Jimmie Johnson#48 Lowe's Chevrolet Impala
Hendrick Motorsports
Starts (as of 4/4/09): 261
Wins: 41
Top 5s: 103
Top 10s: 160
Poles: 19
Jimmie Johnson was born on September 17, 1975 in El Cajon, California. His racing career did not begin with cars but with motorcycles. After winning races and a championship in motorcycles, he eventually made the move to offroading. He competed in leagues such as SODA, SCORE International, and Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group and won numerous races, rookie of the year honors, and six championships in the offroad series. After his run with offroad, he joined ASA and eventually paired with Herzog Motorsports in the then Busch Series. 2000 was the year his life changed when Herzog Motorsports lost its sponsor and Johnson went to Jeff Gordon for advice. Jeff Gordon kept his eye on Johnson and later Gordon convinced Rick Hendrick to offer Johnson a driver development deal that eventually led to Johnson's quick domination in the Winston/Nextel/Sprint Cup Series.
2001
Johnson started his then Winston Cup Series career with three starts at the end of the season at Charlotte, Homestead, and Atlanta. He didn't finish higher than 25th in those three races. It would not be a indicative of the amazing Cup Series career ahead of him.
The paint scheme shown here is a patriotic Lowe's Power of Pride scheme. Power of Pride would become a special scheme from time to time, usually running at the Winston/All-Star Race or the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte for Memorial Day.
2002-2005
In his rookie year, Johnson lit up the Series right off the bat by winning the Daytona 500 pole. He would go on to have an amazing rookie year, winning his first ever Cup race in the tenth race of the season, at his home track of California. He went on to win two more races that season, sweeping both races at Dover. He also became the first rookie to ever lead the points standings, winding up fifth in points that year, tied with the lowest he's finished in points in his entire full-time Cup career. His year was also marked with an intense Rookie of the Year battle with Ryan Newman. Although Johnson had three wins to Newman's one and finished one spot higher in the standings, he lost Rookie of the Year honors to Newman. Johnson ended the season with six top 5s and 21 top 10s.
The following year built upon his successful rookie campaign. He won three races again, which were his first of five wins at Charlotte and a sweep at New Hampshire. Despite the three wins, 14 top 5s and 20 top 10s, he was unable to match the incredible consistency of Matt Kenseth, who won the championship that year with Johnson finishing second in points.
2004 brought the Chase to the then Nextel Cup Series and with the Chase brought Johnson's newfound ability to turn up the heat in the final ten races of the season. He dominated the Cup Series that year by winning a whopping eight races, at Martinsville and Atlanta while sweeping at three tracks: Darlington, Charlotte, and Pocono. His Martinsville win was marked with tragedy, however, when immediately after the race ended, he was told a plane carrying Rick Hendrick's son and brother as well as other Hendrick Motorsports employees crashed in the mountains near Martinsville. There was no victory celebration that day but Johnson was able to celebrate the following week by winning at Atlanta, an emotional victory for him and the rest of Hendrick Motorsports. Despite winning four of the races in the Chase, he was unable to leap over points leader Kurt Busch. Johnson once again finished second in points... this time finishing a measly eight points behind Busch. He ended the season with 20 top 5s and 23 top 10s
Many figured Johnson would finally win his first championship in 2005. He only won half the races he won the previous year, at Las Vegas, Dover and sweeping Charlotte yet again, but he easily made the Chase for the second year in a row. He was in the championship hunt until the final race of the season when he wrecked and finished fifth in points with 13 top 5s and 22 top 10s, a disappointing season as far as Johnson is concerned.
2006-2007
It looks like a new paint scheme was what Johnson needed as everything came together finally in 2006. He started the season by winning the Daytona 500, finished second at the following race at California, and then won the third race of the season at Las Vegas. He went on to win three more times that season with wins at Talladega, Indianapolis, and Martinsville. He finished the season with those five wins, 13 top 5s, and 24 top 10s. However, he finally ended the season with something he had barely missed in previous seasons: a championship trophy.
