“Still not soaking in”: When HMS signed future 7x Cup champion Jimmie Johnson in 2000

Former Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson is known for winning seven Cup Series titles in his #48 Chevy Camaro. But this was not always the case for him, having faced a fair share of struggles to achieve his seat at Hendrick Motorsports.

Johnson began his racing career at the age of four with motorcycles. Soon after graduation, he competed in the off-road series and also raced in Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group, Short-course Off-road Drivers Association, and SCORE International. He won the Rookie of the Year title in each series and then moved to stock car racing.

Jimmie Johnson moved to the American Speed Association (ASA) and drove the late model cars, winning yet one more Rookie of the Year title. His dominant ASA wins opened the door for his move to NASCAR. He drove as a full-time driver for the Herzog family from 1998 to 2001, clinching his first NASCAR win in 2001 at Chicagoland Speedway.

But the 7x Cup Series champion received a concerning mid-season call saying that his sponsor would not return to the team and would cease its operations. Johnson was worried about his future and approached four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon, and the move changed his life.

Gordon noticed Johnson's talent and convinced Rick Hendrick to give Johnson a seat in the Winston Cup Series. The #48 Chevy Camaro driver signed a deal with HMS in September 2000 and competed in three races for the 2001 season before earning his full-time seat in 2002. Reflecting on the same story, The Scene Vault Podcast shared a newspaper report of HMS signing Johnson.

"Nothing to see here … just NASCAR history being made with @TeamHendrick⁩ signing a kid by the name of ⁦@JimmieJohnson, buried about halfway through the September 28, 2000 issue of Winston Cup Scene," the caption read.

Jimmie Johnson was paired with crew chief Chad Knaus from 2002 to 2018, with the duo winning seven titles for the team. Their victories include two Daytona 500 wins and four Coke Zero 600 wins, leaving behind a memorable legacy. The NASCAR legend retired from NASCAR at the end of 2020.

---

When Jimmie Johnson explained the reason behind his retirement decision

After a successful career in stock car racing, former Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson retired from NASCAR at the end of the 2020 season and went to compete in the IndyCar Series for two years. But he soon realized it was time to fully retire.

During an exclusive interview with AP in 2022, the California native mentioned he wanted to spend time with his wife and children.

"Chani has always supported me to the nth degree and also at the same time had her objectives, desires and pursued her pathway and her career," Johnson said.

"These decisions are based around family needs and demands, and I think it gets tricky and a bit more complicated on my schedule if we can get some traction on travel and living abroad," he added.

Jimmie Johnson met his wife Chandra Janway, a former model, in 2002 and tied the knot in 2004 after nearly two years of dating. The couple has been married for over two decades and has two kids - Genevieve Gene, born in July 2010, and Lydia Norriss, born in September 2013.