Jimmie Johnson
No. 48 Ally ‘Sign for Jimmie’ Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hometown El Cajon, California
Age 45 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
2020 Season
18th in standings
33 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
4 top-five finishes
9 top-10 finishes
103 laps led
Career
684 starts
83 wins
36 pole positions
231 top-five finishes
373 top-10 finishes
18,937 laps led
Track Career
37 starts
9 wins
4 pole positions
19 top-five finishes
25 top-10 finishes
2,932 laps led
Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No.48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, will be available to members of the media via video conference on Sunday, Nov. 1 at 12:15 p.m. ET. Visit NASCARmedia.com for details.
MARTINSVILLE MASTER: Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson has seen plenty of success over the course of his 37 starts at Martinsville Speedway. The driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE has nine wins at the short track, ranking behind only Dover International Speedway where he has 11 victories. He has an average finish of 9.3 and 25 top-10 finishes. Johnson has led 2,932 laps around the paperclip-shaped Virginia track, second only to his 25 top-10s and 3,110 laps led at Dover. Johnson led 70 laps at Martinsville in June en route to a 10th-place finish.
10,000 MORE REASONS: As Johnson concludes his final full-time NASCAR season, Ally revealed a paint scheme for the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet featuring the signatures of 10,000 fans, Ally employees, Hendrick Motorsports teammates and drivers. There are also signatures on the No. 48 Ally team pit wall banner. Fans may look for signatures on www.SignForJimmie.com until Nov. 9.
OUTSIDE LOOKING IN: Two of Johnson’s nine Martinsville victories have come from a starting position outside the top 10. He came from the 18th spot to earn his first win at the track in 2004 and from 20th to victory lane in 2007. This weekend, he will start 27th.
MEMORABLE LAST WIN: Johnson’s most recent win at Martinsville was Oct. 30, 2016 which locked him into the championship round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. He led 92 laps that day and took home his ninth grandfather clock trophy which set the stage for Johnson to earn his record-tying seventh championship title.
SHORT-TRACK WINNER: Of all active Cup Series drivers, Johnson has the second-most career wins on short tracks with 14. The 45-year-old driver has earned multiple victories on all three active short tracks on the Cup circuit: Martinsville (nine), Richmond (three) and Bristol (two).
FALL STANDOUT: Johnson has a knack for the fall race at Martinsville as he has won six of his nine trophies during the second half of the season. Considering it was the last venue mentor and former teammate Jeff Gordon won his final Cup Series race, it would be fitting for Johnson to win this weekend in his final start. Gordon’s win was in 2015 on the same day – Nov. 1.
JOHNSON KIDS GOT GAME: In case you missed the 2020 “Top-Rated by Kids Toy Awards Show,” the Johnson girls, Genevieve and Lydia, proved to be just as competitive as their seven-time Cup Series champion dad. You can watch the clip here.
JJ’S OWN VICTORY LANE: Last Sunday, before Johnson’s father Gary gave the command to start engines at Texas Motor Speedway, he was honored in a way extremely fitting for a champion. Track president Eddie Gossage renamed one of the biggest spectacles in racing – and the victory lane that features six-shooters and fire – the “Jimmie Johnson Winner’s Circle.” Click here for more.
NOVEMBER WON: Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway will fall on a date that has been successful for Hendrick Motorsports. The team has won two of the last three Cup races held on Nov. 1, both courtesy of Jeff Gordon: Rockingham in 1998 and Martinsville in 2015. Gordon’s 2015 result was the last of his 93 career Cup Series wins and his ninth at the Virginia short track.
MARTINSVILLE SUCCESS: Hendrick Motorsports has won 24 races at Martinsville Speedway, the most victories for any team at any track in NASCAR Cup Series history. Junior Johnson and Associates is second on the list with 21 wins at Bristol Motor Speedway. Hendrick Motorsports is next with 20 first-places results at both Dover International Speedway and the Charlotte Motor Speedway oval.
GOOD OMEN: In the most recent NASCAR Cup Series race held at Martinsville Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports placed each of its cars inside the top 10. In June, Chase Elliott finished fifth, Alex Bowman sixth, William Byron eighth and Jimmie Johnson 10th. Hendrick Motorsports is the only team in 2020 to put four cars in the top 10 in a short-track event. It also marked the fifth time that the organization has earned four top-10 positions in a Martinsville Cup race.
THE FIVE: Hendrick Motorsports has sent five different drivers to victory lane at Martinsville. Gordon and Johnson each have nine wins at the legendary half-mile track, followed by Darrell Waltrip with four. Geoff Bodine and Dale Earnhardt Jr. each have one victory there for car owner Rick Hendrick, who grew up less than two hours away in Palmer Springs, Virginia.
THE BIG FIVE-OH: Hendrick Motorsports has 50 NASCAR Cup Series wins on short tracks, the most of all active teams. Joe Gibbs Racing is second with 41.
STREAKING: Hendrick Motorsports has notched as least one top-10 finish in 16 consecutive NASCAR Cup Series races. The last time the team reeled off more than 16 straight top-10s was from October 2014 to July 2015 when it posted 23 in a row. Hendrick Motorsports has also led laps in each of the last 12 races, which is the longest active streak of any organization.
PLAYOFF RECORD: Since the inception of the format in 2004, Hendrick Motorsports has 45 NASCAR Cup Series playoff wins – 15 more than any other team. Including 2020, the organization has scored at least one playoff win in a record 16 different seasons, missing only 2017. A series-topping seven different drivers have won a playoff race for Hendrick Motorsports.
THE STATS: Since its inception in 1984, Hendrick Motorsports has earned 261 race victories and holds the all-time records for championships (12), pole positions (226), top-five finishes (1,098), top-10s (1,895) and laps led (70,429) in points-paying NASCAR Cup Series competition. Including 2020, the organization has won at least one race in 35 consecutive seasons, the longest-ever streak. Hendrick Motorsports is seven wins away from tying Petty Enterprises’ all-time Cup record of 268.
Driver Jimmie Johnson on Martinsville:
“Hands down one of my favorite tracks of all time. I love racing there and will miss it so much. It is a hard track to figure out, but once you do it’s so fun to race on. I love the history there and it just reminds me of the early days in the sport. We had a great run last time there in the No. 48 Ally Chevy, and with just two more races this season I really want to win. It’s a big weekend for the sport as this sets the final four for Phoenix. It will be tough starting so deep in the field but I’m confident Cliff (Daniels) will have a good car and we can make our way to the front. With all the fans signatures on the car, I have 10,000 more reasons to try to get to victory lane.”
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
