About two weeks after Busch won his second NASCAR Cup Series championship, he and former driver Michael Waltrip attended WWE’s Monday Night Raw show in Nashville, and Busch ended up with his own title belt for a brief moment.
After reigning 24/7 champion R-Truth brought Busch and Waltrip out onto the floor, Waltrip slowly unzipped his jacket and was wearing a referee shirt on underneath. Within seconds of Waltrip revealing his outfit to R-Truth, Busch grabbed the professional wrestler, threw him to the ground and pinned him.
WWE’s 24/7 title can be defended at any time, and anyone can be crowned the champion. So at one point Monday, Busch was WWE’s reigning 24/7 champ.
She shared the sweetest of birthday messages for Rodgers on Monday, with this snap of the two of them smiling on a beach at sunset.
“Happy birthday to my best friend and favorite person in the world!!!!!” she wrote. “You are the one I want to tell my best and worst days to first. I am so grateful the universe made you!!! The star dust started it all, but you have done nothing but make it better every year of your life. Thank you for being the loving, generous, thoughtful, patient, fun, funny, spontaneous, talented, smart, and uber attractive man, that I get to walk through life with. This journey we are on…. it’s a really really good one. I love you. Happiest of birthdays yet!!!!!!”
The seven-time champion announced his plans for the future on social media Wednesday, effectively commencing a retirement tour as he competes in a 36-race schedule (plus two exhibition events) one last time.
Entering his 19th full-time season, Johnson has 83 career wins in a tie for No. 6 on the all-time list. He’s spent his entire Cup career in the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, and, despite a recent slump in his performance, will have one more opportunity to earn a record-breaking eighth series championship, which would separate him from Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr.
Following Johnson’s announcement, he and team owner Rick Hendrick had a joint press conference Thursday to discuss the decision, the 44-year-old driver’s legacy and his future, along with that of the No. 48 team.
Here are eight things we learned from that press conference.
(It actually starts around the 1:04:00 mark.)
1. Jimmie Johnson realized he wanted to retire in October
Johnson signed a three-year contact extension with Hendrick Motorsports in 2017, so as the second year of that extension began winding down, the speculation about his future grew. In September, Johnson told For The Win: “So I could see another year or two potentially, but it wouldn’t go much further than that.”
But something changed for him not long after, and he compared the realization of wanting to retire, and being certain about it, to proposing to his wife, Chandra.
“Many of you that know me, I like to have a plan, and I like to think things through. I did plenty of that through the spring and summer, just knowing that I’d have to make a decision. In my mind, I felt like I needed to make a decision by the end of the year. And nothing really hit me in the gut with the feeling that I wanted to stay or stop at the end of 2020.
“And then as the year went on, and we roll into October, the feeling just became real. It really did, and it felt good to think about it. It was such a profound moment that I really take it back to the moment in time where I knew I wanted to buy a ring for her [gestures toward Chandra]. It was just that strong in my stomach. I was like, ‘Wow, this is what I want to do.'”
“I feel very, very good about my decision, and it’s time,” he added. “I feel so fortunate that it showed up to me in that way.”
2. Mr. Hendrick didn’t believe Johnson at first
Johnson said he told the team owner of his decision about three weeks ago at Hendrick’s house. Describing their conversation, Johnson said:
“On a funny note, I did mention to him I think twice, maybe three times, that 2020 was going to be my last year, and he never reacted. And then the fourth time he said, ‘I guess you’re serious about this, aren’t you?’”
Hendrick said he was “shocked” when Johnson told him he’s going to retire.
“Every time one of these drivers call me and come to my house, I know that’s not a good situation,” Hendrick joked, after recently losing drivers like Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. to retirement.
Jimmie Johnson and Rick Hendrick (AP Photo/Bob Leverone)
3. Johnson said his team’s recent slump didn’t have a huge impact on his decision
For a driver with an incredibly impressive resume, Johnson and the No. 48 team aren’t competing the way they’d like. Johnson’s last win was in June of 2017, and for the first time in his career, he missed the playoffs in 2019.
