janway, the two having known each other since 2002.^[84] They have two daughters, Genevieve and Lydia.^[85][86]

The Jimmie Johnson Foundation

The Jimmie Johnson Foundation was launched by Johnson and his wife Chandra in 2006. The foundation helps children, families, and communities in need. In 2007, Johnson opened Jimmie Johnson's Victory Lanes in Randleman, North Carolina, which is a four lane bowling center for campers at Pattie and Kyle Petty's Victory Junction Gang Camp. The foundation supports several charities, including Habitat for Humanity, Hendrick Marrow Program, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and Victory Junction. Every year it holds a golf tournament in San Diego,^[87] which raises money to build Habitat for Humanity homes in Johnson's hometown. Since the beginning the tournament has raised a total of two million US$ to help fund several projects. During 2009 and 2010, the foundation awarded $1.5 million for the Education Champions Grants program. The money is given to public schools in California, Oklahoma, and North Carolina. It helps fund basic needs, such as technology, outdoor classrooms, playground construction, and reading programs. The foundation has also assisted the American Red Cross with disaster relief efforts.^[9][80][88]

In 2014 Johnson joined the Ban Bossy campaign as a spokesperson advocating leadership in young girls.^{[89][90][91][92]}

In popular media

Acting

Johnson made an appearance as himself in the 2005 film Herbie: Fully Loaded.

Television appearances

Johnson starred in an episode of the television series Las Vegas in 2005.^[93]

Johnson starred in an episode of the HBO reality television series 24/7, titled "Jimmie Johnson: Race to Daytona". Cameras followed him from January 2010 to the 52nd Daytona 500 held on February 14.^[94]

Johnson appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show during its tenth season in 2013. Fresh off his second Daytona 500 victory, Johnson challenged host Ellen DeGeneres to a go-kart race.^[95]

On November 19, 2013, Johnson became the first professional athlete to co-host ESPN's flagship news show, SportsCenter.^[96]

In 2015, Johnson appeared on the series Repeat After Me.

Video games

Johnson's Cup ride, the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet, is featured on the covers of NASCAR Racing 2003 Season and NASCAR The Game: 2011.

Johnson and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon are featured on the cover of NASCAR 06: Total Team Control, highlighting Team Control, the main addition of the game.^[97] Johnson is also one of the six cover drivers of NASCAR Kart Racing.

Johnson is featured in the 2011 racing video game Jimmie Johnson's Anything with an Engine.

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by time. )

