Jimmie Johnson recalls the instances he slept behind the wheel whilst still racing in NASCAR

Jimmie Johnson recalled the instances where he slept behind the wheel while he was still driving. He recalled two such instances, one at the 1995 Baja 1000 and the race at Homestead-Miami in 2016.

In 2016, Johnson was in the midst of a championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. A major crash involving his title challenger, Carl Edwards, caused a red flag condition within the race. During the red flag period, Johnson famously took a nap to refocus and rest before winning his record-tying seventh title. He recalled the incident with Davey Segal on his podcast, Victory Lane. He said:

"So it was a big crash with Carl. And, you know, they had to make sure he was all right. And there was a bunch of cars down there trying to pick up. And it had to be 15 minutes. We sat there under red. And I just got cozy in the car and dozed off and woke up. And it was a new day. Time to get to work."

In 1995, Jimmie Johnson was a young race car driver trying to make a name for himself. He was competing in the gruelling SCORE Baja 1000, an endurance race spanning 1000 miles down Mexico’s Baja Peninsula to La Paz.

The incident is often recalled for his dramatic and nearly tragic crash when Johnson, during the early morning hours, fell asleep behind the wheel while still driving at speed. He found himself off course, unable to react in time to prevent the crash. He crashed his truck into the mountains, flipping upside down and tumbling out of sight into a deep ravine. On the podcast, he said:

"I got onto a smooth road. And it was like a long straightaway. And I just nodded off and nodded off. My co-rider was dead asleep. I kept telling him, man, you got to keep me awake. I'm getting tired. And I'd look over and his head's bobbing around. He's asleep. And I don't know. I got on this one smooth stretch of road and nodded off just long enough to miss the turn. And I woke up just before I missed the turn. And I knew I was in trouble and hit a huge rock and went tumbling off into the darkness."

Jimmie Johnson is a legendary NASCAR driver, having the record for the most title wins in NASCAR with seven. He is tied with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. for the record. His dominance was most evident when he won five titles in a row from 2006 to 2010. After retiring from racing, he went on to the ownership side of NASCAR with Legacy Motor Club.

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Jimmie Johnson’s NASCAR team announced Talladega collaboration with ‘global leader’ Jack Link’s

Jimmie Johnson’s NASCAR team, Legacy Motor Club, has announced an exciting collaboration with snack company Jack Link’s for the upcoming Talladega Superspeedway race on April 27.

Jack Link’s, famous for its beef jerky and the playful Messin’ with Sasquatch campaign, has a long-standing relationship with NASCAR, holding the title of the Official Meat Snack of NASCAR and serving as the title sponsor for the Talladega race, now called the Jack Link’s 500.

"Bringing something wild to Talladega," Legacy Motor Club captioned on X.

The partnership also extends to John Hunter Nemechek’s #42 Toyota, which Jack Link’s will co-sponsor alongside Dollar Tree, highlighting a strong brand presence at the event for Jimmie Johnson's team.