"I didn't savor it as much as I should" - Jimmie Johnson makes his feelings known on climbing NASCAR's 'Mount Everest' seven times

Jimmie Johnson revealed that he never savored the fulfillment of winning seven NASCAR Cup Series Championships in his career as much as he should have while sharing his experience of climbing the peak of the sport. He is tied with Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty for the most championships.

Johnson's reign of dominance with Hendrick Motorsports was quite a show for the fans as he claimed seven Cup Series championships, 83 victories, and a whopping 374 top 10s in over 690 races.

Winning those titles put him at the top of the list, tied with two other legendary drivers. While this is a major achievement in itself, the 49-year-old recently revealed that he did not savor those championships as much as he should have.

He mentioned that he was too stuck between the vicious cycle of winning and attempting to win again that he did not have the time to look back at his accomplishments. However, he did have a 'deep' moment after being inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2024.

"I have to say that at the moment [you're] so focused on accomplishing it and then trying to do it again, I didn't savor it as much as I should," Jimmie Johnson told Jeff Hammond.

"But going through the Hall of Fame induction ceremony in January, soon to be last January, that is the deepest it has ever gone. To be reunited with so many friends from the journey, to see them in the hall that evening, and then the great afterparty, and friends coming to town; it's just reflecting," he added.

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"I did not desire to be a team owner" - Jimmie Johnson on how the Charter System helps team owners

In November of 2022, nearly a year after Maury Gallagher purchased Richard Petty Motorsports, the seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson also purchased an ownership stake in the team. The team was then called Petty GMS Motorsports, and after the end of the season, Richard Petty sold all shares of the team to Gallagher. The team was then rebranded to Legacy Motor Club.

As Jimmie Johnson shared his experience of being the owner of a NASCAR team, he revealed that it was never his desire to be in that position while racing. Watching other team owners, he felt it was a difficult job to do with all the pressure building up all the time. However, he added that the Charter System has "changed his point of view."

"While I was driving I did not desire to be a team owner," Jimmie Johnson said. "That was not my childhood dream. It's very evident talking to someone like Tony Stewart that he wanted to be a team owner, and you know I watched and knew that it was a different game and a lot of pressure and stress that went with it but it just was tough to look at it as a viable business."

"The changes that have been made in the last 11 years with the Charter System in NASCAR have really changed my point of view," he added.

The Charter System guarantees entry in all of the races during the NASCAR Cup Series season and also includes revenue sharing, which attracts more sponsors and makes it easier for teams to maintain and run their cars.