WATCH- Jimmie Johnson relives horror crash from 2000

We all know the legend of Jimmie Johnson and what he has achieved over his 19-year illustrious career. But his wins in 83 races and record-tying seven Cup Series championships would not have been possible had he not survived the Lysol 200 in the Busch Series race in 2000.

Reliving the crash and speaking to NASCAR's YouTube channel, Johnson said, "One of the very few times in a race car I thought it was over. “I thought that was it.”

Here's a look at the video-

What happened on Lap 45 at the Watkins Glen International in his Alltel Chevrolet then can be brought down to some sort of a failure in the car. As a result, Johnson's Chevrolet slid off the tracks towards the right before bouncing on the grassy banks to hit flush on the inner wall.

Luckily for Jimmie Johnson and NASCAR fans alike, the wall had a layer of foam to it which ended up reducing the impact of the hit. Later, Johnson climbed out of the car fine and was seen at the top of it with both his hands raised, in disbelief maybe.

Why did Jimmie Johnson collect race remains as memorabilia?

As per reports from USA Today, Jimmie Johnson picked up the Alltel Chevrolet car as memorabilia. He got his brother to rebuild it and now it rests in his warehouse looking brand new.

In his own words, Jimmie Johnson explaining why he wanted the car, said, "My 2000 year wasn't all that stellar. The real highlight in the year was in that car stuffed into the foam. I guess there's a little something to that (and) why I wanted the car."

Interestingly, while on a stroll at the track's campground a year later, Jimmie Johnson noticed foam from his crash in a pickup truck. Paying $10 to the guy, he also picked up two chunks of foam as a memory from the day.

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Why is 2000 considered a deadly season in NASCAR history?

While Jimmie Johnson may have dodged a potential life-taking crash, the 2000 season saw a few deaths.

It saw Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin Jr. lose their lives at the same track. A couple of months later, Scott Baker and Tony Roper- drivers in the ACRA Series and Truck Series- also lost their lives due to accidents.

The year that followed saw the NASCAR world mourn the death of Dale Earnhardt in the finals laps of the Daytona 500. And it also saw ARCA driver Blaise Alexander losing his life following a crash at Charlotte.

It was, however, after Alexander's death that the use of Head and Neck Safety (HANS) was made a non-negotiable across NASCAR's racing divisions.