Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliot won his first NASCAR Cup Championship on Sunday in Phoenix, Arizona, but he was hardly the story. The focus was on his teammate, the most unheralded G.O.A.T. ever — Jimmie Johnson.
Johnson, in 686 career races, amassed 83 wins — sixth most all time, 374 top ten finishes and seven NASCAR Cup championships, tied for the most of all time.
However, it’s not just what Johnson did on the racetrack, but how he did it.
He exploded onto the racing scene in 2002, quickly establishing himself as a dominant driver, finishing fifth in the overall standings. From 2002 to 2013, Johnson never finished worse than sixth in the final points standings and won six titles.
In 2014, NASCAR revamped its points system to prioritize wins over consistency and Johnson was unfazed, adapting to win his seventh and final championship.
Along with this, Johnson won titles with three different body styles. NASCAR made major changes to the car bodies in 2008 and 2013 to promote driver safety, competitiveness and passing.
Johnson dominated in all three.
In a sport represented in the mainstream by the likes of Ricky Bobby and Lightning McQueen, who were both dominant yet egotistical racers, people would probably expect Johnson to tell reporters that he pisses excellence — and honestly, he did. But that was and never will be Johnson.
In a sport that isn’t known for its sportsmanship, Johnson was class personified, even though he didn’t have to be.
Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, the other seven time champs along with Johnson, are widely considered the greatest NASCAR drivers of all time. Petty was aptly nicknamed “The King” and was treated as such by the sport, even when caught cheating. Earnhardt was called “The Intimidator” and was notorious for the bump-and-run move to win races.
Johnson doesn’t have a shiny nickname, or a penchant for wrecking or cheating. Instead, Johnson will go down in history as the best driver during the golden age of the sport.
In a nine month span from May 2000 through February 2001, four drivers died from accidents in NASCAR. Petty’s grandson died in a practice at New Hampshire and Earnhardt was killed in a last-lap crash in the 2001 Daytona 500, NASCAR’s biggest race of the season.
As public pressure mounted, NASCAR suddenly had an Intimidator-sized hole to fill. However, no single driver filled Earnhardt’s shoes alone, as the talent across the sport began to expand and homogenize.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. became the most popular driver in the sport almost instantly. Jeff Gordon rose as the California bad boy who dominated the previously mainly Southern sport. Tony Stewart, the Indiana kid, rose through the ranks of sprint cars and IndyCar with his unfiltered personality. The final piece of the puzzle for NASCAR was Johnson, who joined the top flight of NASCAR in 2002.
These drivers pulled NASCAR out of the hole it was in with the loss of Earnhardt, and made the sport more popular than ever before.
In 2006, NASCAR broke viewership records with its broadcasts while Johnson won the Daytona 500, the All-Star Race, the Brickyard 400 and his first championship. Johnson would go on to win the next four titles in a row, and win again in 2013 and 2016 to match Petty and Earnhardt.
Before moving on to Chip Ganassi Racing for the 2021 IndyCar season, Johnson passed the Hendrick torch to 23-year-old Chase Elliot on Sunday night. As the champ drove by, Johnson drove backwards to meet his teammate and successor and embraced him on the front stretch.
“Just so happy for him,” Johnson said on Sunday. “I’m sure I was saying something along those lines, just how happy I am for him. I saw him on track and left a big donut on the side of his car. I was able to get a high‑five as he was coming around to do burnouts. And I was waving goodbye. So certainly a couple cool moments.”
In his prime, Johnson was one of the greatest athletes of all time, although he may never get a segment on "First Take" debating whether that’s the case or not. More importantly, Johnson was a people’s champion, a beloved figure within the sport.
If 2020 has taught us anything, it's to appreciate greatness before it’s gone. In NASCAR, nobody was better than that number 48 Lowe's Chevrolet.