Sprint Cup Series

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	NSCC	Pts	Ref
2001	Hendrick Motorsports	48	Chevy	DAY	CAR	LVS	ATL	DAR	BRI	TEX	MAR	TAL	CAL	RCH	CLT	DOV	MCH	POC	SON	DAY	CHI	NHA	POC	IND	GLN	MCH	BRI	DAR	RCH	DOV	KAN	CLT 39	MAR	TAL	PHO	CAR	HOM 25	ATL 29	NHA	52nd	210	[98]
2002				DAY 15	CAR 28	LVS 6	ATL 3	DAR 6	BRI 7	TEX 6	MAR 35	TAL 7	CAL 1	RCH 31	CLT 7	DOV 1	POC 3	MCH 14	SON 35	DAY 8	CHI 4	NHA 15	POC 15	IND 9	GLN 16	MCH 7	BRI 34	DAR 9	RCH 13	NHA 9	DOV 1	KAN 10	TAL 37	CLT 6	MAR 6	ATL 22	CAR 37	PHO 15	HOM 8	5th	4600	[99]
2003				DAY 3	CAR 8	LVS 11	ATL 32	DAR 27	BRI 8	TEX 8	TAL 15	MAR 9	CAL 16	RCH 19	CLT 1	DOV 38	POC 12	MCH 16	SON 17	DAY 18	CHI 3	NHA 1	POC 15	IND 18	GLN 4	MCH 27	BRI 5	DAR 3	RCH 11	NHA 1	DOV 8	TAL 34	KAN 7	CLT 3	MAR 2	ATL 3	PHO 2	CAR 2	HOM 3	2nd	4932	[100]
2004				DAY 5	CAR 41	LVS 16	ATL 4	DAR 1	BRI 16	TEX 9	MAR 4	TAL 4	CAL 2	RCH 2	CLT 1	DOV 32	POC 1	MCH 4	SON 5	DAY 2	CHI 2	NHA 11	POC 1	IND 36	GLN 40	MCH 40	BRI 3	CAL 14	RCH 36	NHA 11	DOV 10	TAL 37	KAN 32	CLT 1	MAR 1	ATL 1	PHO 6	DAR 1	HOM 2	2nd	6498	[101]
2005				DAY 5	CAL 2	LVS 1	ATL 2	BRI 6	MAR 8	TEX 3	PHO 15	TAL 20	DAR 7	RCH 40	CLT 1	DOV 4	POC 6	MCH 19	SON 36	DAY 6	CHI 3	NHA 13	POC 12	IND 38	GLN 5	MCH 10	BRI 36	CAL 16	RCH 25	NHA 8	DOV 1	TAL 31	KAN 6	CLT 1	MAR 3	ATL 16	TEX 5	PHO 7	HOM 40	5th	6406	[102]
2006				DAY 1	CAL 2	LVS 1	ATL 6	BRI 30	MAR 3	TEX 11	PHO 7	TAL 1	RCH 12	DAR 4	CLT 2	DOV 6	POC 10	MCH 6	SON 10	DAY 32	CHI 6	NHA 9	POC 6	IND 1	GLN 17	MCH 13	BRI 10	CAL 11	RCH 23	NHA 39	DOV 13	KAN 14	TAL 24	CLT 2	MAR 1	ATL 2	TEX 2	PHO 2	HOM 9	1st	6475	[103]
2007				DAY 39	CAL 3	LVS 1	ATL 1	BRI 16	MAR 1	TEX 38	PHO 4	TAL 2	RCH 1	DAR 3	CLT 10	DOV 15	POC 42	MCH 19	SON 17	NHA 5	DAY 10	CHI 37	IND 39	POC 5	GLN 3	MCH 3	BRI 21	CAL 1	RCH 1	NHA 6	DOV 14	KAN 3	TAL 2	CLT 14	MAR 1	ATL 1	TEX 1	PHO 1	HOM 7	1st	6723	[104]
