Jimmie Johnson Announces his Retirement at the end of Next Season

Jimmie Johnson Announces his Retirement at the end of Next Season.  After the 2020 Season Jimmie Johnson is going to call it a career.  The Seven time champion has decided it was time to take his foot off the gas and hang up his driving gloves.  Jimmie Johnson is one of three drivers to have won 7 NASCAR championships.  The other two being Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.  That is some pretty good company to be in.

To this point Jimmie Johnson has ran 651 races in his 19 year career.  Winning 83 of those races.  Finishing in the top ten 364 times and 36 Poles.  Finishing in the top 10 more than half of his races is a pretty good accomplishment.  His last champion ship came in the 2016 season and his last win came in the 2017 season.  It was looking as if Johnson would be the first to win eight championships.  He could still pull out an amazing season in 2020 and get to eight.  Chances are slim that he will get to that point.

Jimmie Johnson was never about flash he would just come to the track.  Qualify and then win.  Johnson won his first championship in the 2006 season.  He would go on to win the next five championships.  That is something that no one else has ever done.  The second best streak is when Cale Yarborough won three straight in the 1976, 1977 and 1978 seasons.  Many thought that three in a row was a record that would never be broken.  With Jimmie Johnson setting the new championship streak at five that is probably a record that will be very difficult for someone to beat.

A twenty year career in any of the top level sports is an amazing achievement.  Jimmie Johnson was always a driver that seems to win and lose with class.  He truly seemed to be able to keep his cool in a sport where losing your cool happens a lot.  When you are going 200 miles an hour just inches from other drivers that can happen.

Johnson was never very flashy.  Even when winning his five consecutive championships it just seemed like it was another day at the track.  Jimmie Johnson never won the most popular driver award.  I am sure that he did not really care about that.  He was winning the championships so he was making his point.

The last two years have been pretty average for him.  I am sure that is not where he really wanted to compete.  The good ones know when it it time to walk away.  Johnson was never a driver that I rooted for.  I did not root against him either.  Announcing it ahead of time like this will allow everyone to say good bye to one of the greats.  We may never see another seven time champion and pretty sure we will never see someone win five in a row again.

Thank you Jimmie for being a great champion and a great ambassador for NASCAR.  Good luck in what you decide to do next.

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