145-504: Jimmie Kenneth Johnson (born September 17, 1975) is an American professional auto racing driver. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series , driving the No. 84 Toyota Camry XSE for his team, Legacy Motor Club . Johnson's seven Cup championships, the first five of which are consecutive, are tied with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the most all-time. He is regarded to be one of
290-406: A transformative shift, echoing past pivots. The industry, much like the cars it champions , has had to navigate through a global pandemic and a persistent chip shortage, each threatening to derail production schedules . At the same time, a new course is being charted towards an electric future, a dramatic change in direction that is challenging the old guard of gasoline engines. There is also
435-618: A "manufacturer's" logo and "vehicle name", yet use components produced by another automobile manufacturer. There are also other stock car governing bodies, most notably the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). In the UK, British Stock car racing is also referred to as "Short Circuit Racing". UK Stock car racing started in the 1950s and grew rapidly through the 1960s and 1970s. Events take place on shale or tarmac tracks – usually around 1/4 mile long. There are around 35 tracks in
580-448: A 14th-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 . Afterward, he placed fourth in the first Budweiser Duel , resulting in a ninth-place starting position in the 2013 Daytona 500 . In the Daytona 500 , Johnson started well, assuming the lead from Jeff Gordon on lap 32 and leading
725-415: A common sight throughout the event duration, but the factory-supported, all-spaceframe Trophy Truck entries are the most visible. In contrast to the current factory EX supported modern race vehicles that tend to dominate the car and truck classes, Erik Carlsson drove a basically stock front wheel drive Saab 96 V4, finishing third in 1969 and fifth in 1970. The starting order is generally determined by
870-453: A crash early in the race. Returning to Texas, Johnson dominated and held off Brad Keselowski , Kevin Harvick (and Jeff Gordon , who cut a tire on contact with Brad Keselowski late in the race which led to a post-race brawl) to score his third straight win in the fall Texas race, and also ended an 18-race-winless-streak. At Phoenix, he struggled for most of the day and finished 38th after blowing
1015-536: 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. Afterward, he finished fourth and second in the Subway Fresh Fit 500 and Kobalt Tools 400 . While at Bristol Motor Speedway for the Food City 500 , Johnson finished in
1160-410: A distance of 8 mi (13 km). It was won by the carriage of Isaac Watt Boulton . Internal combustion auto racing events began soon after the construction of the first successful gasoline -fueled automobiles. The first organized contest was on April 28, 1887, by the chief editor of Paris publication Le Vélocipède , Monsieur Fossier. It ran 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from Neuilly Bridge to
1305-432: A fast pit stop allowed him to start the final 10-lap sprint in second, and later passed Kasey Kahne for the victory. 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 causing NASCAR to issue him a penalty. He was able to redeem himself for this mistake the following week at Pocono by earning
1450-403: A flat tire with less than five laps to go. Johnson finished the race in 28th, his worst finish of the season to that point. 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
1595-536: A fourth-place finish in the Budweiser Shootout , after starting from the 23rd position. One week later in the 2011 Daytona 500 , he started 23rd, but finished 27th after being involved in a crash on lap 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 5 finishes. Statistically, Johnson's 2011 season
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#17328768858151740-705: A growing number of events for electric racing cars, such as the Formula E , the Eco Grand Prix or the Electric GT Championship . In single-seater ( open-wheel ) racing, the wheels are not covered, and the cars often have aerofoil wings front and rear to produce downforce and enhance adhesion to the track. The most popular varieties of open-wheel road racing are Formula One (F1), the IndyCar Series and Super Formula . In Europe and Asia, open-wheeled racing
1885-441: 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. With five laps to go, 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. This
2030-693: A lap at 388 km/h (241 mph). The series' biggest race is the Indianapolis 500 , which is commonly referred to as "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" due to being the longest continuously run race in the series and having the largest crowd for a single-day sporting event (350,000+). The other major international single-seater racing series is Formula 2 (formerly known as Formula 3000 and GP2 Series ). Regional series include Super Formula and Formula V6 Asia (specifically in Asia), Formula Renault 3.5 (also known as
2175-495: A long-distance run to prove the reliability of the new Honda CL72 Scrambler motorcycle, they approached well-known off-road motorcycle racer and local Triumph and Honda dealer Bud Ekins for suggestions. Ekins suggested the Tijuana to La Paz route ( Federal Highway 1 ), which was 950 miles (1,530 km) of rocks, sand washes, dry lake beds, cattle crossings, and mountain passes, with few paved roads. Ekins declined to undertake
2320-472: A much easier time following and passing than in open-wheel racing . It often features full-contact racing with subtle bumping and nudging due to the small speed differentials and large grids. The major touring car championships conducted worldwide are the Supercars Championship (Australia), British Touring Car Championship , Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM), World Touring Car Championship and
2465-811: A point-to-point race from Ensenada to La Paz or a loop race starting and finishing in Ensenada. The name of the event can be misleading, as the mileage varies for the type of event. A "Loop" can be 600 to 850 miles starting and finishing in Ensenada or "Point to Point", also known as the 900. Some winners of the race with 3rd place going to Jorge Jimenez in 2012 and 2nd place going to Bryce Menzies in 2022 and 1st to Andy McMillan in 2023. Competitors face many challenges, including sudden terrain drops, cliffs, boulders, traction disruptors, mud, dunes, visibility issues, dust, fog, mirages, darkie road traffic, spectators, cattle, and local wildlife. When Jack McCormack and Walt Fulton of Honda 's American subsidiary decided to hold
2610-450: A practical mode of transport, but soon became an important way for automobile makers to demonstrate their machines. By the 1930s, specialist racing cars had developed. There are now numerous different categories, each with different rules and regulations. The first prearranged match race of two self-powered road vehicles over a prescribed route occurred at 4:30 A.M. on August 30, 1867, between Ashton-under-Lyne and Old Trafford , England,
2755-639: A random draw, except when preferential starts are given to those who finished in top positions in the previous race/season, or when qualifying is held. For Trophy Trucks & Class 1 vehicles, qualifying for the Baja 1000 is now held during SEMA at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway . [REDACTED] Pat Dean [REDACTED] Aaron Ampudia [REDACTED] Larry Roeseler [REDACTED] Rob MacCachren [REDACTED] Rob MacCachren [REDACTED] Rob MacCachren **Officially
2900-610: A repeat of the Talladega race. At Kentucky, Johnson started sixth and ran inside the Top 10 for most of the night, finishing ninth. At the second stop in Pocono, Johnson, along with two of his Hendrick teammates, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr., took advantage of several cars running out of fuel to finish in the Top 6 (Gordon finished third, Dale Jr. took fourth, Johnson grabbed sixth). At Watkins Glen, despite suffering two penalties (lap 3: Overshooting
3045-490: A season. 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. Also, he was one of only three drivers to sweep the top ten, the other two drivers being Ryan Newman and Dale Earnhardt Jr. At New Hampshire for
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#17328768858153190-459: A second-place finish at Rockingham after leading 78 laps. He also was able to win the All-Star race for the first time, as well as finishing second in the final standings, just 90 points Matt Kenseth and 207 ahead of his future teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. 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
3335-515: 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
3480-586: A shot at victory as the result of running out of gas or blowing an engine. However, he didn't keep up with the momentum. After finishing in the top ten at Sonoma and Kentucky, Johnson was collected in an early wreck in the Coke Zero 400, finishing 42nd. 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 resulting from accidents at Pocono (39th) and Watkins Glen (28th). Despite
3625-426: A small, low-cost machine on small tracks. Many of the current top drivers began their careers in karts. Formula Ford represents the most popular first open-wheel category for up-and-coming drivers stepping up from karts. The series is still the preferred option, as it has introduced an aero package and slicks, allowing the junior drivers to gain experience in a race car with dynamics closer to F1. The Star Mazda Series
3770-484: A spectacularly hard accident on lap 46 when his brakes failed entering the first turn. He had to swerve quickly to the right to avoid the No. 86 of Dennis Demers , but went into the grass on the inside of turn one, then went back across the track, caught some air on the gravel trap before finally crashing head-on into the Styrofoam barriers at the far end of the turn while still more than 150+ MPH. He eventually climbed out of
3915-482: A tire and crashing out. At the season finale at Homestead, Johnson finished ninth and closed out finishing 11th in points. This marks the first time in Johnson's NASCAR Cup career that he has finished outside of the Top 10 in the final points. Johnson began his season with a win in the Budweiser Duel . He started the season by finishing fifth in the Daytona 500 for the second year in a row. The following week, he won
4060-680: Is NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing). NASCAR's premier series is the NASCAR Cup Series , its most famous races being the Daytona 500 , the Southern 500 , the Coca-Cola 600 , and the Brickyard 400 . NASCAR also runs several feeder series, including the Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series (a pickup truck racing series). The series conduct races across the entire continental United States . NASCAR also sanctions series outside of
4205-687: Is a worldwide series that runs only street circuit and race tracks . These cars are heavily based on technology and their aerodynamics. The speed record was set in 2005 by Juan Pablo Montoya hitting 373 km/h (232 mph). Some of the most prominent races are the Monaco Grand Prix, the Italian Grand Prix , and the British Grand Prix . The season ends with the crowning of the World Championship for drivers and constructors. In
4350-468: Is an annual Mexican off-road motorsport of particular distance race held on the Baja California Peninsula . It is one of the most prestigious off-road races in the world, having attracted competitors from six continents. The race was founded by Ed Pearlman in 1967 and is sanctioned by SCORE International . The race is the final round of a four-race annual series, which also includes
4495-640: Is another entry-level series. Indy Lights represent the last step on the Road to Indy , being less powerful and lighter than an IndyCar racer. Students at colleges and universities can also take part in single-seater racing through the Formula SAE competition, which involves designing and building a single-seater car in a multidisciplinary team and racing it at the competition. This also develops other soft skills, such as teamwork, while promoting motorsport and engineering. The world's first all-female Formula racing team
Jimmie Johnson - Misplaced Pages Continue
4640-594: Is commonly referred to as 'Formula', with appropriate hierarchical suffixes. In North America, the 'Formula' terminology is not followed (with the exception of F1). The sport is usually arranged to follow an international format (such as F1), a regional format (such as the Formula 3 Euro Series), and/or a domestic, or country-specific, format (such as the German Formula 3 championship, or the British Formula Ford). F1
4785-505: Is open to entrants competing in several classes, ranging from dirt bikes , ATVs , side-by-sides , buggies , truggy and custom fabricated race vehicles. Race teams range from factory-supported groups that build custom fabricated vehicles and provide chase vehicles via helicopter to much smaller and less glamorous sportsman teams competing in all-stock vehicles with no chase vehicle support. Stock Volkswagen Type One Beetles modified for use in off-road terrain, known as Baja Bugs , have been
4930-870: Is the FIA World Endurance Championship . The main series for GT car racing is the GT World Challenge Europe , divided into two separate championships: the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup and the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup . This series has formed after the folding of the various FIA GT championships. The prevailing classes of GT cars are GT3 , GT4 and GT2 class cars. GT2 cars have powerful engines, often exceeding 600 horsepower. However, they have less downforce than GT3 cars and also have less driver aids. GT3 cars are far and away
5075-522: Is undergoing a period of transition, but is still the longest-running road racing series in the U.S. The National Auto Sport Association also provides a venue for amateurs to compete in home-built factory-derived vehicles on various local circuits. In sports car racing, production-derived versions of two-seat sports cars , also known as grand tourers (GTs), and purpose-built sports prototype cars compete within their respective classes on closed circuits. The premier championship series of sports car racing