When asked about his struggles recently playing a role in his decision to retire, Johnson said:
“Truthfully, it had very little implication on me making the decision. … In my heart of hearts, it was not because of the struggles of the last couple of years. Life’s a journey, as we all know. Motor sports is a ruthless sport, and it doesn’t matter who you are. It can eat you up and spit you out the other side. I feel so fortunate that I had just this magical moment for so many years, and five in a row and the seven championships that we had.
“When timing was right and my opportunity was right, I took the most of that opportunity and made stuff happen. And I feel like that’s coming. I feel like 2020 can be that moment for me. And these last two years are just part of that in building up for what could be a really special year.”
4. He consulted several former drivers about deciding to retire
It’s hardly surprising that Johnson spoke to big-name drivers who have already retired to get their thoughts on the subject. After all that, and speaking with his wife, he said, “It just feels right.”
“I’ve talked to greats like Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin, Jeff [Gordon], Dale [Earnhardt] Jr.,” Johnson explained. “And everyone has had their own journey. Some of those guys maybe set a date and left before their heart really wanted to leave, or a lot of other athletes, their time is called and they don’t have that opportunity to pick their moment. And I feel very blessed and fortunate to have this opportunity.”
5. Johnson won’t be a full-time driver, but he’s not done racing
Johnson made it very clear multiple times that he’s not finished racing, but he’s looking for “a better balance in life.” So he’s just stepping away from NASCAR’s brutal nine-month schedule after the 2020 season ends.
“This is not a retirement from driving race cars,” Johnson said. “This is just slowing down from 38 weekends a year, and you certainly know the stress, pressure and grind that it takes.”
Yesterday was a big moment for our family. I am looking forward to many more with these girls! pic.twitter.com/87TMB1SaRt
Johnson said he’s “wide open” at this point and interested in exploring all possibilities, including returning to the Cup Series, just not full time.
“I would come back and drive Cup cars for Rick, without a doubt. All options are open, honestly — except IndyCar and fast ovals. I really look forward to what might develop in 12 months from now and see what opportunities might be out there.
“So I wouldn’t mind going and getting dirty again. I know we have a history with off-road racing in the dirt, and I’ll just kind of wait and see. And most importantly, I feel like I need to take a deep breath and just see what comes from there. Put my family first instead of racing first for once, and take it from there.”
6. Other racing series have already reached out to Johnson on social media
But as far as actually making concrete plans goes, he said he hasn’t talked to anyone yet.
“I saw them all pinging me on social media, like, ‘Hey, dibs! Come race here,'” Johnson said. “Even the World of Outlaws sent me a tweet.”
Johnson’s first career win came in his 13th overall start and the 10th race of his first full-time season in 2002. He won the NAPA Auto Parts 500 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. When asked about his most significant win, he said:
“I go to the first. My dream was to be a Cup driver and to win a race. That was the top for me. So to be able to do that in my 13th start at my home track, that was a very, very special moment.”
8. Why Mr. Hendrick thinks Jimmie Johnson is the “perfect” athlete
(Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports)
Hendrick explained the many ways in which Johnson has elevated the team as a whole and how it operates. He said:
“If you just said, ‘I’m going to make a list of what the perfect driver would be, from the talent to the ability to work with sponsors, the athlete,’ — he’s just raising the bar for our company. From fitness to charity, it’s unbelievable how perfect he is. So whatever he wanted, I wanted for him. I told him that this year; I said we’re not on a clock, you tell me what you want to do and we’ll make it work. …
“He’s going to be a buddy, a friend, and we’re gonna do things together, and we’ve been partners in business. So this chapter’s going on but he’s just an unbelievable person and an unbelievable friend. So, he’s not just a driver to me; he’s family.”
Gordon thinks the seven-time champ could actually be a little “dangerous” in his last NASCAR season.
