11 key moments in Jimmie Johnson's NASCAR career
Jimmie Johnson is sniffing rarefied air.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver captured his record-tying seventh NASCAR Cup championship Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, an opportunity he's been waiting for since he last won a title in 2013.
Only two other drivers — Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. — have won seven titles, and both drove in different eras.
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Johnson won five titles in a row from 2006-10 and added a sixth in 2013, the year before the current elimination-style format in the Chase for the Sprint Cup was launched. While many said NASCAR ''Jimmie-proofed'' the Chase in creating a playoff that rewarded wins with advancement to the next round instead of overall consistency, Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus proved them wrong in the format's third season.
It had already been a record-breaking year for the native of El Cajon, Calif. He passed Earnhardt and moved into seventh place for most wins in NASCAR's premier series when he won at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., in March. That triumph was his second of the season and his last until he broke through in the Chase with wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Martinsville Speedway.
Sunday, Johnson won for the first time at Homestead to record career victory No. 80. Next in Johnson's sights in the wins column — Cale Yarborough with 83. Petty holds the record with 200.
Johnson, who made his Cup Series debut Oct. 7, 2001, at Charlotte, has recorded numerous milestones on his way to his seven championships. Here is a look at key moments in his career:
April 28, 2002: Earns his first career Cup Series win at the NAPA Auto Parts 500 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.
May 17, 2003: Wins the first of four NASCAR All-Star races (2003, '06, '12, '13), in The Winston at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Feb. 19, 2006: Wins the first of two Daytona 500s (also 2013).
Nov. 19, 2006: Wins his first NASCAR Cup championship. He would go on to capture titles in the next four seasons, becoming the first driver to win five consecutive championships.
Nov. 11, 2007: Wins his 10th race of the year — his highest number in any season — at the Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.
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March 21, 2010: Becomes the 12th driver in NASCAR history to earn at least 50 career victories after winning the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
July 29, 2012: Becomes the second driver in NASCAR history to score four wins at the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway — a record he would share with Jeff Gordon until Gordon won his fifth in 2014.
July 6, 2013: Wins the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway, becoming the fifth driver to sweep both races at Daytona in a single season and the first since Bobby Allison in 1982.
Nov. 17, 2013: Wins his sixth Cup championship to move into second place all-time behind Petty and Earnhardt.
May 31, 2015: Wins his 10th career race at Dover International Speedway, becoming the fifth driver to score double-digit wins at a single track. Johnson joined Hall of Famers Petty, Earnhardt, David Pearson and Darrell Waltrip on this list.
Nov. 20, 2016: Wins his first Cup race at Homestead after starting from the rear of the field when NASCAR penalized the No. 48 team for illegal modification. He beat fellow title contenders Joey Logano, Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards.
Source: USA TODAY Sports research
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