5220-705: The 24 Hours of Le Mans , begun in 1923. It is run by the Automobile Club of the West (ACO). Team Ferrari won the race in 2023. With auto construction and racing dominated by France, the French automobile club ACF staged a number of major international races, usually from or to Paris, connecting with another major city, in France or elsewhere in Europe. Aspendale Racecourse , in Australia,
5365-620: The 24 Hours of Le Mans , the Rolex 24 at Daytona , 24 Hours of Spa -Franchorchamps, the 12 Hours of Sebring , the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen , and the 1,000-mile (1,600 km) Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta . There is also the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring on the famed Nordschleife track and the Dubai 24 Hour , which is aimed at GT3 and below cars with a mixture of professional and pro-am drivers. Production-car racing, otherwise known as "showroom stock" in
5510-549: The Arab Oil Embargo . With fear that competitors would abandon the idea of competing and stay home, NORRA cancelled the 1974 Baja race–despite assurances from the Federal government run Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) that fuel prices would remain stable–and announced they would instead hold an event in the state of Arizona . It was at that time in history that Baja California governor Milton Castellanos handed over sanctioning of
5655-601: The Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington . The win was also Rick Hendrick 's 200th NASCAR Cup Series win. 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 . Next, in the Coca-Cola 600 , Johnson finished 11th in the race after a penalty on lap 354. After the Coca-Cola 600, Johnson went on to win his second race of
5800-566: The Brickyard 400 after coming to pit road with 30 laps remaining in the event. Johnson finished fourth in the Good Sam RV Insurance 500 , after bumping Kurt Busch on the final lap. In the next race , Johnson finished tenth. Johnson finished in the Top 5 in the following three races. During the last race of the regular season, the Wonderful Pistachios 400 , Johnson finished in the 31st position. While at Chicagoland Speedway for
5945-492: The Camping World RV Sales 301 , Johnson qualified second, but failed post-qualifying inspection after his car was found to be too low, and started the race in 43rd, 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 ten by lap 165; Johnson finished sixth. He almost won the pole position at Indianapolis but
Jimmie Johnson - Misplaced Pages Continue
6090-601: The Coca-Cola 600 after his engine failed. Three weeks later, 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. 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. After returning to Daytona International Speedway for
6235-544: 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. During the next two races, Johnson finished third and fifth in the Quaker State 400 and the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 . Two weeks later, Johnson found himself finishing 19th during
6380-574: The Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta. At Las Vegas, Johnson crashed twice into the outside wall, leaving him with a 41st-place finish. He rebounded with an 11th-place finish in Phoenix and a ninth-place finish at California, his first Top 10 there in two years. At Martinsville, he struggled to a 35th-place finish. However, his momentum returned at Texas when he held off Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win. At Bristol, he avoided tight trouble early in
6525-496: The Ford 400 to finish sixth in the Driver's championship standings. The third NASCAR Championship for Tony Stewart marked the first time since 2005 (coincidentally Stewart's second) that someone other than Johnson was the champion. Johnson began the 2012 season with a 14th-place finish in the Budweiser Shootout after crashing on lap 74. During the Daytona 500 , Johnson was involved in
6670-549: The GEICO 400 , Sylvania 300 and AAA 400 . Following a 17th-place finish in Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500 , Johnson recorded four top-ten finishes, including two consecutive wins from the pole position at Martinsville and Texas , which was his 60th win in the series, to take a seven-point lead over Brad Keselowski . Johnson was able to hold off Keselowski's hard racing, which even prompted Tony Stewart to say that he
6815-631: The GEICO 400 , Johnson finished 10th. Afterward, Johnson finished 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 . 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
6960-641: The Lenox Industrial Tools 301 , 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 . At Michigan , he was leading late in the race with six laps to go when his engine blew up, giving the race to Greg Biffle. After making the NASCAR Chase for the Championship , Johnson secured three straight Top 5 finishes in
7105-508: The San Felipe 250 , the Baja 400 and the Baja 500 . The 2017 Baja 1000 marked the 50th anniversary of the race. The Baja 1000 has various types of classes, including Trophy trucks , Dirtbikes , Truggys , Side-by-sides , Baja Bugs and Buggies , all competing at the same time on the same course. The course has remained relatively the same over the years, with about every other event being either
7250-621: The Short-course Off-road Drivers Association (SODA). Three years later, Johnson drove for Herzog Motorsports in the off-road truck series in 1996. By 1997, Johnson had progressed to SODA's Class 8; Class 8 is short-course off-road racing's class of two-wheel-drive Trophy Trucks which generate about 800 horsepower. He battled Scott Taylor and Brendan Gaughan for the championship. That year, Johnson won both races at Lake Geneva Raceway 's first race weekend in May. He also won
7395-539: The WeatherTech SportsCar Championship starting in 2014. These races are often conducted over long distances, at least 1,000 km (621 mi), and cars are driven by teams of two or more drivers, switching every few hours. Due to the performance difference between production-based sports cars and purpose-built sports prototypes, one race usually involves several racing classes, each fighting for its own championship. Famous sports car races include
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#17328768858157540-637: The World Touring Car Cup . The European Touring Car Cup is a one-day event open to Super 2000 specification touring cars from Europe's many national championships. While Super GT traces its lineage to the now-defunct JGTC , the cars are much more similar to GT3 race cars than proper touring cars, and also have much more aggressive aerodynamics. The Sports Car Club of America 's SPEED World Challenge Touring Car and GT championships are dominant in North America. America's historic Trans-Am Series
7685-420: The racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non-racing disciplines. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various types were organized, with the first recorded as early as 1867. Many of the earliest events were effectively reliability trials , aimed at proving these new machines were
