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It’s been quite a drought for Jimmie Johnson.
Despite winning the two previous races before Sunday’s outing at Richmond International Raceway, Johnson hasn’t won a single race since — creating a whopping, one-race winless streak that’s probably a career high or something.
Johnson made contact with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. late in the race Sunday (and earned the ire of Junior Nation in the process), but only finished 11th — a position that many racing historians claim is actually 10 positions lower than first place.
This new week-long winless drought is clear evidence that the No. 48 team has lost its touch.
Sure, Johnson has faced a winless drought before — most recently when he snapped a 24-race streak with a breakthrough victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway last fall that propelled him to a record-tying seventh Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship — but can he do it again? History says, “Yes, of course, you idiot.” But something inside me says, “Maybe I should insinuate ‘no’ because I have major beard envy.”
Look, Jimmie Johnson is far and away the winningest active driver. The No. 48 team has won 82 times since 2002, more than double the next driver. And yes, I’ll admit, Johnson’s seven Cup titles are more than the rest of the field combined. If he’s so great, then why didn’t he win after his crash Sunday at Richmond?
I know, I know. Before Joey Logano won Sunday at Richmond, Jimmie Johnson had won a quarter of the races in 2017. And, yes, history says he’ll contend for victories at the remaining 27 races this year — having won at all but three of the remaining tracks on the schedule.
But the fact remains: Jimmie Johnson didn’t win the race this past weekend and now faces a monstrous one-race winless streak.