NASCAR received the biggest blows for its playoff format in 2024. Joey Logano, who was technically eliminated after the Round of 8, won the Cup Series title after qualifying at the expense of Alex Bowman’s disqualification. To add to fans’ frustration, Logano did it after just one regular season race victory in Nashville, while Kyle Larson, who achieved a whopping 6 race wins, saw his hopes fade after Martinsville. However, the playoff format has been around for a decade and has seen legendary drivers struggle through it. Only the best persevere, and one of them was Jimmie Johnson.

After retiring from full-time racing in 2020, the Cup Series veteran resumed a part-time racing schedule this year, albeit with disastrous results. Johnson could not edge past 26th-place while struggling in the Next-Gen car. But don’t let this bleak scenario fool you. Jimmie Johnson once heralded the reputation for upturning any obstacle – although beating NASCAR’s elimination format brought sweat to his brows.

When Jimmie Johnson almost lost his footing

Well, the 7-time Cup Series champion has laid down an unbeatable legacy in NASCAR’s modern era. Ever since Jimmie Johnson paired with crew chief Chad Knaus for the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, a glittering time was afoot. From 2006 to 2010, the team won a record-setting five NASCAR Cup Series titles in a row. With the 2013 championship, Johnson sat just one title short of tying with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. But the 7th and most coveted title proved to be elusive. In 2014, the sport introduced a newly revamped knockout-style postseason format that would eliminate drivers per round and lead to a winner-take-all final race.

This new cutthroat playoff format initially left Jimmie Johnson in a fix. In 2014, an early elimination in the Round of 12 ended his bid. Then a mechanical issue in Dover shattered his 2015 ambition, decorated by 9 wins, in the Round of 16. However, 2016 spelled something different. Johnson relied on clutch victories. A win at Charlotte Motor Speedway locked him into the Round of 8, and then another in Martinsville fixed his Championship 4 berth. Johnson admitted that two racetracks were the reasons for his survival. “If Martinsville and Texas weren’t where they were in the schedules and it was one of my bad tracks, I may not have made the championship round in 2016 for my seventh.”

Indeed, Jimmie Johnson‘s strength on these two tracks is unparalleled. The Hendrick Motorsports driver’s 8 victories on the distinctive 0.526-mile track is something special. In the 2008 Martinsville race, Johnson led more laps than in any other – 339. Then Texas Motor Speedway has witnessed him win 7 times, including three straight from 2014-2015. The California native said Turns 1-2 in Texas’ previous configuration was the most fun he had on an intermediate track. Clearly, these two tracks aided him in his 7th title bid.

Yet Jimmie Johnson’s path to his final title was not yet clear of difficulty.

A jittery final race

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Well, Martinsville and Texas had paved the way for Johnson to the Championship 4 race. But Homestead-Miami Speedway threatened to derail his efforts. Jimmie Johnsons started in the rear due to a post-race penalty and nearly cracked the top 10 by the time the race’s first yellow flag waved. He pitted for four tires and settled into the top five as the run progressed, but he struggled to advance from there. Adjustments did little to help, as the No. 48 team scrambled for options. However, a caution on lap 253 came as a blessing in disguise, as it would flip the script entirely.

Crew chief Chad Knaus recollected the daunting journey Jimmie Johnson faced initially during the race. “We had a post-race grid penalty, so we had to start in the rear of the field, which at that point is just daunting knowing the 22 and 19 (Joey Logano and Carl Edwards) were a little bit faster than we were kind of that whole weekend. We were just a pinch off… But again, we were a long-run team. Jimmie being the champion he is, he hopped in the car and started dead last, and drove straight away up to fifth. He was passing three and four cars a lap, it was awesome.” That last caution kicked off a massive wreck involving Joey Logano, Carl Edwards, and others. Johnson avoided that and was able to get around Kyle Larson for his 7th and final Cup Series championship.

After getting level with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, and etching his name into NASCAR folklore, Johnson reflected on his time at Hendrick Motorsports. “It far exceeded any expectations that I could’ve hoped for. As the organization evolved for over 19 years, I was there and that commitment to winning was consistent and the commitment to family and people you cannot find anywhere else,” Johnson said.

Evidently, the 2016 championship was filled with potholes for Jimmie Johnson. Now the veteran cherishes those memories of hardship and success.