2008				DAY 27	CAL 2	LVS 29	ATL 13	BRI 18	MAR 4	TEX 2	PHO 1	TAL 13	RCH 30	DAR 13	CLT 39	DOV 7	POC 6	MCH 6	SON 15	NHA 9	DAY 23	CHI 2	IND 1	POC 3	GLN 7	MCH 17	BRI 33	CAL 1	RCH 1	NHA 2	DOV 5	KAN 1	TAL 9	CLT 6	MAR 1	ATL 2	TEX 15	PHO 1	HOM 15	1st	6684	[105]
2009				DAY 31	CAL 9	LVS 24	ATL 9	BRI 3	MAR 1	TEX 2	PHO 4	TAL 30	RCH 36	DAR 2	CLT 13	DOV 1	POC 7	MCH 22	SON 4	NHA 9	DAY 2	CHI 8	IND 1	POC 13	GLN 12	MCH 33	BRI 8	ATL 36	RCH 11	NHA 4	DOV 1	KAN 9	CAL 1	CLT 1	MAR 2	TAL 6	TEX 38	PHO 1	HOM 5	1st	6652	[106]
2010				DAY 35	CAL 1	LVS 1	ATL 12	BRI 1	MAR 9	PHO 3	TEX 2	TAL 31	RCH 10	DAR 36	DOV 16	CLT 37	POC 5	MCH 6	SON 1	NHA 1	DAY 31	CHI 25	IND 22	POC 10	GLN 28	MCH 12	BRI 35	ATL 3	RCH 3	NHA 25	DOV 1	KAN 2	CAL 3	CLT 3	MAR 5	TAL 7	TEX 9	PHO 5	HOM 2	1st	6622	[107]
2011				DAY 27	PHO 3	LVS 16	BRI 3	CAL 2	MAR 11	TEX 8	TAL 1	RCH 8	DAR 15	DOV 9	CLT 28	KAN 7	POC 4	MCH 27	SON 7	DAY 20	KEN 3	NHA 5	IND 19	POC 4	GLN 10	MCH 2	BRI 4	ATL 2	RCH 31	CHI 10	NHA 18	DOV 2	KAN 1	CLT 34	TAL 26	MAR 2	TEX 14	PHO 14	HOM 32	6th	2304	[28]
2012				DAY 42	PHO 4	LVS 2	BRI 9	CAL 10	MAR 12	TEX 2	KAN 3	RCH 6	TAL 35	DAR 1	CLT 11	DOV 1	POC 4	MCH 5	SON 5	KEN 6	DAY 36	NHA 7	IND 1	POC 14	GLN 3	MCH 27	BRI 2	ATL 34	RCH 13	CHI 2	NHA 2	DOV 4	TAL 17	CLT 3	KAN 9	MAR 1	TEX 1*	PHO 32	HOM 36	3rd	2360	[38]
2013				DAY 1	PHO 2	LVS 6	BRI 22	CAL 12	MAR 1*	TEX 6	KAN 3	RCH 12	TAL 5	DAR 4	CLT 22	DOV 17	POC 1*	MCH 28	SON 9	KEN 9*	DAY 1*	NHA 6	IND 2*	POC 13	GLN 8	MCH 40	BRI 36	ATL 28	RCH 40	CHI 5	NHA 4	DOV 1*	KAN 6	CLT 4	TAL 13*	MAR 5	TEX 1*	PHO 3	HOM 9	1st	2419	[57]
2014				DAY 5	PHO 6	LVS 6	BRI 19	CAL 24	MAR 2	TEX 25	DAR 3	RCH 32	TAL 23	KAN 9	CLT 1*	DOV 1*	POC 6	MCH 1	SON 7	KEN 10	DAY 42	NHA 42	IND 14	POC 39	GLN 28	MCH 9	BRI 4	ATL 4	RCH 8	CHI 12	NHA 5	DOV 3	KAN 40	CLT 17	TAL 24*	MAR 32	TEX 1*	PHO 39	HOM 9	11th	2274	[108]
2015	DAY 5	ATL 1	LVS 41	PHO 11	CAL 9	MAR 35	TEX 1*	BRI 2	RCH 3	TAL	KAN	CLT	DOV	POC	MCH	SON	DAY	KEN	NHA	IND	POC	GLN	MCH	BRI	DAR	RCH	CHI	NHA	DOV	CLT	KAN	TAL	MAR	TEX	PHO	HOM	-*	-*	[109]