When his 19th full-time NASCAR Cup Series season ends in 2020, Jimmie Johnson will call it a career — one that includes a record-tying seven championships and 83 wins, putting him in a tie for No. 6 on the all-time wins list.
Throughout nearly two decades, fellow NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon has been there with Johnson. Gordon encouraged Rick Hendrick to sign Johnson in 2001 and build a team around him. The two were then teammates until 2015, when Gordon stepped away from full-time racing, and Gordon also has an ownership stake with Hendrick Motorsports, which includes the No. 48 Chevrolet team.
Following Johnson’s retirement announcement on social media Wednesday, Gordon spoke with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and shared his thoughts on the seven-time champ’s news and what advice he offered ahead of the 44-year-old driver’s final season.
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) November 20, 2019
Gordon said:
“I just told him, ‘Get ready because it’s going to be an emotional roller coaster, and enjoy the ride.’ If I know Jimmie, it was a tough decision. It probably was weighing on him of when the right time to make the decision was. But now that he’s made it, I think this huge weight has been lifted off, and you’re going to see a guy enjoying life, enjoying every moment, enjoying the fans and out there possibly racing with a freedom that he hasn’t in a long time. And that could be dangerous for the competitors out there.”
Despite being the winningest driver of his generation and unquestionably in the NASCAR GOAT debate, Johnson and co. are in a bit of a slump.
His last win was in June of 2017, and he didn’t make the playoffs this year — a first in his 18 full-time seasons. As Johnson said in his video announcement, he’s chasing that record-breaking eighth championship one last time, but at this point, he’d probably also be happy winning a race in his final season.
A class act & true champion on & off the track. It's been a pleasure to compete with you over the years and call you a friend throughout it all. Congrats on a phenomenal career. Best of luck #Chasing8 one last time! https://t.co/jj6Co0Sku5
While his winless streak didn’t extend across multiple seasons, Gordon went through most of his retirement tour in 2015 without a trip to Victory Lane. It wasn’t until Martinsville Speedway in early November that Gordon won the final checkered flag of his Cup career, and he’d love to see Johnson go out on a similar high note.
Gordon continued on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio:
“I believe that [Johnson] still has every bit of ability to do that. I think that the 48 team does as well. Ally’s been a great partner to step up and support that effort, and Hendrick Motorsports and everybody — I think they have what it takes, but we’ve just got to get everything aligned for him. And I know he’s going to be working really hard to make sure that everything is set, and so is Rick Hendrick.
“I know he’s highly motivated. He’s been wanting to get Jimmie that eighth championship for a long time, and I just can’t imagine more effort being put in to making it a successful year for them, whether it’s winning a race or multiple races or a championship or make the final four. But certainly, if you look at who’s deserving to accomplish those things and go out that way, no doubt about it, Jimmie would rise to the top of the list.”
The seven-time NASCAR champion will retire from full-time racing at the end of the 2020 season.
Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson will retire from full-time racing at the end of the 2020 season.
In a video posted to social media Wednesday, the No. 48 Chevrolet driver said he’s “so thankful for 18 incredible years” at NASCAR’s highest level, and he’s ready for one more, hoping to compete for what would be a record-breaking eighth Cup Series championship.
“I know what this team is capable of, and I hope 2020 is one of the best yet,” Johnson said in the video.
At 44 years old, Johnson’s final Cup Series season will be his 19th with a motto of “#Chasing8 one final time”. He won five consecutive championships between 2006 and 2010 — which we argued gives him the edge in the NASCAR GOAT debate — and two more in 2013 and 2016, tying the mark set by Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. In addition to his seven titles, Johnson has 83 career wins, putting him in a tie at No. 6 all time with Cale Yarborough.
However, he’s been in a bit of a slump the last couple seasons. His last win was in June of 2017, and this season, he didn’t make the playoffs for the first time in his career.
Johnson is the latest star driver to leave the sport — although, he’s the most accomplished by far. In recent years, NASCAR has lost big names, like Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Danica Patrick and Carl Edwards, and has struggled to fill the growing void with someone who can transcend the sport.
This man did it right from start to finish. Won everything and never changed who he was. I can’t wait to spend next year observing the weekly celebrations of one of the greatest to ever do it. https://t.co/ENMbctDABt
A class act & true champion on & off the track. It's been a pleasure to compete with you over the years and call you a friend throughout it all. Congrats on a phenomenal career. Best of luck #Chasing8 one last time! https://t.co/jj6Co0Sku5
Pretty rad I’ve been able to call @jimmiejohnson a teammate. I can’t thank him enough for everything he’s taught me. Let’s go get it in 2020 pic.twitter.com/ckGYyjLJ7V
I said it in 2016 at the banquet and it’s worth repeating…I wasn’t able to race against Richard Petty or Dale Earnhardt, but I got to race against @JimmieJohnson. You’ve won more championships then most win races and been a role model for us drivers along the way. pic.twitter.com/daxBG91Q4x
7x Champions are the Elite. Best of the best. Without doubt, Jimmie Johnson conquered everything in NASCAR, just as Petty and Earnhardt did. https://t.co/aHlPpsqmJ6
Nobody I enjoy battling with more on the race track than 7 time. The greatest driver of my generation. Look forward to 38 more races with you! https://t.co/SmpAQz26Cz
There is no one tougher than @JimmieJohnson on the track and no one more humble and sincere off the track. JJ is one of a kind. Proud to be friends over the years and can’t wait to see what the future has in store for him. https://t.co/OiEUKKnLfQ
Probably the guy I respect the most in the garage area. Not only the 🐐, but also one of the most down to earth guys in all of Nascar. Congrats @JimmieJohnson on an incredible career and one more fun year👍🏻 https://t.co/sINZ4bmGSC
Jimmie Johnson will retire as a full-time driver after the 2020 NASCAR season.
NASCAR icon Jimmie Johnson, who has won the sport’s premier championship seven times over the course of his career, is coming back for one more season.
Fans and analysts have been speculating over Johnson’s long-term future in NASCAR for years, and Johnson is about to enter the final year of his contract with Hendrick Motorsports, which runs through the 2020 season. In a video posted on social media, Johnson revealed that the 2020 season will be his last as a full-time driver, as he attempts to win a record eighth NASCAR title to surpass Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty.
“I’m so thankful for 18 incredible years of racing in NASCAR. The sport has been good to me, and has allowed me to do something I truly love. I showed up chasing a dream, and achieved more than I ever thought possible. I’m looking forward to next season, and celebrating what will be my last year as a full-time NASCAR cup driver.
I know what this team is capable of, and I hope 2020 is one of the best yet.”
Johnson arrived in what was then called the Winston Cup Series in 2001, and quickly won his first race in what was just his 13th career start the following season. Johnson opened his 2006 season by winning his first Daytona 500, and would go on to capture five consecutive series titles. He added another in 2013, and matched the all-time record held by Petty and Earnhardt in 2016 with his seventh title. Johnson is a two-time Daytona 500 champion, a four-time Brickyard 400 champion, and his 83 career wins rank sixth all-time. Johnson has not won a race since 2017, but a win in his final year would place him in a tie with Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip on the all-time wins list.
Congrats man!
It’ll be fun to be a part of your last season. Wishing you and the family a bright future together. 😊👍🏻 https://t.co/kVKdzbuLR3
Nobody I enjoy battling with more on the race track than 7 time. The greatest driver of my generation. Look forward to 38 more races with you! https://t.co/SmpAQz26Cz
“His ability to link cuss words together is phenomenal,” Jimmie Johnson said about one driver.
There is only so much NASCAR fans can learn about drivers through social media and brief interviews at the race tracks.