And the champion struck again. And he struck hard. The race for the championship came down to the two dominant drivers of Hendrick Motorsports: Johnson and Jeff Gordon. Along with Kyle Busch and Casey Mears, Hendrick Motorsports won half of the 36 races that season - Johnson with ten, Gordon with six and Busch and Mears with one each. Johnson's incredible ten wins that season was the first time any driver had won double digit races since 1998 when Jeff Gordon won 13 races. Coming out of the dust to win the championship was Jimme Johnson, becoming the first driver since, yes, Jeff Gordon in 1997 and 1998 to win back-to-back championships. His ten wins that season were at Las Vegas, California, Texas, Phoenix, and season sweeps at Atlanta, Martinsville, and Richmond. He also became the first driver since, yet again, Jeff Gordon in 1998 to win four races in a row. It was definately a career year for Johnson, also tying career highs in top 5s and top 10s with 20 and 24 respectively.
2008
Now the talk was on in 2008 about Johnson becoming only the second driver in NASCAR history to win three championships in a row, the only driver to do being Cale Yarborough. His overall season was rather poor but he won four times before the Chase, at Phoenix, Indianapolis, California, and Richmond. It wasn't until the Chase he turned the heat up once again and never finished worse than 15th. He took advantage of Kyle Busch's stuttering start to the Chase (after Busch dominated the entire regular season) by winning three more times, to bring his total wins that season to seven, with wins at Kansas, Martinsville, and completing the sweep at Phoenix. His 15 top 5s and 22 top 10s also helped him to become only the second driver in NASCAR history to win three championships in a row.
2009
Despite winning the previous three championships, he was joined in 2009 by two other championship favorites: Carl Edwards, who won the series high nine races the previous year, and Kyle Busch, who dominated 2008 with his eight wins before the Chase started. Once again, as in 2008, he started slow but won the most recent Cup Series race at Martinsville, making that short track his winningest track, replacing Charlotte. Currently he sits fourth in points with one win, two top 5s and 4 top 10s after six races.
2001
Johnson started his then Winston Cup Series career with three starts at the end of the season at Charlotte, Homestead, and Atlanta. He didn't finish higher than 25th in those three races. It would not be a indicative of the amazing Cup Series career ahead of him.
The paint scheme shown here is a patriotic Lowe's Power of Pride scheme. Power of Pride would become a special scheme from time to time, usually running at the Winston/All-Star Race or the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte for Memorial Day.
2002-2005
In his rookie year, Johnson lit up the Series right off the bat by winning the Daytona 500 pole. He would go on to have an amazing rookie year, winning his first ever Cup race in the tenth race of the season, at his home track of California. He went on to win two more races that season, sweeping both races at Dover. He also became the first rookie to ever lead the points standings, winding up fifth in points that year, tied with the lowest he's finished in points in his entire full-time Cup career. His year was also marked with an intense Rookie of the Year battle with Ryan Newman. Although Johnson had three wins to Newman's one and finished one spot higher in the standings, he lost Rookie of the Year honors to Newman. Johnson ended the season with six top 5s and 21 top 10s.
The following year built upon his successful rookie campaign. He won three races again, which were his first of five wins at Charlotte and a sweep at New Hampshire. Despite the three wins, 14 top 5s and 20 top 10s, he was unable to match the incredible consistency of Matt Kenseth, who won the championship that year with Johnson finishing second in points.
2004 brought the Chase to the then Nextel Cup Series and with the Chase brought Johnson's newfound ability to turn up the heat in the final ten races of the season. He dominated the Cup Series that year by winning a whopping eight races, at Martinsville and Atlanta while sweeping at three tracks: Darlington, Charlotte, and Pocono. His Martinsville win was marked with tragedy, however, when immediately after the race ended, he was told a plane carrying Rick Hendrick's son and brother as well as other Hendrick Motorsports employees crashed in the mountains near Martinsville. There was no victory celebration that day but Johnson was able to celebrate the following week by winning at Atlanta, an emotional victory for him and the rest of Hendrick Motorsports. Despite winning four of the races in the Chase, he was unable to leap over points leader Kurt Busch. Johnson once again finished second in points... this time finishing a measly eight points behind Busch. He ended the season with 20 top 5s and 23 top 10s
Many figured Johnson would finally win his first championship in 2005. He only won half the races he won the previous year, at Las Vegas, Dover and sweeping Charlotte yet again, but he easily made the Chase for the second year in a row. He was in the championship hunt until the final race of the season when he wrecked and finished fifth in points with 13 top 5s and 22 top 10s, a disappointing season as far as Johnson is concerned.