7830-463: The 12th driver to win 50+ NASCAR races when he won at Bristol in March and went up to 10th on the all-time wins list. His wins in 2010 included Auto Club, Las Vegas, where he passed Jeff Gordon with 16 laps to go for the lead, Bristol, Sonoma, his first and only road course win, New Hampshire, and Dover. At New Hampshire, with eight laps remaining, Kurt Busch , who was running second, bumped Johnson to become
7975-465: The 1980s and 1990s all over the United States. In North America, stock car racing is the most popular form of auto racing. Primarily raced on oval tracks , stock cars vaguely resemble production cars, but are in fact purpose-built racing machines that are built to tight specifications and, together with touring cars, also called Silhouette racing cars . The largest stock car racing governing body
8120-568: The 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. In the 2009 season , Johnson recorded his fourth consecutive championship, becoming the only driver to win four back-to-back season titles. Throughout this season, he won seven races (including a third consecutive Checker Auto Parts 500 and both Dover races), four poles, 16 Top 5's, and 24 Top 10 finishes. Johnson now became
8265-462: The 24 hours of Le Mans (held annually since 1923) and in the (European) Le Mans series , Asian Le Mans Series and the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship . These cars are referred to as LMP (Le Mans prototype) cars with LMH and LMDh cars being run mainly by manufacturers and the slightly less powerful LMP2 cars run by privateer teams. All three Le Mans Series run GT cars in addition to Le Mans Prototypes; these cars have different restrictions than
8410-588: The Bois de Boulogne. On July 22, 1894, the Parisian magazine Le Petit Journal organized what is considered to be the world's first motoring competition, from Paris to Rouen. One hundred and two competitors paid a 10- franc entrance fee. The first American automobile race is generally considered to be the Thanksgiving Day Chicago Times-Herald race of November 28, 1895. Press coverage of
8555-502: The Coca-Cola 600 that year, which broke the record for the most yellow flags in a Cup Series race, by beating Bobby Labonte by .027 seconds. Johnson had a chance to win the championship coming into the November 20 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway , but finished fifth in points after crashing at the midway point of the event with a tire problem. He scored 13 Top 5's, 22 Top 10 finishes, and one pole position. In 2006 , Johnson began
8700-642: The Daytona 500. However, he quickly was able to rebound winning the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 at Darlington Raceway . Subsequent victories in 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 moved him toward the bottom of the point standings. Afterward, he
8845-409: The FIA GT cars. Another prototype and GT racing championship exists in the United States; the Grand-Am , which began in 2000, sanctions its own endurance series, the Rolex Sports Car Series , which consists of slower and lower-cost Daytona Prototype race cars compared to LMP and FIA GT cars. The Rolex Sports Car Series and American Le Mans Series announced a merger between the two series forming
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#17328768858158990-472: The Mexican border and in La Paz, Dave Ekins recorded the first official timed run in 39 hours 56 minutes (39:56), with a total distance of 952.7 miles (1,533.2 km). The event received coverage in the Globe , Argosy , and Cycle World magazines, earning awe and respect for Honda and the Baja run. The Globe and Argosy accounts also included close encounters with death and other dangers, which Ekins claims were "colorful additions". Wanting to beat
9135-469: 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 races at Dover . In the Coca-Cola 600, Johnson led 263 laps before he got a penalty for overshooting his pit box. He earned four pole positions and three wins (tying the rookie record set by Tony Stewart in 1999), as well as six Top 5's and 21 Top 10 finishes. He finished fifth in
9280-403: The O'Reilly 200 at Bristol, where he led 28 laps before spinning out on lap 101. That weekend was the first time he had ever sat in a racing truck. In the Chase for the Championship, he recorded 14 wins, eight more than any other driver. One of those included Phoenix in which he won on low fuel and high tire wear after crew chief Chad Knaus decided to stay out late in the race. He also was named
9425-431: 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. After finishing in the first 15 positions in the next four races, Johnson failed to finish
9570-405: The Top 10 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, racing near the back of the pack, but salvaged a 12th-place finish. Johnson won his first pole position of the season at Martinsville and had
9715-593: The UK and upwards of 7000 active drivers. The sport is split into three basic divisions – distinguished by the rules regarding car contact during racing. The most famous championship are the BriSCA F1 Stock Cars . Full-contact formulas include Bangers , Bombers, and Rookie Bangers – and racing features Demolition Derbies, Figure of Eight, and Oval Racing. Semi Contact Formulas include BriSCA F1, F2, and Superstox – where bumpers are used tactically. Non-contact formulas include National Hot Rods, Stock Rods, and Lightning Rods. Baja 1000 The Baja 1000
9860-532: The UK, the major club series are the Monoposto Racing Club , BRSCC F3 (formerly ClubF3, formerly ARP F3), Formula Vee and Club Formula Ford. Each series caters to a section of the market, with some primarily providing low-cost racing, while others aim for an authentic experience using the same regulations as the professional series (BRSCC F3). The SCCA is also responsible for sanctioning single-seater racing in much of North America. There are other categories of single-seater racing, including kart racing , which employs
10005-401: The US, is an economical and rules-restricted version of touring-car racing, mainly used to restrict costs. Numerous production racing categories are based on particular makes of cars. Most series, with a few exceptions, follow the Group N regulation. There are several different series that are run all over the world, most notably, Japan's Super Taikyu and IMSA 's Firehawk Series, which ran in
10150-409: The United States, including the NASCAR Canada Series , NASCAR Mexico Series , NASCAR Whelen Euro Series , and NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race . NASCAR also governs several smaller regional series, such as the Whelen Modified Tour . Modified cars are best described as open-wheel cars. Modified cars have no parts related to the stock vehicle for which they are named after. A number of modified cars display
10295-438: The United States, the most popular series is the IndyCar Series . The cars have traditionally been similar to, though less technologically sophisticated than, F1 cars , with more restrictions on technology aimed at controlling costs. While these cars are not as technologically advanced, they are faster, in part due to their lower downforce compared to F1 cars, and also because they compete on oval race tracks, being able to average
10440-530: The Winston Cup Series full-time for 2002, with Gordon as a part-owner of his car. 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 2010, he became the first and only driver in NASCAR history to win five consecutive championships. Johnson finished sixth in
10585-660: The World Series by Renault, succession series of World Series by Nissan ), Formula Three , Formula Palmer Audi and Formula Atlantic . In 2009, the FIA Formula Two Championship brought about the revival of the F2 series. Domestic, or country-specific, series include Formula Three and Formula Renault, with the leading introductory series being Formula Ford . Single-seater racing is not limited merely to professional teams and drivers. There exist many amateur racing clubs. In
10730-509: The Year for the fourth time in his career, joining Gordon as the only drivers to win the award that many times. Johnson had been fighting for the championship with Denny Hamlin all season, but eventually passed him in points in the season finale at Homestead. He also won Tony Stewart 's charity race, the Prelude to the Dream , his first victory on a dirt oval. In 2011 , Johnson began the season with
10875-541: The Year honors in all three leagues. In 1997, he began racing on asphalt ovals when he ran three races in the American Speed Association (ASA), making his debut at Hawkeye Downs Speedway. Driving for Herzog Motorsports' stock car program, he won the ASA Pat Schauer Memorial Rookie title in 1998. One year later, he had two wins and finished third in the standings. Johnson finished second in
11020-432: The car unscathed and raised his fists in the air like he had won the race. Johnson noted he was "so happy to be alive and OK. The next couple of days I was really sore." Otherwise, in a rather uneventful season which featured one DNQ at Daytona and six Top 10's, he finished tenth in the point standings. In 2001 , he recorded one win at Chicagoland Speedway , and finished eighth in the point standings, his win at Chicagoland
11165-415: The car, fixing the plug on the last pit stop, and managing to salvage a 13th-place finish after racing near the back of the pack for most of the race. 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
11310-517: The dominant car, leading 346 of 500 laps on the way to his eighth Martinsville race win. Johnson also assumed the point lead as well, which he held 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 sixth at Texas. At Kansas, he led nine laps and finished third behind Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne . Johnson finished 12th
11455-424: The entrance to the inner loop, and caution No. 1 (lap 26–28): Speeding through pit road), Johnson rallied to finish 10th. He wasn't so lucky at Michigan, as late in the race, he got loose and spun in turn 3, and damaged the splitter on his car, resulting in a 39th-place finish (10 laps down). He rebounded at Bristol by finishing 4th but had bad luck once more at Darlington. He spun out on lap 134 in turn 4, bringing out
11600-470: The event first aroused significant American interest in the automobile. The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily , Italy near the island's capital of Palermo . Founded in 1906 , it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973. The oldest surviving sports car racing event is
11745-468: The event to a non-profit Mexican corporation called the "Baja Sports Committee" (BSC). BSC renamed the event the "Baja Mil" (Baja 1000) and scheduled the race to run on the original dates chosen by NORRA. Though NORRA held a competing event in the United States that same weekend, BSC successfully ran the race from Ensenada to La Paz as in years prior. Unaware of the challenges, BSC found promoting Baja races more difficult than anticipated. Instead of giving up
11890-482: The existing motorcycle record and to help fuel sales of the Meyers Manx , Bruce Meyers used his original prototype buggy called "Old Red" for an attempt at breaking the record set by Ekins. After pre-running a course south to La Paz, Ted Mangels and Bruce Meyers started the record-breaking attempt back to Tijuana from La Paz at 10:00 pm on April 19, 1967. With a journalist from Road & Track magazine following
12035-419: The fall race, and third consecutive win on that track, having also won the spring race. That victory also marked the 75th of his NASCAR Cup Series career, putting him one race win short of tying Dale Earnhardt's career wins. Also in the process, he snapped a 20-race-winless-streak. Auto racing Auto racing (also known as car racing , motor racing , or automobile racing ) is a motorsport involving
12180-490: The final point standings. However, despite the strong season, Ryan Newman won rookie of the year honors over Johnson, partially due to Newman having 22 Top 10's compared to Johnson's 21. In 2003 , Johnson finished ninth on the all-time list for consecutive weeks ranked in the Top 10 in points with 69. He won three races (Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte and both New Hampshire races), two poles (at Kansas Speedway and Pocono Raceway ), 14 Top 10's, and 20 Top 10 finishes, including
12325-424: 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 5's, and 24 Top 10's, with an average finish of 9.8 and an average start of 10.7. Statistically, 2014 was one of Johnson's worst seasons to date. He started the season on an up-and-down note but went winless through the first 11 races of the 2014 season (his best finish
12470-487: The first woman to compete in the event. By 1971, major sponsors such as Olympia Brewing Company and Minolta Cameras began to support Parnelli Jones in his Dick Russell-designed and Bill Stroppe-prepared "Big Oly" Bronco and Larry Minor in a similar Stroppe-prepared Bronco . In October 1973, the price for a barrel of crude oil shot up 70% overnight as the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries ( OPEC ) launched
12615-420: 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. In the 2013 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race , Johnson won his record fourth All-Star race after
12760-664: The greatest Nascar drivers of all time. From 2021 to 2022, Johnson competed in the IndyCar Series for Chip Ganassi Racing , and has competed occasionally in sports car racing throughout his career. 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
12905-506: The incident, and Johnson was told after completion of the race. Johnson had a total of eight wins, 20 Top 5's and 23 Top 10 finishes. At the end of the season, Johnson finished second in the point standings. In 2005, Johnson won at Las Vegas , Lowe's Motor Speedway , Dover International Speedway , and then again at Lowe's. In total, Johnson had four consecutive wins at his sponsor ( Lowe's ) sponsored track in Charlotte, North Carolina . He won
13050-763: The last step up to premier GT-class racing. Other major GT championships include the GT World Challenge America , GT World Challenge Asia , Super GT , and the International GT Open . There are minor regional and national GT series using mainly GT4 and GT3 cars featuring both amateur and professional drivers. Sports prototypes, unlike GT cars, do not rely on road-legal cars as a base. They are closed-wheel and often closed-cockpit purpose-built race cars intended mainly for endurance racing. They have much lower weight, more horsepower and more downforce compared to GT cars, making them much faster. They are raced in