Nationwide Series

NASCAR Nationwide Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	NNSC	Pts	Ref
1998	ST Motorsports	59	Chevy	DAY	CAR	LVS	NSV	DAR	BRI	TEX	HCY	TAL	NHA	NZH	CLT	DOV	RCH	PPR	GLN	MLW	MYB	CAL	SBO	IRP 25	MCH	BRI	DAR	RCH	DOV	CLT	GTY 15	CAR	ATL						67th	275	[110]
	Curb Agajanian Performance Group	43	Chevy																															HOM 33
1999	Herzog Motorsports	92	Chevy	DAY	CAR	LVS	ATL	DAR	TEX	NSV	BRI	TAL	CAL	NHA	RCH	NZH	CLT	DOV	SBO	GLN	MLW 7	MYB	PPR	GTY	IRP	MCH	BRI	DAR	RCH	DOV	CLT	CAR 25	MEM 12	PHO 18	HOM 39				63rd	521	[111]
2000				DAY DNQ	CAR 22	LVS 26	ATL 27	DAR 36	BRI 24	TEX 24	NSV 10	TAL 29	CAL 15	RCH 12	NHA 13	CLT 16	DOV 20	SBO 6	MYB 15	GLN 43	MLW 9	NZH 14	PPR 18	GTY 13	IRP 11	MCH 6	BRI 23	DAR 38	RCH 22	DOV 18	CLT 28	CAR 13	MEM 8	PHO 40	HOM 6				10th	3264	[112]
2001				DAY 5	CAR 13	LVS 14	ATL 9	DAR 32	BRI 4	TEX 8	NSH 28	TAL 28	CAL 16	RCH 12	NHA 13	NZH 9	CLT 16	DOV 25	KEN 30	MLW 26	GLN 21	CHI 1	GTY 14	PPR 7	IRP 15	MCH 4	BRI 12	DAR 16	RCH 19	DOV 33	KAN 6	CLT 22	MEM 14	PHO 21	CAR 23	HOM 7			8th	3871	[113]
2004	Hendrick Motorsports	48	Chevy	DAY	CAR	LVS	DAR	BRI	TEX	NSH	TAL	CAL	GTY	RCH	NZH	CLT	DOV	NSH	KEN	MLW	DAY	CHI	NHA	PPR	IRP	MCH	BRI	CAL	RCH	DOV	KAN	CLT 3	MEM	ATL	PHO	DAR	HOM		98th	170	[114]
2005				DAY	CAL	MXC	LVS	ATL 3*	NSH	BRI	TEX	PHO	TAL			CLT 30						CHI 17	NHA	PPR	GTY	IRP	GLN	MCH	BRI	CAL 11	RCH	DOV	KAN	CLT 43	MEM	TEX	PHO	HOM	53rd	876	[115]
		5												DAR 23	RCH 25		DOV 5	NSH	KEN	MLW	DAY
2006		48		DAY	CAL	MXC	LVS	ATL	BRI	TEX	NSH	PHO	TAL	RCH	DAR	CLT 7	DOV	NSH	KEN	MLW	DAY	CHI	NHA	MAR	GTY	IRP	GLN	MCH	BRI	CAL 21	RCH	DOV	KAN	CLT 42	MEM	TEX	PHO	HOM	84th	283	[116]
2007				DAY	CAL	MXC	LVS	ATL	BRI	NSH	TEX	PHO	TAL	RCH	DAR	CLT 6	DOV	NSH	KEN	MLW	NHA	DAY	CHI	GTY	IRP	CGV	GLN	MCH	BRI	CAL 4	RCH	DOV	KAN	CLT 32	MEM	TEX	PHO	HOM	82nd	387	[117]
2008	JR Motorsports	5		DAY	CAL	LVS	ATL	BRI	NSH	TEX	PHO	MXC	TAL	RCH	DAR	CLT 10	DOV	NSH	KEN	MLW	NHA	DAY	CHI	GTY	IRP	CGV				CAL 17	RCH	DOV	KAN	CLT 33	MEM	TEX	PHO	HOM	69th	396	[118]
		48																									GLN 29	MCH	BRI
2011	JR Motorsports	7	Chevy	DAY	PHO	LVS	BRI	CAL	TEX	TAL	NSH	RCH	DAR	DOV	IOW	CLT	CHI	MCH	ROA	DAY	KEN	NHA	NSH	IRP	IOW	GLN 2	CGV	BRI	ATL	RCH	CHI	DOV	KAN	CLT	TEX	PHO	HOM		104th	01	[119]
2013	JR Motorsports	5	Chevy	DAY	PHO 12	LVS	BRI	CAL	TEX	RCH	TAL	DAR	CLT	DOV	IOW	MCH	ROA	KEN	DAY	NHA	CHI	IND	IOW	GLN	MOH	BRI	ATL	RCH	CHI	KEN	DOV	KAN	CLT	TEX	PHO	HOM			111th	01	[120]

Craftsman Truck Series

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	NCTC	Pts	Ref
2008	Randy Moss Motorsports	81	Chevy	DAY	CAL	ATL	MAR	KAN	CLT	MFD	DOV	TEX	MCH	MLW	MEM	KEN	IRP	NSH	BRI 34	GTW	NHA	LVS	TAL	MAR	ATL	TEX	PHO	HOM	104th	64	[121]

¹ Ineligible for series championship points.

Rolex Sports Car Series

Daytona Prototype

(key) Bold – Pole Position. (Overall Finish/Class Finish).

