October 24, 2004, is considered a dark day in Hendrick Motorsports’ history. Recently, Jimmie Johnson opened up on the tragedy that befell the team, namely a plane crash. At that time, the weather at the Martinsville Speedway was foggy, so most of the drivers were worried about the race.

However, little did anyone at the track know that something was about to go horribly wrong on a personal level. When Jimmie Johnson won the race, he and the team were informed that they were not celebrating. Instead, all four Hendrick Motorsports cars were to be lined together in pit road.

When Jimmie Johnson drove in to park, he noticed police officers surround all four cars. Immediately, he realised that something was wrong and he and the other drivers were taken to a private area and informed that the team’s chartered airplane had gone missing.

According to the #48 driver, there was a lot of confusion about the plane’s occupants. Initially, his wife was supposed to fly down to meet him at the track. Instead, her mother fell ill, and she elected to stay back and take care of her. It was also worth noting that Johnson’s wife’s name was on the aircraft manifest.

Jimmie Johnson explains what happened on that fateful day

The team owner, Rick Hendrick, was also expected to be on the flight but stayed home. Instead, his brother and son were on the plane. Initially, the plane was reported missing, before its remains were found in a nearby mountain. Johnson confessed that they were all in complete disbelief. He also said that everyone’s faith was tested to the limit on that day.

According to Johnson, in the aftermath of the incident, nobody really felt like racing at the next track at Atlanta. In the end, they did race and Jimmie Johnson went on to win, thus making it a perfect tribute. 16 years later, Jimmie Johnson looks back on that tragic turn of events and how it affected Hendrick Motorsports.