13195-410: The leader, but Johnson returned the favor a couple of laps later to the lead the final two laps. Johnson said, "Kurt knocked me out of the way. At that point, I thought, I don't care if I win or finish. I'm going to run into him one way or the other ... I tried once and moved him. (I thought) I've got to hit him harder. The second time I did and moved him out of the way." Johnson was also named Driver of
13340-421: The most laps in the race), and, while trying to make a pass for first at Talladega , getting clipped and spinning out. He and the team kept their hopes up and rallied with five straight Top 2 finishes including a win at Martinsville to come back from eighth in the points standings to take the championship. At the end of the season, he recorded one pole, 13 Top 5's, 24 Top 10's, and his first championship title (this
13485-442: The most popular class of GT cars, with premier racing series such as the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA both using GT3 as their top class of GT car. GT3 cars have more significant aero than a GT2 car, but also have less horsepower, typically falling in between 500 and 550 horsepower. GT4 class cars have very little aerodynamics and less horsepower than GT3 machinery, typically around 450 horsepower. GT4 typically serves as
13630-540: The ninth position, moving him up to 11th in the Drivers' Standings. Next, Johnson finished tenth in the Auto Club 400 , despite having an oil leak, but the rain saved Johnson from a low finish. He went on to finish 12th in the spring event at Martinsville after being involved in a crash on the first green-white-checker attempt. In the following event, the Samsung Mobile 500 , Johnson finished second after leading much of
13775-421: The oil crisis). SCORE hired Sal Fish as president and took control of the Baja 1000 from that year on with the Baja 1000 race resuming under new control in 1975. The 1979 race was notable for Walker Evans’ overall win in a Dodge truck, the first truck to win the overall title of the race. In 2012, the racing organization was purchased by Roger Norman and continues to run under his presidency. The Baja 1000
13920-461: The oldest car racing series still active in the world. The first TC competition took place in 1931 with 12 races, each in a different province. Future Formula One star Juan Manuel Fangio (Chevrolet) won the 1940 and 1941 editions of the TC. It was during this time that the series' Chevrolet-Ford rivalry began, with Ford acquiring most of its historical victories. Over the last few years, auto racing has seen
14065-506: The oldest existing purpose-built and still in use automobile race course in the United States is the 2.5-mile-long (4.0 km) Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana . It is the largest capacity sports venue of any variety worldwide, with a top capacity of some 257,000+ seated spectators. NASCAR was founded by Bill France Sr. on February 21, 1948, with the help of several other drivers. The first NASCAR " Strictly Stock " race ever
14210-465: 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 Championship every year since 2004. During the season, he moved up one spot up to second on the active winners' list and went to 13th on the all-time wins list. After the season concluded, he won an ESPY for the second consecutive year, and won the Driver of the Year award for
14355-576: The overall time falling short of the record set by Meyers. On July 4, 1967, an American Motors Rambler American sedan would leave Tijuana at 9:00 am to successfully break the record set by Meyers with an overall time of 31 hours. As the timed runs recorded via telegraph became popular, a need for an organized event to compete for the quickest Baja run was starting to grab the attention of other competitors. In response to Meyers' record setting run, Ed Pearlman convinced Dick Cepek , Claude Dozier, Ed Orr, Drino Miller and journalist John Lawlor to make
14500-423: The overall winning time of 27 hours 38 minutes (27:38) set by Vic Wilson and Ted Mangels while driving a Meyers Manx buggy . From 1967 to 1972, the race was organized by NORRA and grew in popularity, with ABC's "Wide World of Sports" sending Jim McKay to cover the 1968 event. It attracted new participants like the late Mickey Thompson , Indy 500 winner Parnelli Jones , movie actor James Garner , and Mary McGee ,
14645-516: The points standings in the 2011 season and third in 2012 before winning his sixth championship in 2013. In 2016, Johnson won his seventh championship, tying Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the most Cup Series championships of all time. Johnson is also a two-time winner of the Daytona 500 , winning in 2006 and 2013 . Between 2002 and 2017, Johnson recorded seven championships, 83 career race wins, 222 top fives, 341 top tens, and 35 pole positions . Johnson started racing motorcycles in 1980 when he
14790-458: 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 NASCAR Cup Series races. At the Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan, Johnson closed in on Greg Biffle for the lead with less than 10 laps left, but suffered
14935-612: The poor finishes, Johnson qualified fourth for the Chase. In the Chase, Johnson finished 12th at Chicagoland, fifth at New Hampshire, and third at Dover to advance to the Contender Round. However, trouble struck when he finished 40th and 17th in the next two races. At Talladega, Johnson started second and led a high of 84 laps. However, a 24th-place finish kept him from advancing to the Eliminator Round. At Martinsville, Johnson started seventh but finished 39th after being involved in
15080-399: The race and came home second to polesitter Matt Kenseth . At Richmond, he finished third. These finishes moved him back up to fourth in the standings. At Talladega, Johnson started fifth and led 50 laps, only to finish second to Earnhardt Jr. At Kansas, Johnson gambled by staying out on the last round of pit stops and held off Harvick and Earnhardt again to win his third race at Kansas and of
15225-569: The race before he was passed by Greg Biffle . 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. On May 6, 2012, Johnson started 19th in the Aaron's 499 at Talladega , but finished 35th after suffering a broken oil pump belt on lap 62. Johnson won his first race of the season one week later in
15370-505: The race, the Mexican government requested help from SCORE International in hosting and promoting future Baja races. Through negotiations with Mickey Thompson and his SCORE organization, the Government agreed to give exclusive rights to SCORE to hold Baja races and also reluctantly allowed SCORE to cancel the event for 1974 (a year where motorsport was curtailed in the United States because of
15515-554: The reduction of the schedule from 56 to 34 races a year, established 1972 as the beginning of NASCAR's "modern era". The IMSA GT Series evolved into the American Le Mans Series , which ran its first season in 1998. The European races eventually became the closely related European Le Mans Series , both of which mix prototypes and GTs. Turismo Carretera (TC) is a popular touring car racing series in Argentina, and one of
