Today, seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
champion Jimmie Johnson celebrates his 44th birthday! Johnson is one of NASCAR’s
top drivers and most can agree that he is probably one of the best drivers to
ever race in the Cup Series.
Let’s be honest, if you grew up watching Johnson race
in the late 2000s you know exactly why. The driver of the No. 48 always won,
well that’s sort of what it felt like. His fans were happier than ever. Actually,
most NASCAR fans during those years, would say that it was cool and historical
to see someone win five straight championships.
Some speculated that NASCAR changed the playoff format
because of that reason. The California native didn’t stop and won the
championship for the seventh time in 2016. He proved those doubters that he can
win in any format.
Johnson has racked up 83 wins in his career with 18,791
laps led. Those are astonishing numbers as he is one win shy of catching Bobby
Allison and Darrell Waltrip, tying him to fourth overall with those Hall of
Famers.
Johnson stated that he’s not giving up on driving to
Victory Lane and pursuing his eighth championship.
“First of all, I think it’s pretty impressive the run
we’ve been on to be in the playoffs for this many consecutive years,” Johnson
said. “I’m not sure who’s close, but I don’t think they’re very close. So, we
have that to be proud of.”
Last week, Johnson joined Dale Earnhardt Jr. in his
weekly podcast. The former teammates caught up and reminisced on old stories of
their younger days in the sport. One of the stories that stood out was when
Johnson spoke about Rusty Wallace’s retirement.
After news of Wallace’s retirement, Wallace stated
that he wasn’t ready to hang up his helmet just yet. Johnson too isn’t ready to
hang up his helmet yet. He hopes for more championships in the near future.
Johnson told Earnhardt that he doesn’t want to go
through that, in fact, he said “I’m not done yet, that fire is way too
intense.”
Whether or not Johnson ever sees victory again or wins
another championship, he’ll be remembered as the driver that broke Cale Yarborough’s
record of three straight championships, a two-time DAYTONA 500 champion, four-time
Brickyard 400 champion, four-time Coca Cola 600 champion, three-time Southern
500 champion, and all the other iconic accomplishments he did in our sport.
Happy birthday seven-time champ and we look forward to
seeing you in November!
Tickets for 2019 Ford Championship Weekend, which
consists of the Ford EcoBoost 200 (NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series
championship race), Ford EcoBoost 300 (NASCAR XFINITY Series championship race)
and Ford EcoBoost 400 (Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship race), are
now available and can be purchased by calling (866) 409-RACE (7223) or visiting
www.HomesteadMiamiSpeedway.com.