Daytona Prototype results
Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Rank	Points
2004	Howard Boss Motorsports	DAY (28/7)	HOM	PHO	MON	WGL	DAY	MOH	WGL	HOM	VIR	BAR	CAL				65th	23
2005		DAY (2/2)	HOM	CAL	LGA	MON	WGL	DAY	BAR	WGL	MOH	PHO	WGL	VIR	MEX		70th	32
2007	Riley-Matthews Motorsports	DAY (36/19)	MEX	HOM	VIR	LGA	WGL	MDO	DAY (9/9)	IOW	BAR	CGV	WGL	INF	MIL		57th	34
2008	Bob Stallings Racing	DAY (2/2)	HOM	MEX	VIR	LGA	LRP	WGL	MOH	DAY	BAR	CGL	WGL	INF	JER	MIL	56th	32
2009		DAY (7/7)	VIR	JER	LGA	WGL	MOH	DAY	BAR	WGL	CGV	MIL	HOM				54th	24
2010		DAY (21/8)	HOM	BAR	VIR	LRP	WGL (6/6)	MOH	DAY	JER	GLN	CGV	MIL				30th	48
2011		DAY (15/12)	HOM	BAR	VIR	LPR	WGL	ROA	LGA	JER	WGL	CGV	MOH				59th	19

International Race of Champions

(key) (Bold – Pole position. * – Most laps led.)

International Race of Champions results
Year	Make	1	2	3	4	Pos.	Points
2003	Pontiac	DAY 4	TAL 8	CHI 7	IND 1	3rd	56
2004		DAY 4	TEX 3	RIC 4	ATL 6	4th	46

See also

• List of all-time NASCAR Cup Series winners
• List of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions

References

Citations

Further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jimmie Johnson.

• Official website
• Official website
• The Jimmie Johnson Foundation
• Jimmie Johnson on Twitter
• Jimmie Johnson driver statistics at Racing-Reference
• Jimmie Johnson at Driver Database

Achievements

Sporting positions
Preceded by Tony Stewart Brad Keselowski	NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 2013	Succeeded by Tony Stewart Kevin Harvick
Preceded by Fernando Alonso Jesús Puras Rubén Xaus	Race of Champions Nations' Cup 2002 with: Colin Edwards Jeff Gordon	Succeeded by Cristiano da Matta Fonsi Nieto Gilles Panizzi
Achievements
Preceded by Ryan Newman Mark Martin Carl Edwards	Sprint All Star Race winner 2003 2006 2012, 2013	Succeeded by Matt Kenseth Kevin Harvick Jamie McMurray
Preceded by Jeff Gordon Matt Kenseth	Daytona 500 winner 2006 2013	Succeeded by Kevin Harvick Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Preceded by Tony Stewart Tony Stewart Paul Menard	Brickyard 400 winner 2006 2008, 2009 2012	Succeeded by Tony Stewart Jamie McMurray Ryan Newman
Preceded by Mark Martin Kevin Harvick	Coca Cola 600 winner 2003, 2004, 2005 2014	Succeeded by Kasey Kahne Incumbent
Preceded by Terry Labonte Ragan Smith	Bojangles' Southern 500 winner 2004 2012	Succeeded by Greg Biffle Matt Kenseth
Preceded by Dale Jarrett	Bud Shootout winner 2005	Succeeded by Denny Hamlin
Preceded by Tony Stewart	Prelude to the Dream Winner 2010	Succeeded by Clint Bowyer
Awards
Preceded by Kevin Harvick	NASCAR EA cover athlete (shared with Jeff Gordon) 2006	Succeeded by Elliott Sadler

