“I thought it was it”: When Jimmie Johnson looked back on his horrific crash at Watkins Glen

Five years ago, Jimmie Johnson recalled his frightening crash at the Watkins Glen International road course during his rookie year and said it was one of the very few times in a race car that he felt like giving up.

In 2000, the then 24-year-old was a rookie in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Johnson ran his first full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series season in the No. 92 Chevrolet for Herzog Motorsports.

He had put himself in the top 10 after starting in 12th place at the 2.454 mile track. After a smooth pit stop, his crew believed they had a chance at a strong finish but on lap 46 of the 82-lap race, coming into Turn 1, the brakes failed. The car launched over a sand trap and hurtled toward the steel wall covered with tire layers and styrofoam, which went flying in the air like an explosion.

Johnson later climbed out onto the roof of the car and raised both arms. In November 2020 before his final full-time race at Phoenix, he reflected on the crash and how close he came to never racing again.

"That experience and one other are the only two moments where I just felt like the outcome was not good. I just kind of gave up in the car and just went limp. I knew it was going to be really, really bad, and potentially, the worst. I thought it was it," Jimmie Johnson said (via USA Today Sports).

Johnson had had two top-10 finishes before The Mission 200 at The Glen in 2000. He did not qualify for the Daytona opener but scored a best sixth at South Boston Speedway and later matched that result at Michigan and Homestead.

Johnson completed his rookie Xfinity season 10th in the points standings.

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How Jimmie Johnson went from 'near-death experience' to 'life-changing' moment after 2000 crash

The Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) barriers, which combine hollow steel tubes with energy-absorbing foam inserts, were first installed at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2002. During Jimmie Johnson's accident in 2000, NASCAR tracks used older shock-absorbing methods. However, it was enough to save him.

In 2020, Johnson also shared that the crash may have changed the course of his career. He said (via the aforementioned source):

"The irony in all that: I don't think many people knew who I was. Climbing on the roof and standing on top of the car, I know that got Jeff Gordon's attention, and he started paying attention a lot more to me. So, a near death experience that also led to a life-changing experience kind of wrapped up into all those other details."

Gordon later recommended Johnson to Rick Hendrick. He made three NASCAR Cup starts in Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevrolet the following year.