Although seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson is ineligible for the series championship for the first time in his certain NASCAR Hall of Fame career, he does have plenty of motivation to play spoiler this weekend at Martinsville.
Johnson is enduring his longest career winless streak – his last victory was June 4, 2017 at Dover, Del. – but this week he will be competing at a venue where he is the winningest active driver and on the verge of making more NASCAR history.
The driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet can become only the third driver in NASCAR history to have earned 10 or more wins at more than one track. He is an 11-time winner at Dover and has nine victories already at Martinsville Speedway.
Only NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Darrell Waltrip have won 10 or more races at more than one race track. Petty won 15 times at Martinsville; 15 times at North Wilkesboro, N.C.; 13 races at Richmond (Va.) Raceway, 11 races at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway and 10 times at Daytona International Speedway
Waltrip won 12 times at Bristol, Tenn., 11 times at Martinsville, Va. and 10 times at North Wilkesboro.
Johnson is easily the most successful driver at Martinsville this weekend with a series-best 19 top fives and 24 top 10s to go with his nine wins. He’s led a series-best 2,962 laps. Thirteen times he’s led at least 100 laps in a Martinsville race. Four times he’s led at least 200 laps and twice he’s led at least 300 laps.
He’s one of only seven drivers to ever win three consecutive races at Martinsville (2006-07) and from 2006-2009, he won five-of-six races. Not bad for a driver who finished 35th in his first start at the track.
His last top-10 finish at Martinsville was a victory in the 2016 Playoffs, when he went on to win the series championship.
Johnson currently holds a 15-point advantage over Stewart-Haas Racing’s Daniel Suarez for 17th position in the championship standings – tops among those who did not qualify for the Playoffs.
NASCAR PR
