Even before he won on Sunday at Dover International Speedway, Jimmie Johnson’s legacy had been secured. That’s what six Sprint Cup championships — including a record five straight — and 74 race victories will do.
But an already surefire hall of fame resume got another accolade added when Johnson scored his 10th Dover victory. The feat makes him just the fifth driver to post double-digit victories on a single track, joining a who’s who of NASCAR immortality: Richard Petty, David Pearson, Darrell Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Sr.
The company he joins is that of legends and Johnson’s name is more than deserving of a place alongside them. He has more championships than Pearson and Waltrip, who won three apiece, and is just one shy of tying Earnhardt and Petty.
And Johnson is just three wins shy of passing Earnhardt for seventh all-time. Which considering he has four victories through 13 races this season, it seems a given Johnson will do so well before fall.
“Seventy-four race wins, 10 here, I mean, you can’t dream that big,” Johnson said. “I’m just blown away and honored by the success — what we’ve done with our opportunity and honored to have a shot at history with Dale and then the 10 wins here.”
What stands out about Johnson’s current run is it comes at a time when Hendrick Motorsports is reeling some. The organization hasn’t shown its same level of speed and superiority for much of the season. Dover follows the powerhouse having none of its four drivers lead a single lap during last week’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. (Dale Earnhardt Jr. did finish third, though that was primarily because of fuel mileage.)
Even Johnson, despite his talent, hasn’t been immune. Struggling with an ill-handling car, he spun out not once, but twice last weekend. And his previous win before Dover, May 9 at Kansas Speedway, came by way of not overpowering the competition but via strategy and guile.
“In the raw speed department I feel like we are lacking a little bit and we are aggressively going after that,” Johnson said.
But that’s the M.O. of Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus, whose resiliency is often overshadowed by their dominance. Throughout his career Johnson will squeeze out better finishes than he otherwise deserves, while Knaus’ cunning is almost unequaled.
That attitude manifested itself at Kansas and Dover. With track position and clean air so vital, when cautions came late in both races Knaus kept his driver on the track, jumping him up front.
Johnson using older tires fended off the much faster Kevin Harvick, who had fresher right-side tires, to take the Kansas win. Sunday, Johnson again withstood Harvick’s challenges on a series of restarts, though his rival had one of the better cars leading 91 laps to just 23 for Johnson.
“This is a good racetrack for them,” Harvick said. “They had everything line up for them and had a good car and were able to make it happen there at the end on the restart. He’s just good here.”
When it matters most, Johnson and the No. 48 team execute. That’s what they do. That’s their trademark. Silly mistakes are rare and when the do occur, minimized. And when circumstances do work against them, they find a way to overcome by any and all means.
It’s an approach that’s made Johnson one of the best. Where he’s no longer just going against the drivers of his era, but more so competing with the shadows of all those who came before.