Posting more than race or sponsorship information or making a sly on-camera joke helps. But it’s still challenging to get a sense of what they’re really like, unless you’re at the track regularly.
But many of the drivers know each other fairly well, and some are actually pretty good friends and hang out beyond NASCAR race weekends. So For The Win conducted its annual NASCAR Superlativesinvestigation to see what some of these drivers really think of each other.
“So Clint Bowyer wins goofball, again and again and again and again?” Brad Keselowski joked.
Answering these questions, 11 drivers shared some funny and quirky details about their peers and their personalities.
Answers have been lightly condensed and edited for clarity.
1. If you’re having a party, who’s the first driver you invite?
Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. and Ryan Blaney (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Clint Bowyer: None. Wouldn’t be a very a good party if you invited my peers to it. That’s rude. None of ‘em know how to party! Most of them aren’t old enough to drink anymore, so it’s out of control.
Jimmie Johnson: Probably Clint, and then my teammates. [Alex Bowman] had a hell of a party after his first win.
Brad Keselowski: Ryan Blaney, he’s a good party dude. He brings in a good crowd.
Kyle Larson: Ricky Stenhouse. He’s one of my best friends, and he’s really wild right now.
Joey Logano: Typically — not that we’re partiers in any way — I’d invite Brad because our families are all friends, and [Corey] LaJoie because we grew up together, and we’re all friends.
Denny Hamlin: Kyle Larson.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: Larson, just because we’re great friends and have a lot of fun together.
Ryan Blaney: My buddies, Bubba [Wallace] and Chase [Elliott].
Landon Cassill: Corey LaJoie, we have fun.
Alex Bowman: I don’t have any friends. It’d be Clint Bowyer, but he probably wouldn’t come to my party. [Yells to Bowyer across the room.] We’re trying to decide if you would come to my party or not!
Bowyer: Hell yeah!
Bowman: Well, Clint’s coming to the party then.
Bowyer: Are you old enough to drink?
Bowman: Last week, I turned 21, so we’re good.
Bowyer: Oh my god. Are you really serious? Did you really just turn 21?
Bowman: No, I’m 26. Come on now.
2. Which driver is most likely to be cause “The Big One” at Daytona or Talladega?
Cars wreck during “The Big One” at the 2019 Daytona 500. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
Johnson: I think we’re all capable of it. I’ve caused plenty.
Bowyer: History would show, in recent years, it would be Ricky Stenhouse.
Larson: Ricky. Whatever, we’ll still party after.
Hamlin: I love him, but I’ve gotta say Ricky.
Stenhouse: We’ve all done it. I would always say Jamie McMurray back in the day.
Erik Jones: I’ve caused The Big One. We all have at some point.
Keselowski: That’s pretty easy for me, William Byron.
Bowman: Keselowski.
3. Which driver is most likely to apologize for wrecking you?
Hamlin: Probably Brad Keselowski.
Keselowski: Probably Clint Bowyer.
Bowyer: None of them. It’s not worth the breath. It’s something you just do because it’s the right thing to do. It means nothing. They’re still going to want you to have a bad day.
Larson: Ricky, just because we’re friends.
Jones: No one, to be honest.
Logano: Only saying this because it’s the freshest, but [Daniel] Suárez just did. He apologized pretty quickly, which, I knew it wasn’t on purpose. He’s was mature enough to admit fault.
Bowman: Byron.
Stenhouse: Blaney always apologizes. I’ll apologize if I’m in the wrong.
Cassill: None of them.
Johnson: Teammates obviously because of the relationship and dialogue. Over the years, I would say [Matt] Kenseth and I had a really good dialogue to work through issues. I had a dust-up with Blaney earlier this year, and it took a long time before we finally sat down and talked. And I just think the longer the relationship, the longer drivers have been around, the sooner that stuff happens.
4. Who’s definitely not going to apologize for wrecking you?
Kyle Busch (Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports)
Keselowski: Oh, Kyle Busch for sure.
Larson: Probably Joey Logano or Kyle Busch.
