Jimmie Johnson

Birthday: Sept. 17, 1975
Hometown: El Cajon, Calif.

Johnson

YEAR-BY-YEAR CUP SERIES RECAP

2009 -- Won fourth consecutive series championship, surpassing Cale Yarborough (1976-78) for the longest streak of consecutive championships in NASCAR history ... Won seven races for a second consecutive season. ... Had 16 top-five finishes (tied for series-best with teammate Jeff Gordon) and 24 top-10s (one off Gordon's series-high) ... Won four Chase races, improving his all-time series lead to 18 ... Only driver to win four races during the 10-race Chase (three times: 2004, 2007, 2009). ... Entered the Chase seeded third behind teammate Mark Martin, but took the points lead in the fourth Chase race after leading 126 of 250 laps and winning at Fontana.... Led the rest of the season. .... Beat Mark Martin by 141 points for the title. ... First race car driver named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year in 78 years of the award.

2008 -- Won third consecutive series title, joining NASCAR legend Cale Yarborough (1975-78) as the only drivers to accomplish that feat. ... Finished with a series-high six poles. ... Began the Chase as the third seed. Took the standings lead after the third Chase race, at Kansas, and never relinquished it, winning the title by 69 points over Carl Edwards. ... Remains one of only two drivers (Matt Kenseth is the other) to qualify for all five Chases. ... Moved into 15th place on NASCAR's all-time wins list with 40. ... Led four year-end Loop Data statistical categories -- Average Start (8.5), Average Position (10.1), Laps Led (1,959) and Percentage of Laps Led (18.3).

2007 -- Won second consecutive series title. ... Finished with 10 wins, 20 top-fives, 24 top-10s and four poles. ... Became first driver since Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon in 1997-98 to win consecutive series titles; also the first since Gordon in '98 to win 10 races in a season. ... Became 15th driver to win multiple titles in NASCAR's premier series. ... Became 14th driver in series history to win consecutive titles. ... Four consecutive wins late in the Chase solidified title run. ... Came from 68 points behind Gordon following season's 31st race to win title by 77 points in front of Gordon.

2006 -- Won the series title. ... Finished with five wins, 13 top-fives, 24 top-10s and one pole. ... His 24 top-10s led the series. ... Spent all 36 weeks of the season in the top 10. ... Won Daytona 500. ... Also won his first events at Talladega (in May) and at Indianapolis (in August). Other two victories came at Las Vegas and Martinsville. ... Pole came at Martinsville (in April).

2005 -- Finished fifth in series points. ... Won four races in his fourth season in the Cup Series, including the season sweep at Charlotte, which included a third consecutive Coca-Cola 600 win. Johnson is the first driver to win three consecutive Coca-Cola 600s. ... Other victories came at the September event at Dover and Las Vegas.

2004 -- Finished second in series points, only eight behind champion Kurt Busch, in the closest championship finish in Cup history. ... Led points for nine weeks during season. ... Led series in wins with eight and top-fives with 20. ... Started Chase fifth in the standings, and dropped to ninth after first three races. ... Rallied by winning four of the year's last six races including three consecutive (Charlotte-Martinsville-Atlanta). ... Had three season sweeps, winning both events held at Darlington, Charlotte and Pocono. ... Repeated as Coca-Cola 600 champion and also won the Southern 500. ... String of 70 consecutive weeks in series' top 10 ended in Week 2, after 41st-place finish at Rockingham.

2003 -- Finished second in series points. ... Spent all 36 weeks in the standings' top 10, the only driver to do so. Started 2004 with a string of 69 consecutive weeks in the points standings' top 10, best among active drivers. ... Finished two spots above his car owner, Jeff Gordon, in the top 10. ... Season highlight was winning rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte in May, one week after winning the All-Star event. ... Swept season events at New Hampshire. ... Ended season by finishing in the top three in the last six events to secure runner-up finish in series championship.

2002 -- Finished fifth in series points as a rookie. ... Won Daytona 500 pole in fourth career start. ... First career victory (at Fontana) came in 13th start. ... Won three races (Fontana and both Dover races). ... Became first rookie in series history to sweep both races at a track. ... Led point standings for one week following Kansas in September.

2001 -- Finished 52nd in series points. ... Made series debut with three starts, best finish 25th at Homestead.

PREVIOUS RACING HISTORY

Finished eighth in Busch Series points in 2001, driving for Herzog Motorsports. ... Earned first career Busch Series victory in the series' first race at Chicagoland. ... During first full season in the Busch Series, had six top-10 finishes and finished 10th in the point standings. ... In 1999, started five Busch Series races, led 22 laps and collected one top-10 finish. ...Won rookie of the year honors in the ASA ACDelco Challenge Series in 1998. ... Johnson won six off-road racing championships, including two MTEG Superlite championships (1992, '95), the 1992 Miller Challenge Superlite title, the 1993 SCORE Class 10 Desert championship, and two SODA Winter Series overall titles (1996, '97). ... Also was named 1991 MTEG rookie of the year in the Superlite Class and 1995 SCORE rookie of the year. ... Began racing in motocross events at age 5.

NOTEWORTHY

Johnson and his wife, Chandra, founded the Jimmie Johnson Foundation in 2006 to assist children, families and communities in need throughout the United States. ... During the 2000 season, Johnson was selected as one of People Magazine's "Sexiest Men in the Fast Lane," along with other NASCAR drivers. ... Johnson was the youngest driver ever in the Mickey Thompson Stadium Truck Series. ... Johnson and Jeff Gordon joined World Superbike champion Colin Edwards in Europe, and won the 2002 Race of Champions Nations Cup, an annual event pitting the world's best rally, motorcycle and circuit racers against one another in head-to-head competition.