2006-2007
It looks like a new paint scheme was what Johnson needed as everything came together finally in 2006. He started the season by winning the Daytona 500, finished second at the following race at California, and then won the third race of the season at Las Vegas. He went on to win three more times that season with wins at Talladega, Indianapolis, and Martinsville. He finished the season with those five wins, 13 top 5s, and 24 top 10s. However, he finally ended the season with something he had barely missed in previous seasons: a championship trophy.
And the champion struck again. And he struck hard. The race for the championship came down to the two dominant drivers of Hendrick Motorsports: Johnson and Jeff Gordon. Along with Kyle Busch and Casey Mears, Hendrick Motorsports won half of the 36 races that season - Johnson with ten, Gordon with six and Busch and Mears with one each. Johnson's incredible ten wins that season was the first time any driver had won double digit races since 1998 when Jeff Gordon won 13 races. Coming out of the dust to win the championship was Jimme Johnson, becoming the first driver since, yes, Jeff Gordon in 1997 and 1998 to win back-to-back championships. His ten wins that season were at Las Vegas, California, Texas, Phoenix, and season sweeps at Atlanta, Martinsville, and Richmond. He also became the first driver since, yet again, Jeff Gordon in 1998 to win four races in a row. It was definately a career year for Johnson, also tying career highs in top 5s and top 10s with 20 and 24 respectively.
2008
Now the talk was on in 2008 about Johnson becoming only the second driver in NASCAR history to win three championships in a row, the only driver to do being Cale Yarborough. His overall season was rather poor but he won four times before the Chase, at Phoenix, Indianapolis, California, and Richmond. It wasn't until the Chase he turned the heat up once again and never finished worse than 15th. He took advantage of Kyle Busch's stuttering start to the Chase (after Busch dominated the entire regular season) by winning three more times, to bring his total wins that season to seven, with wins at Kansas, Martinsville, and completing the sweep at Phoenix. His 15 top 5s and 22 top 10s also helped him to become only the second driver in NASCAR history to win three championships in a row.
2009
Despite winning the previous three championships, he was joined in 2009 by two other championship favorites: Carl Edwards, who won the series high nine races the previous year, and Kyle Busch, who dominated 2008 with his eight wins before the Chase started. Once again, as in 2008, he started slow but won the most recent Cup Series race at Martinsville, making that short track his winningest track, replacing Charlotte. Currently he sits fourth in points with one win, two top 5s and 4 top 10s after six races.
Notable Special Schemes
2002 Looney TunesRan at the second Richmond race as part of a race-wide promotion where a bunch of Chevys ran Looney Tunes schemes.
2003 Power of PrideRan at The Winston.
2003 SpongeBob SquarePantsRan at the Pepsi 400 at Daytona to promote Lowe's new Signature Paints and, of course, SpongeBob.
2004 Hendrick Motorsports 20th AnniversaryAn all silver scheme that ran at the second Charlotte race to celebrate Hendrick Motorsports' 20th anniversary.
2004 Always In Our HeartsAfter the plane crash near Martinsville that took the lives of ten people, including Rick Hendrick's brother and son, all the Hendrick cars for the rest of the season ran with a special memorial decal starting at the second Atlanta race.
2006 Shamu's "Believe"Ran at the summer Daytona race to promote SeaWorld and its new Shamu show "Believe".
2006 Lowe's 60th AnniversaryRan at the fall Charlotte race to celebrate Lowe's 60th anniversary.
2007 Power of PrideRan at the Coca-Cola 600, along with other cars with patriotic schemes, to honor the US military.
2007 '57 ChevyA throwback look to celebrate 50 years of the 1957 Chevy.
2008 Kobalt ToolsThis scheme ran in various races in 2007 and 2008 and will continue to be run in select races in 2009.
2008 Jimmie Johnson FoundationThis scheme ran at the Labor Day California race in both 2007 and 2008, to promote Jimmie Johnson's charity.
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