Jimmie Johnson‘s racing life has been about big numbers.
Seven NASCAR Cup Series championships, joining Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt at that peak. Five titles in a row — a record he holds alone. Eighty-three Cup race wins.
Now, another big number. On Sept. 17, 2025, Jimmie Johnson turns 50 years old.
Looking back at 50 memorable moments as Johnson, one of NASCAR‘s finest, celebrates No. 50:
Sept. 17, 1975 — Johnson is born to Gary and Catherine Johnson in the Southern California town of El Cajon, near San Diego.
Nov. 8, 1995 — In one of the defining moments of his career, Johnson falls asleep at the wheel during the night and crashes into a ravine during the Baja 1000 off-road race. He waits hours to be rescued and determines he needs to take a more reasoned and professional approach to racing.
Oct. 1, 1998 — After competing in motocross and off-road racing, Johnson moves to the American Speed Association and is named Rookie of the Year after finishing fourth in the series point standings.
June 12, 1999 — Johnson scores his first ASA victory (and his first win on a paved track) by leading 156 laps at Memphis Motorsports Park.
June 25, 2000 — Escapes injury in a major crash in a NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Watkins Glen International in New York. A brake issue sent Johnson‘s car hurtling off the track in the first turn toward a wall he assumed was concrete. Instead, he smashed head-on into Styrofoam after sailing across an off-track grassy area.
July 14, 2001 — Driving a Chevrolet for Herzog Motorsports, Johnson scores his only victory in the Xfinity Series, winning by 4.932 seconds over Mike Skinner at Chicagoland Speedway.
Oct. 7, 2001 –– Johnson, recommended for a Hendrick Motorsports ride by Jeff Gordon, makes his Cup Series debut in a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at Charlotte Motor Speedway. A crash leaves him with a 39th-place finish.
April 28, 2002 — Scores first Cup win at Auto Club Speedway in his home state of California. It‘s Johnson‘s 13th career start. He called it “the day I knew I was going to be employed.”
May 17, 2003 — Wins the NASCAR All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in only his second appearance. He would go on to win three more all-star events.
May 25, 2003 — Johnson completed two consecutive winning weekends at Charlotte Motor Speedway, following up his All-Star Race victory with a win in the Coca-Cola 600. The race was shortened from 400 laps to 276 due to rain. Johnson led 34 laps.
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Oct. 31, 2004 — Only a week after Hendrick Motorsports was devastated by the loss of team and family members in an airplane crash near Martinsville Speedway, Johnson scored an emotional win at Atlanta Motor Speedway, beginning the healing process.
Nov. 14, 2004 — Displaying his driving skill on one of NASCAR‘s toughest tracks, Johnson wins the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway to complete a seasonal sweep at the speedway.
Dec. 10, 2004 — Johnson marries Chandra Janway in a ceremony in St. Barth in the French West Indies. The couple began dating in 2002 after being introduced by Jeff Gordon.
Feb. 19, 2006 — Wins the Daytona 500 for the first time. The race stretched into overtime and ended under caution with Johnson in front. He led 24 laps, including the final 17.
Aug. 6, 2006 — Johnson wins the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time, leading 33 of 160 laps. His crew chief, Chad Knaus, had signed a four-year contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports the same week.
Nov. 19, 2006 — Finishes ninth at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the season finale to win his first Cup championship. Johnson finished 56 points in front of second-place Matt Kenseth.
Nov. 18, 2007 — Johnson finishes seventh in the season‘s final race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, locking up his second Cup championship. Hendrick teammate Jeff Gordon is second in points, 77 behind Johnson.
Nov. 16, 2008 –– Johnson finishes 15th at Homestead-Miami Speedway to win his third straight championship, tying Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough — Johnson‘s childhood hero — for the most consecutive titles. Johnson won seven races during the season.
July 26, 2009 — In a race slowed by only three cautions, Johnson became the first driver to win back-to-back Cup races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He finished 0.40 seconds in front of Mark Martin in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.
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Nov. 22, 2009 — Johnson wins seven races for the second straight season and coasts to his fourth straight championship — a NASCAR record — with a fifth-place finish in the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Mark Martin was a distant second in the points race, 141 behind.
Dec. 31, 2009 — Johnson is named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year, becoming the first race car driver to be so honored. He earned more votes than tennis star Roger Federer and Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt, among others.
March 21, 2010 — Johnson passes Tony Stewart for the lead with seven laps to go and wins at Bristol Motor Speedway, his first victory at the track and his 50th Cup win.
June 20, 2010 — Wins on a road course for the first time, breezing to a 3.1-second victory over Robby Gordon in the Toyota-Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California.
July 7, 2010 — Jimmie and Chandra Johnson welcome a baby daughter, Genevieve.