Logano: Kyle Busch.
Johnson: [Kevin] Harvick.
Bowman: Newman, I don’t think he really cares.
Stenhouse: Kurt Busch.
Cassill: All of them.
5. Which driver do you think is the worst driver on the street in a regular car?
Keselowski: Only because I’ve heard an account, Denny Hamlin. He admittedly texts and drives a lot. It’s not a talent thing; it’s a focus thing.
Hamlin: Maybe me.
Johnson: The one I’ve experienced is Brian Vickers. We were teammates for a long time, and I literally thought I was going to die riding shotgun with him.
Stenhouse: Clint because I’m going to guess he doesn’t pay a lot of attention.
Larson: Probably Ryan Newman, but I’m not really sure how much time he spends on the road because I think he’s just on his farm. But when I have been on the road with him, he’s pretty crazy.
Jones: I don’t know. I’ve never gotten a ticket in my life.
Bowman: Definitely William Byron because he can’t see over the dash.
6. Which driver has the biggest personality difference between on and off the track?
Joey Logano (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Larson: Joey Logano, for sure. In the car, he’s extremely intense. Outside of the car, he’s extremely dorky.
Keselowski: Probably Joey.
Logano: Frickin’ me, that’s for sure. I am definitely that guy. … Brad said me? Hahaha.
Johnson: [Matt] DiBenedetto. He seems so calm, but I’ve heard some radio stuff where he just loses it and gets so emotional and melts down. His ability to link cuss words together is phenomenal. And then outside of the car, he’s so chill.
Bowman: Probably Byron, he’s pretty quiet and then pretty aggressive on the race track.
Blaney: Kyle Busch gets misconstrued a lot. Very fiery personality at the race track. But when he’s away from the race track, I don’t want to say he calms down, but he’s a different person. It’s hard to see personalities at the race track because people are passionate about what they do. It’s a whole different vibe when you’re away from the race track.
Cassill: Kurt Busch is a pretty nice guy off the track. Pretty aggressive on track.
7. Which driver is having the largest impact on the sport this season?
Jimmie Johnson and Chase Elliott (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Hamlin: Kyle Busch. He’s the guy that gets the most headlines. A lot of it is because of what he says, and he’s exciting on the race track. He’s our impact player right now.
Larson: Kyle Busch.
Jones: Chase Elliott, he’s the fan favorite right? Lot of fans of his dad and a lot of fans of his now that still come to the track to see him race.
Keselowski: Chase Elliott. Fans really like his last name because it brings back good memories of the past. [When asked if he thinks that draws fans in, he said, “Yes.”]
Logano: Maybe Denny. He’s pretty in-tune with what’s going on, and he’s pretty vocal and getting everyone’s opinions and communicating that [to NASCAR]. I would honestly say me, but Denny too.
Bowman: Jimmie Johnson, seven-time champion has a huge impact on the sport all the time. But at the same time, I feel like Chase Elliott’s the most popular guy right now, so there are a lot of eyes on him.
Blaney: There’s a lot of great personalities — Chase, Bubba, Kyle Busch is really good for the sport. Jimmie still being here is a really big personality for the sport. Those four guys are all really different, but they all impact it in different ways.
Stenhouse: I think Blaney does pretty good all around with fans, with kids, with the podcast he does.
Cassill: Dale Jr. or Kyle Busch.
Johnson: I just feel like Chase. When he’s running well and his victories, I feel like that moves the needle more than anyone with the fans.
Bowyer: It’s Chase Elliott, without a doubt. It beats the hell out of me. Damnedest thing I’ve ever seen.
Busch earned his first title in 2015, but his biggest critics in NASCAR’s fan base said he was not worthy of winning and still question the legitimacy of it because he missed the first 11 races of that Cup season after breaking his right leg and fracturing his left foot in a wreck during the closing laps of the season-opening second-tier XFINITY Series race at Daytona International Speedway.
