JIMMIE JOHNSON

' James Kenneth "Jimmie" Johnson' (born September 17, 1975, El Cajon, California) is a current NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race car driver who drives the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS and Chevrolet Impala SS owned by his teammate Jeff Gordon and operated by Rick Hendrick's Hendrick Motorsports. In his rookie year he became the first rookie in the Cup series to sweep both races at a track when he won both races at Dover International Speedway. He became the first rookie ever to lead in the point standings (and to date the only rookie to do so). He is the only driver to finish in the top five in the standings in his first five full seasons. He has never finished below fifth in the final NEXTEL Cup points standings and finished second twice (in 2003 and 2004) and won the 2006 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup championship. Since his rookie season Johnson ranks second among all active drivers with an average of 4.5 wins a season (behind Jeff Gordon's 5.6) and second in average top 10 finishes a season with 21.25 (behind Tony Stewart's 21.28). In 2006, Johnson became the only driver to win the Daytona 500, Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, Aaron's 499 and the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Championship all in the same year. He is the only driver to win three Coca-Cola 600s in a row. He also holds the record at Lowe's Motor Speedway with four straight wins and five total point race wins at the track.

Contents

High School

Racing prior to NEXTEL Cup

NEXTEL Cup

2002 Season

2003 Season

2004 Season

2005 Season

2006 Season

2007 Season

Personal life

The Jimmie Johnson Foundation

Other Recent Events

References

External links

High School

Jimmie Johnson attended Granite Hills High School in El Cajon, California near San Diego. He went to the same high school as friend and current San Diego Padres second baseman Marcus Giles.

Racing prior to NEXTEL Cup

Jimmie Johnson began his racing career on 50cc motorcycles at the age of five. Johnson was successful on motorcycles at an early age. By the time he was eight, he won the 60cc class championship despite injuring his knee with several races left in the season. From motorcycle racing he made the move onto four wheels and competed in several off-road leagues including SODA, SCORE International and Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group. He accumulated over 25 wins, 100 top-three finishes, six championships, and received Rookie of the Year honors in all three leagues. Johnson raced with Herzog Motorsports in the 1996 and 1997 SODA series. Johnson was a field reporter for ESPN in the SODA series.

In 1998, Johnson joined the American Speed Association (ASA) circuit, finishing fourth in the season while picking up Rookie of the Year honors. During this time, Johnson also began racing in the NASCAR Busch Series, driving in three events. In 1999, Johnson continued to run in both the ASA and the Busch Series, winning twice and finishing third in the ASA point race. By 2000, Johnson became a Busch Series driver with Herzog Motorsports, finished 10th in the points standings and third in the Rookie of the Year standings. He won his only Busch Series race in 2001 at the Hills Brothers Coffee 300 at Chicagoland Speedway in his 81st series event.
During the 2000 Season, Johnson was left in a tight spot while racing in the Busch Series. Herzog Motorsports, which had fielded Johnson's cars for much of his career, was in a dilemma after their sponsor, Alltel left the team for Penske Racing after the Alltel Board of Directors recommended the switch, as Greg Penske, Roger's son, joined the Board of Directors at Alltel. During the Busch Series race at Michigan International Speedway, Johnson asked Jeff Gordon, who was also in the race, for advice during the drivers' meeting. Gordon kept in touch with Johnson after the incident, and a few months later, Hendrick Motorsports, on Gordon's recommendation, offered him a driver development deal with the potential of advancing in 2002.
Johnson's pre-Nextel Cup career is also noted for a crash at Watkins Glen where his car's brakes failed heading into turn 1, causing him to crash at nearly full speed headon into the styrofoam insulation and guardrail. Johnson walked away uninjured. In fact, he got out and put his fists in the air in excitement. At the time, Johnson was largely an unknown.

NEXTEL Cup

2002 Season

Johnson began racing in the NEXTEL Cup series (NNCS) in 2002. Johnson won the pole at the 2002 Daytona 500 and ending up with a 15th place finish. He would only improve from there, winning three times, averaging a 13.5 place finish, and becoming the first rookie ever to both lead the series in points (he eventually finished fifth overall) and to sweep races at a track (Dover International Speedway). Johnson's first Winston Cup win was at his home region of California Speedway. Despite finishing the highest of any modern era rookie in points (James Hylton has the highest points finish for a rookie, 2nd), he was runner-up to Ryan Newman for NASCAR Rookie of the Year because the 'Rookie of the Year' award is based on a driver's 15 best finishes and not points.
'2002 Statistics'

★ 5th Place in NASCAR Winston Cup points standings

★ Wins - 3

★ Top 5 - 6

★ Top 10 - 21

★ Ave Finish - 13.5
'Wins'

