NASCAR History:
The date was November 22, 2009.
The place was the Homestead Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida.
His 5th place finish crowned him the 2009 Sprint Cup Series Champion, and it was almost predictable when Jimmy Johnson cinched his record-breaking 4th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at the Ford 400. Watching from afar with brave anticipation, the event was breathtaking and chilling for any NASCAR Racing fan — even if Jimmy Johnson was not your favorite driver. In doing so, Jimmy Johnson has joined Richard Petty (7 wins), Dale Earnhardt (7 wins) and teammate Jeff Gordon (4 wins) as the only NASCAR Racing drivers to win more than three titles.
At age 33 the profile of Jimmy Johnson speaks loud for the making of NASCAR history. He has finished in the Top 5 a remarkable 64 times in the last four years. Never did he expect to become a champion; all he ever really wanted to do was to have a chance to race against the very best.
Going back to the 2002 Winston Cup results, Jimmy Johnson started all 36 races, completing 10521 of 10695 racing laps, and leading 838 of those laps. The latest of this recent four year trek speaks a little differently, however.
- In 2006 he had 36 starts, completed 10577 of 10660 laps, with 854 laps led. Overall he had 24 Top 10 finishes, 13 Top 5 finishes, and 5 wins.
- In 2007 he had 36 starts, completed 10318 of 10582 laps, with 1289 laps led. Overall he had 24 Top 10 finishes, 20 Top 5 finishes, and 10 wins.
- In 2008 he had 36 starts, completed 10643 of 10726 laps, with 1959 laps led. Overall he had 22 Top 10 finishes, 15 Top 5 finishes, and 7 wins.
- In 2009 he had 36 starts, completed 10298 of 10492 laps, with 2238 laps led. Overall he had 24 Top 10 finishes, 16 Top 5 finishes, and 7 wins.
Overall, Jimmy Johnson has a 9 year NASCAR Racing career total of 291 starts, completing 83810 laps, with 9681 laps led. He has 180 Top 10 finishes, 117 Top 5 finishes, and 47 wins.
When it comes to the making of NASCAR Racing history, could anything have been more predictable than the current reign of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion?