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WATCH: Jimmie Johnson Pulls Off Epic Comeback to Win NASCAR Cup Race at Martinsville

Published 10/31/2020, 2:09 AM EDT

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As a seasoned veteran in the sport, Jimmie Johnson has amassed a number of wins in his NASCAR tenure. When it comes to Martinsville, Johnson boasts of a record nine wins. However, the 2016 Goody’s Fast Relief 500 will always be remembered as one of his greatest drives.

Johnson started the race in 3rd but had a bit of a coming together with Denny Hamlin. The duo had been battling for a fairly long time, and the tussle escalated into bumping and barging. Poor old Jimmie Johnson came got the worst of it and was forced to pit for repairs.

Eventually, he got going after a lengthy pit stop, though he managed to avoid going a lap down. From there, the comeback began, and Johnson clawed his way up the order to run 3rd in the final caution period. After making short work of Kyle Busch, he crept up behind Hamlin and soon passed him for the lead.

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From there, the #48 driver never looked back and stormed to victory. The man was absolutely unstoppable and claimed his ninth win at Martinsville, and his fourth win that year. In addition to that, it guaranteed him a spot in the Championship Four in the 2016 Playoffs.

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Jimmie Johnson was absolutely ecstatic to claim his hardest-fought win

“There were a lot of moments but anything in life you have to work for it. It’s not going to come easy and we knew that coming into this race. There are so many challenges with this track. I’m so thankful for this race team,” Johnson said.

“To win on this weekend at this track with the tragedy we had in ’04, we’re thinking of all the loved ones that we lost in the plane crash.”

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In all honesty, Jimmie Johnson pulled off a master class in patience and determination. He even fended off a hard-charging Brad Keselowski, as well as Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, and Kyle Busch, who rounded out the top-five finishers.

Four years later, the #48 driver returns to the scene of his comeback and prepares to race there for the final time. The 45-year-old is set to walk away from NASCAR at the end of the season, while Denny Hamlin will stick around a while longer.

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Written by:

Dhruv George

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Dhruv George is a senior Formula One and NASCAR analyst for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.
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