Jimmie Johnson: The career of a NASCAR superstar and legend

Jimmie Johnson is one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history and has achieved SEVEN cup series championships across his 22-year career.

Born on September 17, 1975, in El Cajon, California, his journey to the highest echelons of motorsport started in quite unusual fashion.

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Johnson was raised by his parents – Gary and Catherine, alongside his brothers Jarit and Jessie, in a two-bedroom house.

He continues to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series to this day, but is without a race victory in seven years.

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How did Jimmie Johnson achieve so much?

Johnson first started on two wheels aged four, racing motorcycles before transitioning to four wheels.

Off-road and buggy racing was the American’s forte throughout much of his early career and it took him until the age of 21 in 1997 to start racing on ovals.

Just a year later he made his NASCAR Busch Series (now the Xfinity Series) debut, finishing 25th during the 1998 Indianapolis Park event.

2000 was the first year that he took up a full-time slate of races and finished tenth in the standings.

His first full-time Cup Series gig arrived in 2002, where he impressively finished fifth in his debut season, including four pole positions and three victories.

In fact, he didn’t finish lower than fifth before taking his first Cup Series title in 2006 – where he decided that he would be the only person to take that championship until the turn of the decade.

Five consecutive championships later and Johnson wrote himself into the NASCAR record books in style.

He achieved further titles in 2013 and 2016, taking his last victory in 2017 while defending his crown – a year he would end in tenth place in the standings.

He also raced in IndyCar for two seasons between 2021 and 2022 with a best finish of fifth place.

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Who is Jimmie Johnson married to?

Jimmie married his wife – Chandra Janway, in 2004 after getting engaged during a ski trip in 2003.

The pair have two children together – girls called Genevieve and Lydia.

He is also a keen triathlete, which helps him to stay fit for racing, with his charity – the Jimmie Johnson Foundation regularly hosting triathlons.

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What are some of Jimmie Johnson’s records?

Johnson has won the most races at five separate NASCAR Cup Series tracks and holds the record for the most consecutive playoff appearances with 15 between 2004 and 2019.

He is tied with Dale Earnhardt Sr and Richard Petty for the most championship victories with seven but holds the lone record for most consecutively with five.

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