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Jimmie Johnson’s career in photos
By Staff Report | Published: September 29, 2020 47
Jonathan Ferrey | Getty Images
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Jonathan Ferrey | Getty Images
Jimmie Johnson has made the No. 48 one of the most iconic in NASCAR history -- and he himself is one of the most legendary drivers in the history of the sport. Take a look back through his transformative career in racing, starting from his most recent accomplishments in NASCAR and going all the way back to his dirt days in California.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
2020: Johnson donned a Richard Petty-like cowboy hat for Throwback Weekend at Darlington Raceway. One might say it was a look fit for a "King," with both gentlemen owning the distinction of having seven NASCAR Cup Series championships.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
2020: And here's a look at Johnson's Darlington throwback scheme on the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet, featuring a top half with Petty blue and a bottom half with Intimidator black. That's 21 NASCAR Cup Series championships represented.
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Chris Graythen | Getty Images
2020: To the seven-time champion and 83-race victor go the spoils. The final races of Johnson's last full-time season in Cup have been filled with tributes, nostalgia and some cool gifts, too. This was a commemorative piece of artwork given to him at the regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway.
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Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images
2020: Looking to make a playoff push, Ally introduced the rAlly paint scheme for the Daytona Road Course race. With the new look, Johnson posted three straight top-10 finishes leading up to the regular-season finale at the Daytona oval.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
2020: The "Monster Mile" always made Johnson and his fans smile, because of a whopping 11 wins he compiled at Dover International Speedway. That's the most wins he had at any track on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit.
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Hunter Martin | Getty Images
2020: A sign of the times during this season was the cardboard cutout in the stands. Johnson's cutout took its rightful spot right up in the front row at Dover International Speedway.
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Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images
2020: Johnson is known for his rugged fitness regimen, so it was a perfect match when officials at Michigan International Speedway dedicated their nature trail to the seven-time champion.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
2020: No, that's not Easy Street. Johnson just made it look that way sometimes. Kentucky Speedway officials honored Johnson by naming a street after him.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
2020: Johnson joined Chevrolet in thanking frontline workers who are battling the COVID-19 pandemic. Here he is standing on the Jimmie Johnson start-finish line at Pocono Raceway.
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Chris Graythen | Getty Images
2020: Johnson embraces Bubba Wallace in an emotional moment at Talladega Superspeedway. Johnson and the other NASCAR Cup Series drivers showed their support for Wallace, who has been outspoken about issues concerning social justice.
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Chris Graythen | Getty Images
2020: Guess that would be a "Hang Seven" for Johnson, who looks ready to hit the waves. Homestead-Miami Speedway dedicated the southernmost tunnel in NASCAR to him at a place where he often celebrated championships.
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Chris Graythen | Getty Images
2020: Before his final full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series, Johnson attended NTT IndyCar Series testing at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas. Johnson has interest in multiple forms of racing.
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Jonathan Ferrey | Getty Images
2019: Soon after the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series finale in November, Johnson announced 2020 would be his final season.
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Jonathan Merryman | NASCAR Digital Media
2019: An homage to his dirt roots, Johnson and team brought back a surprise at Darlington Raceway -- "Butch," the truck he used to race off-road in California.
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Sean Gardner | Getty Images
2019: And here's Johnson's Darlington throwback scheme that matched the "Butch" theme.
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2019: Before the August race at Watkins Glen International, Hendrick Motorsports announced a crew chief change for the No. 48. Cliff Daniels, 31, replaced Kevin Meendering atop the pit box.
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Gary Land | Jimmie Johnson Racing
2019: Johnson pushed his fitness achievements to a new high, competing in the Boston Marathon. He finished in 3 hours, 9 minutes and 7 seconds.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
2019: It wasn't a points race, but Johnson found his way to Victory Lane in The Clash at Daytona to kick off the season.
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Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images
2019: The start of the season ushered in a new era for Johnson and the No. 48 outfit. In addition to new crew chief Kevin Meendering, Johnson's Chevrolet sported a new primary sponsor for the first time since his first NASCAR Cup Series race in 2001. Ally Financial and Hendrick Motorsports announced the financial organization will serve as primary sponsor for every race in 2019 and 2020 -- and the company would later extend that deal for an additional three years.
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Courtesy of Jimmie Johnson Racing | Lyle Owerko
2018: Fernando Alonso and Johnson swapped rides in November at Bahrain International Circuit. The swap saw Johnson get some seat time in a Formula 1 car.
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Sean Gardner | Getty Images
2018: Chad Knaus has been the crew chief for Johnson for 81 of his 83 victories and all seven championship seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series. The 2018 season was the final season for the successful pairing as Knaus was named William Byron's crew chief for the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team in 2019.
