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Mar 29 2007, 9:20 AM EDT (current) SillyLins
Jan 31 2007, 1:32 AM EST Anonymous 1 word added, 2 words deleted

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Jimmie Johnson - All About Racin'Car: #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet
Drives for: Hendrick Motorsports
Crew chief: Chad Knaus
Born: September 17, 1975 in El Cajon, Calif.
Teammates: Jeff Gordon (24), Kyle Busch (5), Casey Mears(25)
Marital status: Married; Chandra Johnson

Career highlights: Johnson is a popular driver and one of the most consistent in the Nextel Cup. He has never finished lower than fifth in the points standings, and was runner-up twice, in 2003 and 2004.

In 2006, he captured his first Daytona 500, but the win was not without controversy. Earlier in the week, his crew chief, Chad Knaus, had been sent home by NASCAR for an intentional rules infraction, and was later suspended for three races. Johnson’s winning car passed post-race inspection, but there was much grumbling about whether or not Johnson and his team were cheating.
  • Johnson began his career in off-road racing, and moved up to the Busch Series in 1998, where he ran three races. He became a full-time Busch Series driver in 2000, and finished 10th in the points standings.

  • In 2002, Johnson moved up to the Cup Series driving for owner Rick Hendrick, and had immediate success, winning the pole for the Daytona 500, winning three races, becoming the first rookie in the Cup series to sweep both races at a track, and becoming the only rookie to ever lead the points standings, finishing fifth in points for the season.

  • Johnson won another three times in 2003, and finished second to Matt Kenseth for the championship.

  • In 2004, Johnson got off to a slow start but finished with a fury, winning eight races and losing the inaugural Chase for the Championship to Kurt Busch by just 8 points.

  • Johnson had another solid year in 2005, winning four races and had a chance to win the Chase for the Championship before he crashed early in the season finale and wound up fifth in the points standings.

  • Leading the standings all throughout the 2006 season except for two weeks and most of the race, Johnson came over hardships to clinch his first Nextel Cup Championship. Congratulations Jimmie, your team, and all of Hendrick Motorsports!

2006 ... In 2006, Johnson opened the season with his first Daytona 500 victory, followed by a victory at Las Vegas and Talladega followed later by winning the All Star Race at Charlotte. Remaining at or near the top of the points standings all season long, Johnson became the only driver to visit victory lane at the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 and go on to win the Championship title. You can expect great things for years to come.
First Brickyard 400 win!

Other Information:
  • Jimmie Johnson has been winning championships since the age of 8.

  • In five full NASCAR Cup seasons, Johnson has finished in the top 5 in points in each of them. After consecutive second-place finishes, Johnson went into the final race of 2005 in second place before a cut tire ended his title hopes. He finished fifth in points.

  • Johnson started racing on 50cc motorcycles at age 4, and won the 60cc class championship four years later.

  • For three consecutive years from 1992-94 Johnson won championships in the Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group Stadium Racing Series. In 1993 supercross champion Rick Johnson introduced the younger Johnson to Herb Fishel, the executive director of GM Racing.

  • Fisher was impressed, and Johnson began racing in off-road events and even doing color commentary for ESPN in the Short Course Off-Road Drivers Association (SODA) Series. He won championships in the SCORE Desert series in 1994 and the SODA Winter Series in '96 and '97.

  • In 1998 Johnson was named American Speed Association (ASA) Pat Schauer Memorial Rookie of the Year after finishing fourth in points in just his first full season on tour. Johnson also made his Busch Series debut in 1998, starting three races with a best finish of 15th at Gateway International Speedway in October. Johnson followed a similar path in '99, placing third in the ASA points while finishing a career-best seventh (at Milwaukee) in five Busch races.

  • In 2000 Johnson ran his first full Busch Series schedule. He had six top-10s and finished 10 in points. In July '01 Johnson posted his first victory, at Chicago. Johnson made his Cup debut in October 2001 for Hendrick Motorsports, finishing 15th at Lowe's. The next season Hendrick paired Johnson with aspiring owner Jeff Gordon, who was coming off his fourth Cup title.

  • The Gordon magic seemed to rub off on the 2002 rookie. In May, Johnson posted the first Cup victory of his career, at Lowe's, and finished the season with three wins, six top-fives and 21 top-10s in 36 races. He finished fifth in points.

  • Johnson became the only driver to finish in the top five in the standings in his first five full seasons.

  • Johnson is the only driver in the modern era to win at least three races in each of his first five full-time seasons.

  • Johnson has recorded 20-plus top-10 finishes in all four of his Cup seasons, and in 2004 he had a season-high eight wins with 20 top-fives and 23 top-10s. He won four of the final six races that season but lost the title by eight points.