"He’s like a computer in the car": When Rick Hendrick broke down Jimmie Johnson’s championship mindset

When Jimmie Johnson announced in late 2019 that the 2020 NASCAR season would be his last as a full-time driver, the tributes came fast. Fans, drivers, and owners lined up to say what his team owner, Rick Hendrick, already knew that he was one of the greatest to ever do it.

After nearly two decades in the Cup Series, Johnson was calling time with seven championships and 83 wins. His legacy felt oddly underappreciated by Rick, considering the numbers. He had overseen the most successful racing period in Hendrick Motorsports' history with Johnson at the center.

Even at 44, after 96 winless races and three full seasons without a victory, Johnson wasn't interested in a farewell tour. He wanted to fight and started with a fifth-place finish at Las Vegas in just the second race of the season. A week later, he qualified on the front row at Auto Club Speedway, his home track, showing his competitive fire hadn't gone anywhere.

Rick Hendrick (left) congratulates Jimmie Johnson after winning the 2017 AAA 400 at Dover. Source: Imagn

From 2006 to 2010, Jimmie Johnson made winning look routine, winning five straight titles. He added two more in 2013 and 2016, placing him at the top of the all-time list, alongside Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. But while they had larger-than-life personalities, Johnson's personality was built on relentless work, discipline, and data.

"You never had to make an excuse for Jimmie Johnson... his attention to detail, his work ethic. He's like a computer in the car," Rick Hendrick said in 2020. (via L.A. Times)

Johnson helped revolutionize the way drivers interacted with their teams. He wasn't just a wheelman, he was also involved in manufacturing. In an era where cars changed constantly, Johnson adapted better than anyone, winning championships with every car. Teamed with longtime Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Chad Knaus, the No. 48 became the benchmark.

While the public gradually caught up to Johnson's greatness, those inside the garage never had any doubts. Teammate Chase Elliott called him the best ever. Kyle Busch said he'd always respected how cleanly they raced. Still, Johnson believed that his corporate and calculated style may have hurt his early connection with fans.

However, by 2020, that perception changed, with fans flocking to pay their respects at every venue he went to.

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"No way to look at Jimmie and see he'd be this good": How a gamble by Rick Hendrick's son shaped Jimmie Johnson's career

(L-R) Chad Knaus, Rick Hendrick, and Jimmie Johnson during the 2024 NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction. Source: Getty

Jimmie Johnson's Cup Series career almost didn't happen the way it did. It took a gut feeling from a young Ricky Hendrick, Rick Hendrick's son, to hire him in 2000.

Johnson, then, was still in NASCAR's second-tier Nationwide Series (now Xfinity), racing without much success. He wasn't a hot prospect. But Ricky, racing against him, saw something deeper.

"Ricky told me that Jimmie was going to be a superstar, but Jimmie didn't show that in the Nationwide Series. But we liked Jimmie a lot. He was just such a classy guy, we felt he was part of the family... So we took a chance. We'd no idea. There was no reason, no way to look at Jimmie and see he'd be this good," Rick Hendrick told Autoweek in 2013.

Jeff Gordon raced him at Michigan and told Rick the same thing. And Hendrick Motorsports took the chance. He got the No. 48 Chevrolet and started part-time in the Cup Series in 2001. In his first full-time season in 2002, he proved right away that he belonged. He won thrice and finished fifth in points.

Twelve years on, Jimmie Johnson's commitment hasn't changed. As co-owner of Legacy Motor Club, he's taken on a part-time racing schedule in 2025. The same attention to detail he brought to pit strategy and telemetry is now used in team-building and operations.