Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson has been inching closer and closer to the much-anticipated end to the biggest winless drought of his career.
The veteran driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet who announced his retirement at the conclusion of the 2020 season, has been showing improvement with each race this season.
He hasn’t won a race since the 2017 season (Dover) but has two top fives and six top 10s right now and is sitting in 11th-place in the series driver standings, 151 points back from the leader Kevin Harvick.
Johnson will make his 20th start on Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway and has one win from 2016 to his name – the last time he won the series title. He has five top fives, 11 top 10s and has led 102 laps at the Homestead and he has the seventh-best driver rating (93.7). Plus, Johnson ranks eighth in average running position, sixth-best in fastest laps run, and is ranked eighth for fastest on restarts.
On Wednesday night at Martinsville Speedway, Johnson won Stage 1 and led 70 laps en route to a 10th-place finish. A couple days before that at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Johnson finished seventh and at Bristol he finished third.
Johnson’s momentum heading to Homestead is strong as well as the momentum of his entire team.
With two Hendrick drivers already locked into the Playoffs with wins (Elliott & Bowman), Johnson looks to become the third. William Byron is the only other driver from the Hendrick camp without a win so far.
On Sunday at Homestead-Miami, Chase Elliott will start fifth, Alex Bowman will start eighth, Johnson will start ninth and William Byron will start 22nd.
