Richmond Raceway (Richmond) will recognize the historic accomplishments of seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson by naming the pedestrian tunnel in his honor. The pedestrian tunnel, originally constructed as part of Richmond Raceway Reimagined and unveiled in the fall of 2018, will be called the Jimmie Johnson Champions Walk.
“Jimmie Johnson has walked with the greatest in the history of the sport to build a championship legacy,” said Richmond President Dennis Bickmeier. “Throughout his career, he has represented NASCAR with class on and off the track to raise the sport to new heights. As a seven-time champion, we honor his dynamic career by naming our pedestrian tunnel leading to the FanGrounds as the Jimmie Johnson Champions Walk.”
Throughout my career I have had some highs and lows at Richmond on the track,” said Jimmie Johnson. “I’ve enjoyed cycling around the area and have grown to appreciate racing there so much more over the years. This is a huge honor and its humbling as I visit these tracks for the final time, to accept these wonderful gifts. This is just so cool and I hope to visit victory lane one more time at Richmond.”
The Jimmie Johnson Champions Walk will celebrate the legacy of Jimmie Johnson and champions in NASCAR at Richmond. The first three drivers recognized on the Jimmie Johnson Champions Walk will be three seven-time NASCAR champions in Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt, and Richard Petty. Richmond will unveil future champions of the sport and track each race weekend in the Jimmie Johnson Champions Walk.
The Jimmie Johnson Champions Walk was constructed as part of Richmond Raceway Reimagined, the $30 million infield redevelopment project. The pedestrian tunnel was expanded to allow more fans to comfortably travel to and from the new infield, FanGrounds. The Jimmie Johnson Champions Walk is ADA Accessible with an elevator for more convenient transportation for fans.
Johnson is a three-time NASCAR Cup Series race winner at Richmond. He was victorious in the Crown Royal presents the Jim Stewart 400 in 2007 and the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 in 2007 and 2008.
He is one of an exclusive list of eight drivers in track history to sweep a Cup Series season at Richmond with David Pearson (1966), Richard Petty (1967, 1971-1973), Bobby Allison (1983), Dale Earnhardt (1987), Rusty Wallace (1989), Johnson (2007), Kyle Busch (2018), and Martin Truex Jr. (2019). He is also one of only 12 drivers to win back-to-back Cup Series races on different years at America’s Premier Short Track.
Among active drivers, Johnson is tied for second in most Cup Series wins (3) with Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin. He is tied for the second most Cup Series pole awards (2) with Joey Logano and Harvick. He is also tied for fifth in top-5 and top-10 Cup Series finishes at America’s Premier Short Track.
Johnson will compete in his final Cup Series race at Richmond as a full-time competitor in the Federated Auto Parts 400 tonight at 7:30 p.m. The race will be televised nationally on NBCSN and air on MRN and its network of nationwide affiliates, in addition to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Richmond Raceway PR