He didn’t compete in nearly a third of the 2015 season, but NASCAR granted him a waiver allowing him to still be championship eligible. And then he won it all.
“This is great because that always did bother Kyle a little bit,” Samantha Busch, Kyle’s wife, told For The Win and two other media outlets Sunday as the family celebrated his second title. “People were like, ‘That wasn’t real. You didn’t run all the races. It doesn’t count.’ So, now what? He ran all the races this year. He was the regular season’s points champion. …
“It always had a little star by it, I think, for him, so I think this one’s going to take time to set in, and he’s gonna know he did it.”
Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Busch and the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota team not only won the 2019 title, but they also won the Ford EcoBoost 400 when they only had to finish higher than the other championship hopefuls. Martin Truex Jr. finished second, while Kevin Harvick was fourth and Denny Hamlin 10th.
This season, Busch competed in all 36 races and won five. But there are still some peculiar similarities to his 2015 championship run, specifically his winless streaks leading up to victories at Homestead. It all feels “awfully familiar,” he said.
Five years ago after Busch returned from his injuries, he won four-of-five races between June and July, and then he went on a 15-race winless streak until he took the checkered flag in the championship race. Getting off to a comparably hot start, though healthy, he won three-of-five early on — including his 200th win across NASCAR’s three national series — a fourth in June and then rode a 21-race winless streak into Homestead.
“It felt a lot like 2015 to me, aside from the broken leg, obviously,” crew chief Adam Stevens said.
“[We] had a couple races get away from us,” he said, comparing the two championship seasons. “But it wasn’t because we weren’t fast. It wasn’t because we weren’t prepared. They just didn’t go our way.”
Despite being one of the most talented drivers on the track, the winless streak led to Busch being perceived as the underdog against Truex, Hamlin and Harvick, who all won at least one playoff race.
In another similarity to 2015, Samantha said people overlooked her husband in both championship seasons, first because he missed so many races and then because he went more than five months without a trip to Victory Lane.
“You know Kyle likes to prove people wrong,” she said. “I think he took that, internalized it [and] used it to fuel him instead of bring him back.”
A second career championship elevates Busch’s resume to another elite level. He joins seven-time champ Jimmie Johnson as the only active driver with more than one title. He now has 56 career wins, moving him into ninth on the all-time wins list.
This season and its championship finish “certainly reminded” Busch of his 2015 run, he said with a chuckle. Only this time, no one can question it.
“This one feels like the first,” he said. “But getting into next year being two-time is going to be cool. I’m certainly looking forward to that.”
He beat out runner-up and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr., while the other two title contenders, Kevin Harvick, who finished fourth, and Denny Hamlin, also a JGR driver, in 10th place. It was Busch’s fifth checkered flag of the season, and he snapped a 21-race streak without a win.
The No. 18 Toyota driver did a burnout on the 1.5-mile track before celebrating with his family, wife Samantha and 4-year-old son, Brexton. And then he took Brexton for a ride.
Samantha seemed to initially object, saying, “No, no,” as Kyle confirmed with NASCAR officials that he would, in fact, be allowed to do this. There’s not a second seat in these cars, so, of course, Busch went particularly slow as they drove around the Homestead track.
Harvick and his 7-year-old son Keelan have also been known to celebrate together with a quick ride. But this is a great way for Busch to celebrate a championship and make it extra special for Brexton.
“That was really awesome,” Busch said in his post-race press conference.
“Brexton actually came to me — I don’t know if he got the idea from somebody else or if he just remembered it from Keelan doing it with Kevin — and said, ‘Dad, can I go for a ride with you?’ And I was like, ‘Oh, hell, I’m good with it!’
“So we asked the NASCAR guys, and they radioed up to the tower, and we got approval to be able to do that. So that was really, really special for me and Brexton to be able to take in that moment and go for a ride around the track.”
Extended coverage of the @NASCAR championship post-race show continues on NBCSN!