★ NAPA Auto Parts 500 at California Speedway on April 28

★ MBNA Platinum 400 at Dover International Speedway on June 2

★ MBNA All-American Heroes 400 at Dover International Speedway on September 22

2003 Season

For the 2003 campaign, Johnson had three victories, 14 top-five finishes and 20 top-ten finishes. He finished the season second in the points standings to Matt Kenseth. Johnson got his first and second wins in back to back weekends by winning the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge on May 18 and the Coca-Cola 600 on May 25, both at Lowe's Motor Speedway. The All-Star Challenge is a non-points event.
'2003 Statistics'

★ 2nd Place in the NASCAR Winston Cup points standings

★ Wins - 3

★ Top 5 - 14

★ Top 10 - 20

★ Ave Finish - 11.4
'Wins'

★ NEXTEL All-Star Challenge at Lowe's Motor Speedway on May 18

★ Coca Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway on May 25

★ New England 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway on July 20

★ Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway on September 14

2004 Season

In 2004, Johnson started slowly in weeks two and three at Rockingham and Las Vegas. However, he quickly rebounded with a week five win at the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 at Darlington Raceway. Subsequent victories at the Coca-Cola 600 and the Pocono 500 helped solidify his place in the Chase for the Cup towards the end of the regular season. However, poor finishes at Talladega (37th) and Kansas (32nd) nearly sank his chances to win the Nextel Cup. Four subsequent victories put him 18 points behind leader Kurt Busch going into the final race. The second victory at the Subway 500 in Martinsville, Virginia on October 24, 2004, was marred by tragedy. Owner Rick Hendrick's son (Ricky Hendrick), nieces, brother, and chief engine builder Randy Dorton were killed in an airplane crash on route to the race. All eight passengers and both pilots died in the incident, and Johnson was told after claiming the winner's grandfather clock. Johnson passed Mark Martin with six laps to go the next week in Atlanta Motor Speedway. Johnson won under the lights at Darlington in the final Mountain Dew Southern 500, and became the first driver since Jeff Gordon to win two legs of NASCAR's Grand Slam in a season. Despite this, Johnson's efforts would be futile as he would finish second in points to Kurt Busch by only 8 points, the closest points finish in NASCAR history.
'2004 Statistics'

★ 2nd place in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings

★ Wins - 8

★ Top 5 - 20

★ Top 10 - 23

★ Average Finish - 12.1
'Wins'

★ Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 at Darlington Raceway on March 21

★ Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway on May 3

★ Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway on June 13

★ Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway on August 1

★ UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway on October 16

★ Subway 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 24

★ Bass Pro Shops/MBNA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on October 31

★ Mountain Dew Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on November 14

2005 Season

In 2005, Johnson stayed in the top five in the points standings all year, winning at Las Vegas, Lowe's Motor Speedway, Dover International Speedway, and again at Lowe's Motor Speedway. In total, Johnson had four straight wins at his sponsor, Lowe's, sponsored track in Charlotte, North Carolina, and became only the second driver to win three consecutive races in one of NASCAR's majors. (Car owner Jeff Gordon won four consecutive Southern 500 titles from 1995-1998, but that leg of the Grand Slam was eliminated in the Ferko lawsuit.) 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 in the midway point of the event with a tire problem. Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, and Mark Martin all finished ahead of the #48 Chevrolet.
'2005 Statistics'''

★ 5th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings

★ Wins - 4

★ Top 5 - 13

★ Top 10 - 22

★ Average Finish - 12.7
'Wins'

★ UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 13

★ Coca-Cola 600 at Lowes Motor Speedway on May 29

★ MBNA RacePoints 400 at Dover International Speedway on September 25

★ UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway on October 15

2006 Season

Hendrick engineer Darian Grubb was named temporary crew chief after Johnson and his crew chief, Chad Knaus, were caught cheating in qualifying. Johnson won his first Daytona 500. His win was the second consecutive win at the Daytona 500 for Hendrick Motorsports. Johnson finished second at the next race at California Speedway and then beat Matt Kenseth by half a car length with a pass on the final turn on the caution-extended UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Johnson became the eighth driver to win a Career Grand Slam by winning the Aaron's 499 at Talladega by passing teammate Brian Vickers at the start of the final lap, finishing off an unprecedented streak of six wins in the past eleven majors. He won the final segment and million dollar bonus in the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge. Johnson was trying to go for five straight wins at a superspeedway, but he finished second to Kasey Kahne at the 2006 Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. He came back from cutting his tire and going all the way down to 38th place to win the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis, joining Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Sr as drivers to have won the Career Grand Slam and the Allstate 400. Johnson's 2006 season ended with a 9th place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway, winning his first career NEXTEL Cup Series Championship. His total winnings for the 2006 season were a record $15,770,125. On December 6, 2006 it was announced that he was voted the 2006 Driver of the Year, which is a unique award because it covers all racing series in the United States.