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Jonathan Ferrey | Getty Images
2017: During the 2017 Champion's Week in Las Vegas, Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. shared some laughs at an Appreci88tion event while talking about their bike riding.
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Meg McMahon for PeopleForBikes
2017: Fitness is high on Johnson's list of passions, and he has led efforts to build a bike-riding group among drivers. In March, Johnson and Matt Kenseth took part in a 400-mile relay ride to support PeopleForBikes. Johnson also notably recruited Earnhardt Jr. into the world of cycling.
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Jonathan Ferrey | Getty Images
2017: Johnson's win at Dover, his impressive 11th win at the track, tied him with Cale Yarborough at 83 career wins. Johnson's helmet for the race was a tribute to Yarborough.
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Sean Gardner | Getty Images
2017: Johnson captured his first of three race victories in 2017 at Texas Motor Speedway, where he has a series-leading seven wins. Winning at Texas comes with the honor of drilling a plaque into the Wall of Champions.
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Jonathan Ferrey | Getty Images
2016: In his first time battling for the championship in the elimination-style playoffs format, Johnson led the final three laps at Miami to score the race win and, more importantly, his seventh championship. The seven titles match a series-best shared by Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty. And the seventh title came with a new nickname: "Seven-Time."
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Todd Warshaw | Getty Images
2016: Johnson made history again on Feb. 28 at Atlanta when he held off a fast-charging field to earn his 76th career win, tying Earnhardt. To honor "The Intimidator" -- who famously piloted the No. 3 car -- Johnson formed a "3" with his fingers during his celebratory burnout. Earnhardt's son and Johnson's teammate, Dale Earnhardt Jr., finished second. He would pass Earnhardt a month later with his 77th win, which came at Auto Club.
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Sean Gardner | Getty Images
2015: Johnson rewrote NASCAR history books in 2015 with his victory at Dover International Speedway on May 31. The win marked Johnson’s 10th career victory at the "Monster Mile," putting him in company with Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip and David Pearson as the only five drivers in the sport’s history to win 10 or more times at a single track. Johnson also remains the all-time winner at Dover (11 victories there as of 2020), with Bobby Allison and Petty second with seven trips apiece to Victory Lane.
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Sarah Crabill | Getty Images
2014: After starting the 2014 Coca-Cola 600 from the pole position, Johnson led 164 laps en route to his seventh win at Charlotte. The trip to Victory Lane allowed Johnson to pass Hall of Famers Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison for all-time wins at the North Carolina track.
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Robert Laberge | Getty Images
2013: A rear-gear issue in the 2012 season finale led to a 36th-place finish in that race and left Johnson third in the driver standings (with the championship going to Brad Keselowski). But Johnson would come to earn his nickname "Six-Time" the next year: The No. 48 driver won six events in 2013 leading up to his sixth championship, putting him on the cusp of equaling all-time leaders Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.
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Chris Trotman | Getty Images for NASCAR
2010: Johnson was second to Denny Hamlin in the driver standings heading into the 2010 season finale at Miami. But a runner-up finish to Hamlin's 14th-place result allowed Johnson to surpass Hamlin by 39 points, giving the No. 48 team its fifth consecutive title.
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Chris Trotman | Getty Images for NASCAR
2009: After winning four consecutive titles, Johnson was selected as The Associated Press' Male Athlete of the Year in 2009. He remains the sole race car driver since the award's inception in 1931 to take home the prestigious honor.
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Sam Greenwood | Getty Images
2009: Johnson's 2009 season started off shaky with a 31st-place result in the season-opening Daytona 500. But the No. 48 wheelman quickly got up to speed, leading a career-high 2,238 laps throughout the year and remaining in the top 10 of the point standings for 32 straight weeks. A fifth-place finish at Miami allowed Johnson to earn his fourth straight NASCAR Cup Series title.
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Sam Greenwood | Getty Images for NASCAR
2008: Fresh off his second championship, Johnson opened 2008 with a Daytona 500 pole. Despite not winning that race, Johnson won four races in '08 from the pole-winning position. A string of 12 straight top-15 runs – including three wins in the playoffs – to close the season allowed Johnson to hold onto the No. 1 driver ranking at year's end, giving him his third consecutive championship, matching Yarborough's all-time best streak.
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Doug Benc | Getty Images
2007: The 2007 season didn't start out smoothly for Johnson, as he crashed in the season-opening Daytona 500, earning a 39th-place result. But he quickly rebounded, earning a personal-best 10 wins that season. The No. 48 wheelman won four consecutive races in the playoffs with his points lead allowing him to cruise to his second straight championship over teammate Jeff Gordon with a seventh-place finish at Homestead.
