Among the top professional athletes of the twenty-first century is a legend from NASCAR.
Jimmie Johnson resigned from full-time NASCAR competition in 2020, securing his status as a seven-time NASCAR champion and member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. But ESPN is only the most recent organization to treat Johnson with the deference that the native of El Cajon, California, so richly deserves.
Well-deserved, Johnson ranked 47th out of the top 100 professional athletes of the twenty-first century according to the network. Johnson tied the likes of Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty with seven titles, including five in a row, after winning 83 races at the top level of NASCAR.
Johnson’s seven wins were determined by three distinct point systems, but the famous driver managed to outlast the opposition year after year. Even though Father Time finally caught up with him, by the time he won his seventh championship in 2016, his legacy had already been cemented.
Johnson, who was personally chosen by Jeff Gordon to continue the heritage of Hendrick Motorsports, emerged victorious in just his 13th career start and made history as the first rookie to top the Cup Series points standings.
Together with fellow Hall of Famer Chad Knaus, Johnson won five straight titles from 2006 to 2010, solidifying their status as one of the best driver-crew chief teams in history. During the inaugural NASCAR Gen-6 car season in 2013, the
Although Johnson has appeared to be a shell of his former self when competing in part-time NASCAR, his remarkable physical conditioning and business savvy have kept him in the sport as an executive and driver. Johnson and fellow seven-time champion Richard Petty are owners of the appropriately named Legacy Motor Club.
A driver of Johnson’s caliber doesn’t come along very often, so it’s great to see ESPN honor a renowned character in NASCAR history with flowers.
