Johnson to retire after the 2020 Cup season

Seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson announced Tuesday that he would be retiring at the conclusion of the 2020 Cup season.

Johnson made the announcement on social media that 2020 would be his 19th and final full-time season in the Cup Series. He’s scheduled to hold a press conference Thursday where he’ll discuss his decision to step away with team owner Rick Hendrick joining him.

Johnson has run the no. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for the entirety of his career and had been sponsored by Lowe’s until 2018. Ally Financial signed a two-year deal with Hendrick Motorsports to sponsor the no. 48 team and then signed a three-year extension in October that took the deal through the 2023 season.

The extension means that Ally will serve as the primary sponsor for Johnson’s replacement in 2021. An announcement regarding his replacement and Hendrick Motorsports’ 2021 team lineup will be coming at a later date.

Johnson will be looking for his eighth NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2020. If he were to win an eighth Cup title, he would become the only driver to win a Cup title in their final season of competition and be the only driver in NASCAR history to ever win more than seven Cup titles.

Johnson is currently tied with Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty, who have each won an all-time leading seven Cup titles. He is also the all-time leader in wins at Auto Club (6), Charlotte (8), Dover (11), Las Vegas (4) and Texas (7).

Source:

Racing-Reference.info