15660-542: The run because of his professional association with Triumph but suggested that his brother Dave Ekins and the son of another Southern California Honda distributor, Billy Robertson Jr., could accomplish the trip for American Honda. After performing an aerial pre-run over the peninsula in Fulton's Cessna 180 , Ekins and Robertson began the journey to La Paz just after midnight on March 22, 1962. While being followed by two journalists in an airplane and using telegraph offices at
15805-515: The run to La Paz. In June 1967, Pearlman and group left Tijuana and immediately ran into mechanical troubles. This trip inspired Pearlman to organize an off-road race down the Baja peninsula by creating the National Off-Road Racing Association (NORRA). After Pete Condos and Pearlman put up the funds to incorporate NORRA, the group announced an official recognition of the previous record setters and created classes that related to
15950-411: The same place, and hit the wall in pit road, causing some nose damage. Those spin-outs left him with a 40th-place finish. He rebounded the following week with a win at Dover , and also became one of four drivers to have won 10 or more races at one track. This gave him a total of 74 career wins, two fewer than Dale Earnhardt 's 76. At Pocono, Johnson cut a tire on lap 88 but did not take major damage. He
16095-553: The season by winning the Daytona 500 . The Daytona 500 also marked his first race with Earl Barban as the spotter, who won five championships with Johnson and the No. 48 team. He finished second in the next race at California Speedway and won the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas by passing Matt Kenseth on the last lap. Johnson won his third race of the season in the Aaron's 499 at Talladega, followed by two more victories at Indianapolis and Martinsville. One highlight of
16240-492: The season in the FedEx 400 . In the Pocono 400 , he recorded a fourth-place finish after starting 24th on the grid. During the next two races, Johnson placed fifth, moving him to fourth in the standings. Afterward, Johnson finished sixth after winning his first pole position of the season in the Quaker State 400 . However, in the Coke Zero 400 , Johnson finished 36th after retiring from a crash on lap 124. After finishing seventh during
16385-408: The season was when he saved the car from slamming into the wall when he spun out during qualifications at the first Dover race. Throughout the season, he became the only modern era driver to win at least three races in each of his first five seasons. He started the chase with unfortunate mishaps in the first four races; a DNF at New Hampshire , a pitting mistake at Dover , a penalty at Kansas (he led
16530-529: The season's third event at Antigo before finishing second to Gaughan at Antigo's second race. Johnson returned to Lake Geneva in July, winning the Saturday race and finished second on the following day. Taylor ended up winning the championship with Gaughan second and Johnson third. In SCORE, he won races and had a few memorable finishes, like that in the 1995 Baja 1000 , after leading over 900 miles, he fell asleep behind
16675-411: The season. In winning, he established a Cup record of 23 wins on 1.5-mile tracks, taking what was both his 200th Top 5 and his 300th Top 10 finish. At Charlotte, he spun out on two occasions. The first time was early in the race while running 16th coming out of turn 4 but he was lucky to avoid hitting anything. He wasn't so lucky on the second spin late in the race; while running fifth, he spun out again at
16820-436: The season. The following weekend at Phoenix, Johnson avoided trouble in tight racing on two 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 third-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
16965-450: The second driver to win three consecutive NASCAR Cup Series championships, the first being Cale Yarborough . During the season, he won seven races (including a sweep at Phoenix ), a career-high of six poles, 15 Top 5's, and 22 Top 10's. In five of those seven wins, he started from the pole. He became the only driver to record three wins in each of their first seven seasons. In 2008 Jimmie Johnson also raced in his first-ever truck series race,
17110-412: The seventh caution, and was never a real threat. He ended up 19th. He was able to recover a bit for a ninth-place finish at Richmond and started 1st in the Chase in a three-way tie between him, Kyle Busch, and Matt Kenseth. Johnson opened up the Chase in a rough way. At Chicagoland, he blew a left front tire early in the race but was able to charge through the field to salvage an 11th-place finish. He also
17255-681: The sport, former Formula 2 champion Jonathan Palmer reopened the F2 category again; most drivers have graduated from the Formula Palmer Audi series. The category is officially registered as the FIA Formula Two championship. Most rounds have two races and are support races to the FIA World Touring Car Championship . Touring car racing is a style of road racing that is run with production-derived four-seat race cars. The lesser use of aerodynamics means following cars have
17400-451: The third time, tying Jeff Gordon , Mario Andretti , and Darrell Waltrip as the only three-time drivers to win the award. During 2010 , Johnson won his fifth consecutive championship, becoming the third driver who made up points to win the title since 1975. During the season, he scored two poles, 17 Top 5's, 23 Top 10's, and six wins. He also remained the only driver to qualify for the Chase every year since its inception in 2004. He became
17545-447: The track, also redeeming himself for the restart line violation that had cost him a shot at winning the June race. Johnson spent the next several races chasing Matt Kenseth for the points lead, eventually gaining it at Talladega, though losing it when he and Kenseth tied for the points lead at Martinsville. Returning to Texas, Johnson had the dominant car, leading 255 laps to his sixth win of
17690-405: The two races at Fairgrounds Speedway he participated in over those two years. Johnson made his NASCAR Busch Series (now NASCAR Xfinity Series ) debut at the 1998 Indianapolis Raceway Park event, where he finished 25th for ST Motorsports . He continued his limited slate in 1999 with Herzog Motorsports before moving to a full-time schedule in 2000 . At Watkins Glen International , he had
17835-426: The two to witness the attempt, the final official time was 34:45, beating Ekins' run by more than five hours. Upon returning to the United States, the journalist documenting the run sent out press kits with photographs and a news release with the headline "Buggy Beats Bike in Baja" to hundreds of magazines and newspapers. Soon, more stories of adventure, close calls, and broken speed records received media coverage around
17980-586: The type of vehicle used to break the record. During the later part of summer, NORRA named the event the "Mexican 1000 Rally" and announced the first official race from Tijuana to La Paz was to be held on the peninsula. The first official race started in Tijuana, Baja California, on October 31, 1967, and was named the NORRA Mexican 1000 Rally. The course length that year was 849 miles (1,366 km) and ended in La Paz, with
