"Jeff Gordon helped introduce me to my wife" - When Jimmie Johnson reflected on his fondest memory with the NASCAR icon

In 2022, Jimmie Johnson discussed how Jeff Gordon helped him meet his wife, Chandra Janway. Johnson and Gordon spent some decent years together in NASCAR, and during their time together, Johnson admitted that Gordon helped him in his personal and professional life.

Johnson and Gordon are renowned names in the NASCAR fraternity. From having a mentor-mentee relationship to rivals on the track, the duo experienced it all. They raced together for Hendrick Motorsports and spent time competing against each other for 13 years in the Cup Series.

As they got along well, they spent their time together on trips and vacations. During this time, Johnson admitted that it was the four-time Cup Series champion, who helped him meet Chandra Janway.

Speaking about this, he revealed in the In Depth podcast with Graham Bensinger, two years before:

"He was just newly divorced when I came into the scene and joined racing and you know his means and ability and desire to see the world worked perfectly with my single life schedule and on that journey, I'm with my wife. [Jeff Gordon] helped introduce me to my wife."

The former NASCAR driver also touched upon the trips they took in Europe. He added:

"There were some summer trips to France and Italy that were just mind blowing. I meant to stroll over there in my early 20s, Channy [Chandra Janway] and I together with Jeff, checking out various parts of the world was pretty wild."

Jimmie Johnson and Chandra Janway got married in 2004, two years after the former's Cup Series debut. They shared two daughters; Genevieve Marie and Lydia Norriss.

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Jeff Gordon was a mentor as well as a competitor for Jimmie Johnson

Jeff Gordon (left) fist bumps teammate Jimmie Johnson. Source: Imagn

During his chat with Graham Bensinger in the In Depth podcast, Jimmie Johnson also revealed how Jeff Gordon was a mentor for him. However, the seven-time Cup Series winner explained how the duo were fierce competitors when they put on their helmets and racing gear.

"He was such a mentor to me inside and out of the car. You know that the business side of going racing was something I hadn't had a lot of exposure to," Johnson said. "Then the competition side creeps in and now I'm racing him for wins, racing him for championships," Johnson said.

Interestingly, it was Gordon who brought Johnson to the elite stock car competition from the Busch Series (now Xfinity Series) back in 2002. The former convinced Rick Hendrick of Hendrick Motorsports to sign the latter for the Winston Cup Series that year.

Jeff Gordon retired from NASCAR at the end of the 2015 Cup Series season. During his NASCAR career, the Vallejo-born driver raked in 93 Cup Series, and five Xfinity Series wins.