Links to related articles Hendrick Motorsports Personnel Rick Hendrick Ricky Hendrick Ray Evernham Lance McGrew Brian Whitesell NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Drivers (5) Kasey Kahne (24) Jeff Gordon (48) Jimmie Johnson (88) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (25) Chase Elliott Crew chiefs (5) Keith Rodden (24) Alan Gustafson (48) Chad Knaus (88) Greg Ives (25) Kenny Francis Development drivers Chase Elliott Former drivers Winners Brett Bodine Geoff Bodine Kyle Busch Ricky Hendrick Terry Labonte Mark Martin Casey Mears Jerry Nadeau Joe Nemechek Tim Richmond Ricky Rudd Ken Schrader Jack Sprague Tony Stewart Brian Vickers Darrell Waltrip Others notable Ricky Craven Wally Dallenbach, Jr. Scott Lagasse Randy LaJoie Benny Parsons Greg Sacks Al Unser, Jr. Partnerships and affiliations Stewart-Haas Racing Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates HScott Motorsports JR Motorsports JR Motorsports Personnel Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Kelley Earnhardt Miller Rick Hendrick NASCAR Xfinity Series Drivers (5) Kevin Harvick / Kasey Kahne / Austin Theriault / Josh Berry / Alex Bowman (7) Regan Smith (9) Chase Elliott (88) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Crew chiefs (7) Jason Burdett (9) Ernie Cope (88) Dave Elenz Former drivers Aric Almirola Steve Arpin Kelly Bires Landon Cassill J.R. Fitzpatrick Robby Gordon Shane Huffman Jimmie Johnson Brad Keselowski Mark Martin Mark McFarland Jamie McMurray Ron Fellows Danica Patrick Brad Sweet Cole Whitt Scott Wimmer Josh Wise Partnerships and affiliations Hendrick Motorsports JTG Daugherty Racing Headquarters: Harrisburg, North Carolina Personnel Tad Geschickter Jodi Geschickter Brad Daugherty NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Drivers (47) A. J. Allmendinger Crew chiefs (47) Brian Burns Notable former drivers Sprint Cup Series Marcos Ambrose Bobby Labonte Ken Schrader Nationwide Series Marcos Ambrose Rich Bickle Kelly Bires Stacy Compton Mike Dillon Jeff Fuller Mark Green Ron Hornaday, Jr. Jimmie Johnson Andy Lally Kevin Lepage Michael McDowell Phil Parsons Larry Pearson Robert Pressley Jeff Purvis Jon Wood Camping World Truck Series Marcos Ambrose Joey Clanton Stacy Compton Bobby East Formerly known as ST Motorsports and JTG Racing Sprint Cup Series Drivers' Champions     1949  R. Byron 1950  B. Rexford 1951  H. Thomas 1952  T. Flock 1953  H. Thomas 1954  L. Petty 1955  T. Flock 1956  B. Baker 1957  B. Baker 1958  L. Petty 1959  L. Petty 1960  R. White 1961  N. Jarrett 1962  J. Weatherly 1963  J. Weatherly 1964  R. Petty 1965  N. Jarrett 1966  D. Pearson 1967  R. Petty 1968  D. Pearson 1969  D. Pearson 1970  B. Isaac 1971  R. Petty 1972  R. Petty 1973  B. Parsons 1974  R. Petty 1975  R. Petty 1976  C. Yarborough 1977  C. Yarborough 1978  C. Yarborough 1979  R. Petty 1980  D. Earnhardt 1981  D. Waltrip 1982  D. Waltrip 1983  B. Allison 1984  T. Labonte 1985  D. Waltrip 1986  D. Earnhardt 1987  D. Earnhardt 1988  B. Elliott 1989  R. Wallace 1990  D. Earnhardt 1991  D. Earnhardt 1992  A. Kulwicki 1993  D. Earnhardt 1994  D. Earnhardt 1995  J. Gordon 1996  T. Labonte 1997  J. Gordon 1998  J. Gordon 1999  D. Jarrett 2000  B. Labonte 2001  J. Gordon 2002  T. Stewart 2003  M. Kenseth 2004  K. Busch 2005  T. Stewart 2006  J. Johnson 2007  J. Johnson 2008  