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Chris Trotman | Getty Images
2006: Johnson's 2006 season was one for the record books. In addition to his five wins, he was ranked No. 1 in the driver standings for an impressive 25 of 36 races. A trio of runner-up finishes at the end of the season gave Johnson a substantial lead heading to the Miami finale. He finished ninth en route to his first NASCAR Cup Series championship.
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Kent Horner | Getty Images
2006: With his wife, Chandra, Johnson launched the Jimmie Johnson Foundation in 2006, with the goal of aiding families, communities and children in need, focusing on supporting K-12 public education. Since its inception, the foundation has raised more than $8.8 million for a variety of organizations.
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Joe Robbins | Getty Images
2006: After kicking the season off with a win at Daytona International Speedway, Johnson continued to excel, earning four additional wins. This includes the prestigious Brickyard 400, Johnson's first of four Brickyard trophies to date.
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Jonathan Ferrey | Getty Images
2006: Johnson made quite the impression in the season-opening Daytona 500. After rolling off the grid ninth, Johnson led 24 laps en route to his first career Daytona 500 victory. He won the coveted Daytona 500 trophy again in 2013.
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Doug Pensinger | Getty Images
2005: The Johnson-Knaus pairing won 18 races from 2002 to 2005, but something still wasn't working. The duo was bickering both on and off the radio, raising the idea 2005 would be their last run together. After the No. 48 team finished fifth in the 2005 championship standings, team owner Rick Hendrick called the pair into his office for the now-famous "milk and cookies" conversation. Hendrick had bought a gallon of milk, cookies and Mickey Mouse plates, and he told Johnson and Knaus if they were going to act like children, he would treat them like children. Based on their performance in 2006 and beyond, Hendrick's unconventional tactic seemed to work wonders.
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Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images
2004: NASCAR debuted the original playoff format in 2004, in which the top 10 drivers competed for a championship in the final 10 races of the season. Four wins during that 10-race stretch gave Johnson a second-place spot in the point standings at the end of the season, with Kurt Busch ultimately taking home the championship that year. Johnson for a long while was the only driver to make the playoffs every year since the inception of a postseason system -- a streak that ended in 2019.
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Jeff Gross/Getty Images
2003: Johnson checked a box off his racing checklist during his sophomore year in the series when he won the 2003 Coca-Cola 600. The Hendrick Motorsports driver led 34 laps, beating out Kenseth in a race that ended under caution.
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Robert Laberge | Getty Images
2002: It didn't take long for Johnson to begin tallying wins in the NASCAR Cup Series. On April 28, 2002, Johnson earned his first series victory at his home track, Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, beating out Kurt Busch, Ricky Rudd, Bill Elliott and Mark Martin.
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Robert Laberge | Getty Images
2001: Johnson's career took a big leap when he made his first NASCAR Cup Series start in the fall of 2001 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Driving the No. 48 car for Hendrick Motorsports, Johnson ran three races -- Charlotte, Homestead-Miami Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway -- and posted his best result at Miami (25th).
2002: Johnson signed with Hendrick Motorsports full time in 2002, running the No. 48 car. Knaus -- a member of Gordon's famous 'Rainbow Warriors' crew -- also signed on to be Johnson's crew chief that season.
2002: Johnson signed with Hendrick Motorsports full time in 2002, running the No. 48 car. Knaus -- a member of Gordon's famous 'Rainbow Warriors' crew -- also signed on to be Johnson's crew chief that season.
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2000: After running a part-time schedule for two years, a 23-year-old Johnson landed a full-time ride in 2000 with Herzog Motorsports in the now-NASCAR Xfinity Series. He finished 10th in the point standings at the end of his rookie year.
2001: Johnson earned his first victory at Chicagoland Speedway. After rolling off the grid sixth, he led 43 laps en route to Victory Lane, beating out Mike Skinner, Jeff Burton and Joe Nemechek to the finish line. This marked Johnson's lone win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series – but bigger things were coming for the future legend.
2001: Johnson earned his first victory at Chicagoland Speedway. After rolling off the grid sixth, he led 43 laps en route to Victory Lane, beating out Mike Skinner, Jeff Burton and Joe Nemechek to the finish line. This marked Johnson's lone win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series – but bigger things were coming for the future legend.
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Jimmie Johnson Ally
1981: Johnson's storied career began when he started racing motorcycles at age 5. By the time he was 8 years old, the budding racer had already won the 60cc class championship. Eager to try anything with wheels, Johnson also competed in the off-road series. Johnson is pictured here with his 2019 Darlington throwback Ally Chevrolet, which was a tribute to his off-road days.