'2006 Statistics'''

★ 1st in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings

★ Wins - 5

★ Top 5 - 13

★ Top 10 - 24

★ Average Finish - 9.7
'Wins'

★ Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 19

★ UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 12

★ Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway on May 1

★ NEXTEL All-Star Challenge at Lowes Motor Speedway (non-points race) on May 20

★ Allstate 400 at The Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on August 6

★ Subway 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 22

2007 Season

Johnson's 2007 season began with a DNF after he was knocked out of the Daytona 500 when he was bumped into the infield. Johnson had been a favorite to win the 500. He recovered quickly with a third place finish at California and went onto win the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400, the Kobalt Tools 500, and the Goody's Cool Orange 500. After his win in the Goody's 500, at Martinsville, Johnson completed a stretch where he won three of four races, and has five wins this season. On May 6, 2007, Johnson won the Jim Stewart 400 at Richmond. On June 11, 2007, at Pocono, he blew a tire and finished 42nd, 9 laps down. Following his DNF in the USG Sheetrock 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on July 15, 2007, Johnson fell to seventh in points, 488 behind Hendrick teammate and points leader Jeff Gordon. During the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, Johnson blew a tire and crashed hard into the outer wall. As the car erupted in flames, although suffering slight eyebrow burns, Johnson climbed out and was not injured. On August 17th, 2007, Jimmie qualified 7th for the 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway. After clinching a position for The Chase for the Cup with his win at Fontana, Johnson entered The Chase as the leader, with 5060 points, based on his six regular season wins.
'Wins'

★ UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 11

★ Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 18

★ Goody's Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville Speedway on April 1

★ Crown Royal Presents The Jim Stewart 400 at Richmond International Raceway on May 6

★ Sharp AQUOS 500 at California Speedway on September 2 after four months without a victory^[1]

★ Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway on September 8

Personal life

Jimmie has been married to Chandra Janway since December 11, 2004.
He is an avid San Diego Padres and San Diego Chargers fan as they are his hometown teams. He also follows the Atlanta Braves and the Carolina Panthers (His adopted team since he is now based in North Carolina; the latter is based in Charlotte, close to Lowe's headquarters in Mooresville, NC). As is the custom on Fox's NFC Championship Game broadcasts (or Super Bowl when Fox has the Super Bowl that year), Jimmie appeared on the post-game show for the 2007 NFC Championship game when the Chicago Bears defeated the New Orleans Saints. (The NASCAR Nextel Cup champion makes an appearance during that game.) His interview aired directly opposite of the opening kickoff of the AFC Championship game.
Jimmie maintains his strong ties to the San Diego area. He is a part of one of the local San Diego Chevy dealers that carries his name (along with owner Rick Hendrick). Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet in the Kearny Mesa section of San Diego County.
Jimmie was named San Diego's Pro-Athlete of the Year by the San Diego Hall of Champions on January 31, 2007. San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders also proclaimed January 31, Jimmie Johnson Day.

The Jimmie Johnson Foundation

Chandra and Jimmie Johnson launched the Jimmie Johnson Foundation in February 2006. The Jimmie Johnson Foundation is dedicated to assisting children, families and communities in need throughout the United States. The Foundation strives to help everyone, particularly children, pursue their dreams.
The Jimmie Johnson Foundation supports charitable organizations that further the mission of the foundation. Current and past projects include granting wishes for children through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, assisting the American Red Cross with disaster relief efforts, building a four-lane bowling alley for children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses at the Victory Junction Gang Camp, and hosting a golf tournament in San Diego, CA to raise funds to build a Habitat for Humanity home in Jimmie’s home town of El Cajon.

Other Recent Events

★ Johnson participated in two Grand Am Rolex Sports Car series races in 2007; Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona (Jan 24-28) and the Porsche Brumos 250 at Daytona (July 5). His NASCAR sponsor Lowe's paired him up with the Riley factory entry driven by Jim Mathews and Marc Goossens.

★ Johnson has also participated in some more-recent off-road events, including a winning drive with Team USA at the 2002 Race of Champions. Johnson appeared at the event again in 2004 and was scheduled to appear alongside Travis Pastrana at the event this year, in Paris's Stade de France on December 16, 2006. Due to an injury, he would not be able to drive in the race, but would still go to offer support as a consultant.

★ Johnson hosts a weekly radio show, "Not What You Expected", on XM Satellite Radio. Marty Smith, NASCAR journalist and friend of Johnson's, hosts it with him. They have had numerous guests on the show including Major League Baseball player and Johnson's high school friend Marcus Giles, fellow drivers Brian Vickers, Matt Kenseth, and Jeff Gordon, crew chief Chad Knaus, singer and friend Nick Lachey, and others.

References

1. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20567758/

External links

★ Team Lowe's Racing: Jimmie Johnson's official web site

★ NASCAR.com: Jimmie Johnson

★ The Jimmie Johnson Foundation

★ Career statistics at racing-reference.info

★ The Inside Groove.com - Jimmie Johnson- Bio, Stats, Images, Links & more

★ Jimmie Johnson on IMDb