Nov. 21, 2010 –– Finishes second at Homestead-Miami Speedway to win his fifth straight Cup championship, an accomplishment praised by many of his peers as an unbreakable record. Races past Denny Hamlin, who began the race first in points but finishes 14th and loses the title by 39 points.
May 12, 2012 — Johnson leads 134 of 368 laps to win the Southern 500 at Darlington, scoring Hendrick Motorsports‘ 200th Cup victory.
May 19, 2012 — Wins for the third time in NASCAR‘s All-Star Race, outrunning Brad Keselowski by 0.841 seconds. Johnson picked up a passenger on his victory lap as team owner Rick Hendrick climbed into the driver’s window to travel to Victory Lane with the winner.
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Feb. 24, 2013 — Johnson wins the Daytona 500 for the second time, leading the final 10 laps and finishing 0.129 seconds in front of Dale Earnhardt Jr.
July 6, 2013 — Wins summer race at Daytona International Speedway by 0.107 seconds over Tony Stewart, becoming the first driver to sweep both Cup races at Daytona in a single season since 1982.
Sept. 6, 2013 — The Johnsons‘ second daughter, Lydia, is born.
Nov. 17, 2013 — It‘s championship No. 6 as Johnson finishes ninth in the final race of the season at Homestead. Needing only a 23rd-place run to lock up the title, he beats Matt Kenseth by 19 points.
Nov. 19, 2013 — A frequent guest on ESPN‘s television productions, Johnson flipped the script by co-hosting SportsCenter, the network‘s featured news program.
May 31, 2015 — Scores his 10th career victory at Dover Motor Speedway, becoming the fifth driver in Cup history to log double-digit wins at one track, following Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, David Pearson and Darrell Waltrip.
Nov. 20, 2016 — Wins seventh Cup championship by finishing first at Homestead, surviving NASCAR‘s relatively new multi-round elimination-style playoffs. The title lifts Johnson into exclusive company, as he, Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt are the only drivers with a record seven Cup titles.
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June 4, 2017 — Johnson‘s last (so far) Cup win comes at Dover Motor Speedway, a track he has dominated. The victory is the 83rd of his career, tying Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough, and his 11th at Dover.
April 15, 2019 — After months of training, Johnson finishes the Boston Marathon in three hours, nine minutes and seven seconds, missing his target of three hours but putting a checkmark by one of his fitness goals. He ran wearing bib No. 4848, a salute to his NASCAR car number.
Nov. 20, 2019 — Announces that 2020 will be his final full-time season in NASCAR. It will be his 19th full-time year in the Cup Series.
March 1, 2020 — Johnson‘s wife, Chandra, and daughters Genevieve and Lydia, wave the green flag to start the Auto Club 400, scheduled to be his final race at Auto Club Speedway, his home track. He finishes seventh after leading 10 laps.
Aug. 9, 2020 — Seeking a new challenge, Johnson announces he will run a part-time IndyCar schedule in Chip Ganassi Racing cars in 2021.
Nov. 8, 2020 — Johnson makes his final full-schedule start in Cup, finishing fifth at Phoenix Raceway.
Jan. 30, 2021 — Finishes second in IMSA’s Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway on a Cadillac team that also includes drivers Simon Pagenaud, Kamni Kobayashi and Mike Rockenfeller.
Dec. 15, 2021 — After driving part-time in the IndyCar Series in 2021, Johnson says he will race the series full-time in 2022.
Sept. 11, 2022 — Completes two seasons of racing in the IndyCar Series with a finish of 16th at Laguna Seca in California. His best finish in the series is a fifth at Iowa Speedway.
Nov. 4, 2022 — Johnson begins his transition from driver to team owner by purchasing ownership in the Petty GMS Motorsports NASCAR team, linking his future to fellow seven-time champion Richard Petty.
Jan. 11, 2023 — The Petty GMS Motorsports team is renamed Legacy Motor Club in honor of the organization‘s decorated NASCAR history. Johnson is scheduled to race Legacy cars part-time in the Cup Series.
May 11, 2023 — Johnson‘s record-setting career earns him a spot on the list of NASCAR‘s 75 Greatest Drivers.
Jan. 19, 2024 — Johnson‘s NASCAR career is capped by induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. He is joined by long-time crew chief Chad Knaus, both elected in their first time on the ballot.
Jan. 27, 2025 — Johnson becomes the majority owner of Legacy Motor Club, which opens the Cup season with Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek as its full-time drivers.
May 25, 2025 — Makes high-speed laps around Indianapolis Motor Speedway before the Indianapolis 500 in a two-seater IndyCar with National Football League Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady.
May 25, 2025 — Makes 700th career Cup start at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he also made his Cup debut. Started 17th and finished 40th after crashing out on Lap 112.
