Imagine being booed even before you can prove yourself. This is exactly what seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson endured as he entered the league. The Hendrick Motorsports legend won five titles in a row from 2006 to 2010, almost making the sport look too easy. However, Johnson’s success came with its drawbacks as he was constantly in the spotlight and garnered a lot of hate during his initial years as a driver.

However, this negativity never dampened his hunger for victory and helped him cement his place as a legend of the sport. So, how did he deal with such polarized opinions? Johnson addressed it with a straightforward response.

What motivated Jimmie Johnson?

Jimmie Johnson’s journey to NASCAR was nothing sort of extraordinary. On the recommendation of Jeff Gordon, he was signed by Hendrick Motorsports in late 2000 which paved his way to the glory. The reason for the negativity towards Johnson stemmed from some fans’ dislike of Jeff Gordon, the man who signed him for HMS. Johnson viewed this as a chip on his shoulder and set out to prove everyone wrong.

In the latest episode of the High Performance Podcast, Jimmie Johnson revealed how he tackled all these negativities. He said, “You know it’s not that I was comfortable in them, I just reacted correctly in those moments. Of course, I took it personally. Of course, I hated to see what was being said about me. It kept me awake at night; you know it frustrated me it made me angry but, in the end, it motivated me.”

It’s worth noting that Jimmie Johnson’s initial time in NASCAR was not as good as it seems today. Despite starting his NASCAR journey in 1998 with Herzog Motorsports’ Busch (Xfinity) team, he only won his first race in 2001. However, his Cup Series journey was extraordinary. Till 2013 Johnson finished in the top 10 for 12 consecutive years.

Further talking about his success despite being booed he said, “I started having the success and I could look back and I’m like okay this is good this is helping me. It wasn’t fun, it wasn’t comfortable but it’s helping me, and I think it’s that way for everyone. I had no idea that I could be under so much pressure for so many years and walk that fine line and not make mistakes. I just didn’t know I was capable of that until I got into it and was able to live it and do it.”

Johnson’s legendary journey in NASCAR

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Jimmie Johnson was born to race. He started his journey with Motorcycle racing at the tender age of five. He soon turned to four-wheel racing and made waves in various leagues. However, Johnson’s career took a meteoric rise in 1998 when he started his NASCAR journey with Herzog Motorsports’ Busch team. Despite not winning any race in his first three years, Johnson continued to make waves with his driving style.

In late 2000, he was noticed by star NASCAR Cup Series driver Jeff Gordon who paved his way into Hendrick Motorsports. This deal changed Johnson’s career as he started winning races regularly. In his first full year, he won three races and finished fifth. In 2004 Johnson scripted history by winning a record eight races in a season.

However, Johnson’s real domination started in 2006 when he finally won the Cup series title. He continued his dominance in 2007 with 10 wins. In 2010, Johnson won his fifth NASCAR Cup Series title and surpassed Jeff Gordon’s record. He further won the Cup Series in 2013 and 2016 to join Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty in most championship clubs.

One of his most iconic moments came in May 2012, breaking a winless streak for HMS and himself in the process. Rick Hendrick was in search for his teams 200th victory and had been falling short for a while. With Johnson giving them their 199th victory in Oct 2011, no one would have guessed him still searching for 200 in May of the next year. Johnson was in the middle of a 21-race winless streak, with just one win in his last 38 races. However, all of that changed at the Southern 500 Darlington Raceway.

Johnson ended up winning the race dramatically with a late race caution sending him through after he led 134 laps. “We had been chasing that 200th for a while. That win took us way longer than it should have. But I’d watched a lot of others win in these kinds of moments for the company and I wanted one of those,” said Johnson. Johnson’s career is nothing short of historic and this moment is one of those forever etched in NASCAR history.

In 2020, Johnson announced his retirement from competitive racing and took over Ricard Petty Motorsports and rebranded them to Legacy Motor Club. Now he operates as a part-time driver and owner, in hopes of taking another franchise to the summit of NASCAR.