For modern NASCAR fans, Jimmie Johnson is the greatest driver to ever lace up the glove, equivalent to “The King” Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt whose 7-time title reign was equaled by the 2024 NASCAR Hall of Famer in stellar fashion. However, it wasn’t a smooth sail for Johnson who was never the popular one before he went on an absolute roll in the Cup Series with 83 wins, racking up seven titles, winning five of them back-to-back.

In fact, in 2000, JJ who was at that time in the Busch Grand National Series did not even have a win to his name and his career was on a shaky leg after his team Herzog Motorsports made it clear that it couldn’t continue with the driver in the #92 car as its primary sponsor Alltel Communications was set to side with Team Penske.

However, just a year later, Johnson signed with Hendrick Motorsports in the #48 program that would later become an icon of NASCAR. Reacting to his Hall of Fame induction, the veteran shared his delight, mentioning the lesser-known story of how his associate turned the tide, getting him an HMS contract out of his stint with Chip Ganassi.

The Tale of the #48 – How Jimmie Johnson and his iconic reign was jump-started by his ally

While his time in the Busch Series in 2000 was devoid of any victory, Johnson’s peculiar driving style caught the attention of enthusiasts and experts alike. His professionalism and his ability to utilize the race car to its fullest caught the eye of even the 4-time Cup Series champion, Jeff Gordon and HMS team owner Rick Hendrick.

But before Johnson was signed into HMS, the great one’s story would’ve taken a different route if he went with Chip Ganassi Racing. Ganassi offered Johnson a contract to drive his #01 car during the 2001 season which fortunately or unfortunately never fell through. Instead, the conversations with Mr. H struck a chord when Johnson’s attorney and agent, Alan Miller used the CGR contract smoothly to get the driver a deal with Hendrick in the No. 48 for three starts in 2001 while he raced another full-time Busch Series season with the Herzogs.

During his Hall of Fame induction ceremony, the veteran details the conversation he had with Ganassi and how the whole thing transpired into his entry into HMS. He said, “The Herzogs came to me and said, ‘We can’t run next year without a sponsor’, so I started shopping around. Chip Ganassi was starting his Cup program and he was interested in me driving the Cingular 01 car. I had these good conversations going on with Hendrick at the time but only had a letter of intent from Hendrick. Chip comes in to Charlotte and we sit down for a meeting. He had some expectations of signing the contract on the spot but I was like, ‘I’m not comfortable with that’ so he was like, ‘I’m going to head back to Pittsburgh.’”

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Mentioning how he called up his agent, Johnson divulges how Miller effectively used the CGR contract as leverage to get the driver a massive deal that would later turn the whole NASCAR world upside down. He said, “So, I call (attorney and agent) Alan Miller. I walk him through this scenario that I’m pretty concerned, that I had a Cup opportunity with Chip go away, and he stops me and says, ‘No, no, no. You were just offered a legitimate Cup contract. Let me work on the Hendrick side’.”

Johnson then went on to reveal how he had a new contract from Hendrick only four days later, thanks to the strings pulled by his agent. Safe to say, all’s well that ends well as the driver went onto have a career that many can only dream of and now his efforts are finally paying off with a well-deserved HOF induction.

Donnie Allison, Johnson, and his championship-winning crew chief officially join the NASCAR Hall of Fame

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On Friday, NASCAR old-timer Donnie Allison, a member of the Alabama gang, 7-time title holder Jimmie Johnson, and his legendary crew chief, Chad Knaus were inducted into the Hall of Fame in a grand ceremony. Veteran Allison graced the stage, walked onto the stage, and gave the longest speech, clearing the air around his infamous altercation with Cale Yarborough that launched the sport into the stratosphere, catching national attention.

He said, “I never fought. I don’t care what that thing says. I never touched the man [Cale Yarborough]. He never touched me. If he had. I would have probably killed him. Anyway, we’re not gonna talk a whole lot more about that.” Next up was Johnson’s crew chief, Chad Knaus who along with the driver rewrote history winning consecutive titles from 2006 and 2010.

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Finally, Johnson took the stage when he was introduced by his wife. Even with all the success in his career, Johnson took the opportunity to reflect on his humble beginnings, saying, “We raced and we raced a lot on a limited budget with a lot of passion and dedication. The grit my parents instilled in me, without a doubt, helped mold my professional self. I’m so grateful for you both. With my humble upbringing, being noticed in racing was my only chance for success. I knew my opportunities would come via who I knew, and then someday what I could do.”

Now that’s what we call a fairytale ending to an iconic career!