Hendrick Motorsports Celebrates Record-Extending 11th Series Title
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 17, 2013) – Jimmie Johnson took another step closer to stock car racing history on Sunday, claiming his sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway.
Johnson, who entered the race with a 28-point lead over 2003 series champion Matt Kenseth, finished ninth in the Ford EcoBoost 400, putting his final margin over Kenseth at 19 points.
The championship is a record-extending 11th in the series for Hendrick Motorsports. Rick Hendrick’s organization also won four titles with Jeff Gordon, co-owner of Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet, and one with Terry Labonte. Johnson’s crew chief, Chad Knaus, has led the team to all six titles.
The 38-year-old Johnson is one of three competitors to win six or more NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships. He trails only seven-time champions and NASCAR Hall of Fame members Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.
Johnson’s five previous championships – all consecutive – came from 2006-2010. He has finished first or second in eight of the 12 seasons in which he’s been a full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competitor. His 66 victories rank second among active drivers, behind only Hendrick Motorsports teammate Gordon’s 88 wins.
Johnson’s six championships have come in three distinctly different NASCAR Sprint Cup cars – including the Gen-6 Chevrolet SS that debuted this season.
After winning his second Daytona 500 to open the season, Johnson led the series standings after all but three races during the NASCAR Sprint Cup regular season. He entered the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup as the No. 2 seed – behind Kenseth – with four victories. A dominant victory on Nov. 3 at Texas Motor Speedway gave Johnson the Chase lead for good.
In addition, Chevrolet won its 37th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series manufacturers’ championship.
About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States. NASCAR consists of three national series (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series), four regional series, one local grassroots series and three international series. The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) governs the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, the premier U.S. sports car series. Based in Daytona Beach, Fla., with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information, visit www.nascar.com and follow NASCAR at www.facebook.com/NASCAR and Twitter: @NASCAR.