18125-464: The wheel and woke up to find himself going off course. His Trophy Truck, Butch (the paint scheme of which was used for a throwback for Johnson's 48 car in the 2019 Southern 500, and the car that was used by Larry Ragland in wins such as the 1991 Baja 1000), was wrecked. During his time in the SODA, SCORE, and MTEG series, he accumulated over 25 wins, 100 Top 3 finishes, six championships, and received Rookie of
18270-410: The world. Following the event, Bruce Meyers and his Meyers Manx became an overnight sensation, and the competition between four wheels and motorcycles for the fastest Baja run began. In the following months, more attempts at breaking the record would take place. One of the attempts included a multiple vehicle run organized by Ed Pearlman that ended in an official four wheel record being recorded but with
18415-501: 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 ). His talent was noticed by Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon , who convinced owner Rick Hendrick to sign Johnson in
18560-484: Was 2nd at Martinsville). 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, his first win in the race since 2005. Afterward, he went on to win at Dover the following week, making it the 13th time he had back-to-back wins. A few weeks later, Johnson recorded his first win at Michigan, after several years of being deprived of
18705-409: Was Johnson's first Daytona 500 win with 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
18850-596: Was able to win 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 at Martinsville 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
18995-471: Was able to work his way through the field to finish in third place. He finished 19th at Michigan after the race was called for rain on lap 138. At Sonoma, Johnson led the most laps at 45 laps, but a late-race caution caused by Casey Mears ' broken wheel axle cost him, and he was passed by Kyle Busch with five laps to go and slipped back to sixth place. Returning to Daytona, Johnson started 12th and led 35 laps before finishing second to Dale Earnhardt Jr. , in
19140-494: Was also the first in his NASCAR career). In December, Johnson won the 2006 Driver of the Year Award. During the 2007 season , Johnson continued on a streak and recorded 10 wins, four poles, 20 Top 5's, and again 24 Top 10 finishes. Those 10 wins included sweeping both races at Richmond, Atlanta, and Martinsville. He also won at Las Vegas, Auto Club, Texas, and Phoenix. Afterward, he won his second consecutive championship title and
19285-416: 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
19430-460: Was created in 2006. The group was an assemblage of drivers from different racing disciplines and formed for an MTV reality pilot, which was shot at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca . In December 2005, the FIA gave approval to Superleague Formula racing, which debuted in 2008, whereby the racing teams are owned and run by prominent sports clubs such as A.C. Milan and Liverpool F.C. After 25 years away from
19575-559: Was driving with a "death wish". At Phoenix, Johnson blew a right front tire, which caused him to collide into the wall and finish in the 32nd position. He was racing for the win and the championship the following week at Homestead, but his chances of winning the championship were 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. In 2013 , Johnson began his season with
19720-421: Was followed by a streak of three poor finishes of 36th at Bristol, 28th at Atlanta, and 40th at Richmond due to crashes and mechanical failures. Johnson started the Chase seeded in second place. He started 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
19865-419: Was four. Three years later, he won the 60cc class championship, despite injuring his knee. 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
20010-653: Was held on June 19, 1949, at Daytona Beach, Florida , U.S.. From 1962, sports cars temporarily took a back seat to GT cars , with the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) replacing the World Championship for Sports Cars with the International Championship for GT Manufacturers. From 1962 through 2003, NASCAR's premier series was called the Winston Cup Series, sponsored by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company cigarette brand Winston . The changes that resulted from RJR's involvement, as well as
20155-433: Was his only throughout his career at the track. During the year, he joined Hendrick Motorsports for a four-race schedule in the Winston Cup Series, making his series debut in the UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway . The opportunity was made available when he connected with Hendrick driver Jeff Gordon during the 2000 Busch season; with Herzog facing shutdown due to sponsorship issues, Johnson approached Gordon and
20300-486: Was informed of the team's intention to field a fourth car for him. Johnson formally moved to Hendrick in 2002, driving the No. 48 Lowe's -sponsored Chevrolet. Johnson began racing full-time in the Winston Cup Series during the 2002 season . He earned his first career pole position for the Daytona 500 , becoming the third rookie to do so (the first were Loy Allen Jr. in 1994 and Mike Skinner in 1997 ). In his 13th career start, Johnson scored his first career win in
20445-426: Was much tighter, having acclimated to offsetting the g-force load from turning left while driving. 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. Johnson later became the first racing driver to be named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year (in 2009). After the 2008 season , Johnson became
20590-414: Was named the 2007 Driver of the Year. Johnson also had the best average finish in the Chase with 5.0. At the end of the season, he had a total of 33 career wins, placing him 18th on the all-time wins list. 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
20735-494: Was one of his worst performances 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
20880-508: Was the subject of controversy when he made contact with Kevin Harvick on a three-wide pass that led to Harvick cutting a left rear tire, leaving Harvick with a 42nd-place finish. At Loudon, Johnson finished sixth after blowing a tire in the third position. At Dover, his Chase hopes came to an end when his car broke a driveline, leading him to finish 36 laps down in 41st place. At the fall race at Texas Johnson won, passing Brad Keselowski with 4 laps to go. This marked his fourth consecutive win in
21025-518: Was the world's first purpose-built motor racing circuit , opening in January 1906. The pear-shaped track was close to a mile in length, with slightly banked curves and a gravel surface of crushed cement. Brooklands , in Surrey, England, was the first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing venue, opening in June 1907. It featured a 4.43 km (2.75 mi) concrete track with high-speed banked corners. One of
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