CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Jimmie Johnson sat down next to Jeff Gordon at a NASCAR drivers’ meeting in 2001 and asked him if he had time to offer any career advice.
Gordon, who went on to win the last of his four Cup Series titles that year, was so impressed with the fellow California native that he encouraged Rick Hendrick to start a team built specifically for Johnson, who was just 25 at the time.
It turned into one of the greatest hires in NASCAR history and nudged Gordon aside as the most dominant driver on the track. Now Johnson will follow Gordon and many other Cup Series superstars into retirement as the seven-time champion announced Wednesday he will retire from full-time competition after next season.
The 44-year-old Johnson joins an exodus of popular drivers that began when Gordon, a fellow Hendrick Motorsports driver, retired after the 2015 season. Dale Earnhardt Jr. – yet another Hendrick driver – Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Danica Patrick and Tony Stewart are among those who followed Gordon out the door.
AP photo by Terry Renna / NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson, center, his wife, Chandra, and his daughter, Genevieve, celebrate after he won the sixth Cup Series title of his career on Nov. 17, 2013.Johnson, with more wins than any driver in his era, said in a video posted to his social media accounts and titled “#Chasing8 one final time” that next season will be his final attempt to win a record-breaking eighth season title. It will be his 19th season in the No. 48 Chevrolet.