Jimmie Johnson’s racing career wasn’t without its dark moments. But no one expected him to doze off behind the wheel in one of the most terrifying races in all of motorsports and find himself in a life-threatening situation. Well, as it happened back in 1991, Johnson was on the verge of never becoming the racing personality he is today.

When Jimmie Johnson dozed off behind the wheel

“I mean, Ivan Stewart could solo it,” was Johnson’s explanation, as he revealed falling behind the wheel of his truck while racing in the Baja 1000 in Mexico. While Stewart was known for pulling off endurance races solo, Johnson simply did not have ample experience back in the day. Though he did manage to lead for over 900 miles, the infamous event happened early in the morning.

“I fell asleep,” he revealed. “Crashed off the rad. It was about sunrise, I’d been in the struck for 20-some hours, driving […] It took 24 hours before I got to safety after that. And I thought I’m never racing in Mexico again.”

Understandably, this was a scary moment for Johnson. The Baja 1000 is one of the most brutal endurance races in motorsports. The “1000” refers to the miles the drivers cover, although it can vary anywhere between 900 and 1200. Usually, the drivers are sent in pairs to not let something like this happen, but Jimmie Johnson was alone.

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Yet, pulling off 900 miles was rather impressive. He had finished most of the race, and Johnson looked to be in complete control when he eventually crashed. This is a common occurrence in endurance races. Running the course for a very long time creates the perfect situation for drivers to fall asleep. The sedation effect kicks in, and even dozing off for a few seconds can turn into a disaster.

It is for this reason that most 24-hour races (including the Daytona and Le Mans events) have multiple drivers for one car who operate on very strict and timed stints.

Jimmie Johnson somehow managed to avert a major disaster. He was lucky. While the Baja 1000 has appeared as a strong challenge to many, there haven’t been a lot of drivers who excelled in the 1000 miles of the Mexican desert. But there is one in history who is known for this extreme crossover.

Robby Gordon: The most extreme NASCAR – Baja crossover

Robby Gordon began his career in off-road racing. At one point in time, he seemed unbeatable. But that wasn’t exactly his case in NASCAR. He ran close to 400 races in the Cup Series between 1991 and 2012, winning only three with just 39 top-10 finishes. In fact, his career best finish in the standings was a mere 16 place, back in 2003.

While he was surely present on the track, Gordon was well-known for a completely different reason. Before he kicked off his career in NASCAR, Gordon regularly ran the Baja 1000. Actually, saying “ran” would be an understatement, because he won the championship three times in 1987, 1989, and 2006. He also won three Baja 500 titles in 1989. 1990 and 2005.

He was the son of Bob Gordon, nicknamed “Baja Bob.” Safe to say, he put his father’s legacy forward with his immense runs. Ultimately, he became one of the only drivers who were respected in both the Baja and the NASCAR Cup Series because of his few race wins.

But it becomes quite apparent that excelling in one does not promise a strong result in the other. While the Baja 1000 is still a massive challenge, Jimmie Johnson is in no hurry to take it again after his close call with tragedy three decades ago.