J. Johnson 2009  J. Johnson 2010  J. Johnson 2011  T. Stewart 2012  B. Keselowski 2013  J. Johnson 2014  K. Harvick Daytona 500 winners Multiple Richard Petty (7) Cale Yarborough (4) Jeff Gordon (3) Dale Jarrett (3) Bobby Allison (3) Michael Waltrip (2) Sterling Marlin (2) Bill Elliott (2) Matt Kenseth (2) Jimmie Johnson (2) Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2) One-time Lee Petty Junior Johnson Marvin Panch Fireball Roberts Tiny Lund Fred Lorenzen Mario Andretti LeeRoy Yarbrough Pete Hamilton A. J. Foyt Benny Parsons David Pearson Buddy Baker Geoff Bodine Darrell Waltrip Derrike Cope Ernie Irvan Davey Allison Dale Earnhardt, Sr. Ward Burton Kevin Harvick Ryan Newman Jamie McMurray Trevor Bayne Joey Logano Brickyard 400 winners Five-time Jeff Gordon Four-time Jimmie Johnson Two-time Dale Jarrett Tony Stewart One-time Dale Earnhardt, Sr. Ricky Rudd Bobby Labonte Bill Elliott Kevin Harvick Jamie McMurray Paul Menard Ryan Newman Sprint Unlimited winners Six-time Dale Earnhardt Three-time Tony Stewart Dale Jarrett Kevin Harvick Two-time Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Jeff Gordon Ken Schrader Neil Bonnett Denny Hamlin One-time Buddy Baker Darrell Waltrip Bobby Allison Terry Labonte Bill Elliott Geoff Bodine Rusty Wallace Mark Martin Jimmie Johnson Kurt Busch Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year 1931: Pepper Martin 1932: Gene Sarazen 1933: Carl Hubbell 1934: Dizzy Dean 1935: Joe Louis 1936: Jesse Owens 1937: Don Budge 1938: Don Budge 1939: Nile Kinnick 1940: Tom Harmon 1941: Joe DiMaggio 1942: Frank Sinkwich 1943: Gunder Hägg 1944: Byron Nelson 1945: Byron Nelson 1946: Glenn Davis 1947: Johnny Lujack 1948: Lou Boudreau 1949: Leon Hart 1950: Jim Konstanty 1951: Dick Kazmaier 1952: Bob Mathias 1953: Ben Hogan 1954: Willie Mays 1955: Howard Cassady 1956: Mickey Mantle 1957: Ted Williams 1958: Herb Elliot 1959: Ingemar Johansson 1960: Rafer Johnson 1961: Roger Maris 1962: Maury Wills 1963: Sandy Koufax 1964: Don Schollander 1965: Sandy Koufax 1966: Frank Robinson 1967: Carl Yastrzemski 1968: Denny McLain 1969: Tom Seaver 1970: George Blanda 1971: Lee Trevino 1972: Mark Spitz 1973: O. J. Simpson 1974: Muhammad Ali 1975: Fred Lynn 1976: Bruce Jenner 1977: Steve Cauthen 1978: Ron Guidry 1979: Willie Stargell 1980: U.S. Olympic Hockey Team 1981: John McEnroe 1982: Wayne Gretzky 1983: Carl Lewis 1984: Carl Lewis 1985: Dwight Gooden 1986: Larry Bird 1987: Ben Johnson 1988: Orel Hershiser 1989: Joe Montana 1990: Joe Montana 1991: Michael Jordan 1992: Michael Jordan 1993: Michael Jordan 1994: George Foreman 1995: Cal Ripken, Jr. 1996: Michael Johnson 1997: Tiger Woods 1998: Mark McGwire 1999: Tiger Woods 2000: Tiger Woods 2001: Barry Bonds 2002: Lance Armstrong 2003: Lance Armstrong 2004: Lance Armstrong 2005: Lance Armstrong 2006: Tiger Woods 2007: Tom Brady 2008: Michael Phelps 2009: Jimmie Johnson 2010: Drew Brees 2011: Aaron Rodgers 2012: Michael Phelps 2013: LeBron James 2014: Madison Bumgarner NASCAR video games EA cover athletes '98: Jeff Gordon '99: Dale Earnhardt '00: Dale Earnhardt '01: Tony Stewart '02: Jeff Gordon '03: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. '04: Tony Stewart '05: Kevin Harvick '06: Jeff Gordon/Jimmie Johnson '07: Elliott Sadler '08: Tony Stewart '09: Jeff Gordon

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