Denny Hamlin’s confidence is at an all-time high ahead of NASCAR’s championship race.
HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Denny Hamlin’s confidence is peaking.
One strong performance in the 36th and final race of the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season stands between him and his first career championship after 14 years at the sport’s highest level. He won his sixth race of the year six days ago at ISM Raceway near Phoenix to secure his place among the final Championship 4 contenders.
Ahead of Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Hamlin is excited but not nervous. He’s relaxed and actually feels like he already won.
“We won Homestead last week,” Hamlin said Thursday. “That was our win-or-go-home race. We performed at an incredibly high level. We have now a free weekend to go out there and have fun and keep doing what we’ve been doing. We’ll have a chance by the end of the night because we have all year long as long as we do the same thing.”
Hamlin is joined in the final four by two Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr., and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick. He doesn’t have win the race to claim the championship; he just has to finish higher than the other three —although the last five champions have also taken the checkered flag.
Hamlin after winning at Phoenix on Sunday to guarantee his spot in the title race. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Hamlin almost didn’t make it
With 19 top-5 finishes so far, Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota has been consistently strong all season. He opened the year with his second Daytona 500 win and took checkered flags at Pocono Raceway, Bristol Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway’s playoff race in October.
But until Sunday, he and his team were on the brink of elimination. He had a poor finish at Texas Motor Speedway two weeks ago and entered the Phoenix race one spot below the four-driver cutoff line. And then he dominated, leading 143 of 312 laps on his way to the win.
“I’ve been eliminated from the playoffs many, many ways,” said Hamlin, who is tied for 22nd on the all-time wins list with 37 and the most successful driver without a title.
“The craziest [expletive] has happened to me to keep me from winning championships. Texas was on me. I was going to hate that I was going to be responsible for ending our chance at a championship.”
Hoping third time’s a charm
This is Hamlin’s third real shot at winning it all. He was the runner-up in 2010 to Jimmie Johnson after the title slipped away in the final two races. He said he wasn’t having any fun by the end of that season.
Then in 2014, he finished third in the standings, behind champion Harvick and Ryan Newman, when his car wasn’t running well. Hamlin said he was just happy to be in contention.
Hamlin at Homestead in 2014. (Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports)
But this year is different in so many ways. He said he’s not angry or stressed like in past playoff or championship-contending years. Everything feels “nicer and friendlier,” and he’s “not as agitated” this time around.
He said his confidence has never been higher — “not even in 2010 when we were really fast every week.”
Bouncing back from a career-low
Hamlin’s six checkered flags this season follow a winless 2018 — a first for him as a full-time Cup driver. He still made the playoffs but finished 11th in the standings.
“If you go through a whole year like he did last year and not win a race, the rumors start,” team owner Joe Gibbs said Friday. “‘Is this guy over the hill?’ I think Denny was fighting through that, saying that’s not the case. …
“I think that we all know that people mature and grow up. Different things happen in their life, and so I think Denny is — I think he’s in a part in his life where he says, ‘I get a second chance really in a lot of ways,’ and he’s making the most of it.”
Hamlin in the garage at Homestead. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
This year, Hamlin, who turns 39 Monday, is also paired with a new crew chief, Chris Gabehart, after three seasons with Mike Wheeler, and Gibbs said he noticed the positive effect Gabehart has had on the their driver.
Gabehart, 38, “brings out the best” in him, whether he’s a calming voice of reason or pumping him up moments before a green flag flies, Hamlin said.
Even Busch detects the chemistry between Hamlin and Gabehart, who was once a mechanical engineer for Kyle Busch Motorsports.
“Something’s a little bit different with Denny,” Busch said Thursday. “[Gabehart has] done a really, really good job of whether you want to say flipping Denny into the right frame of mind or whatever. But he’s just been a really good leader, and Denny’s been a good listener.”
Hamlin vs. the NASCAR champions
Under NASCAR’s current playoff format, this is Hamlin’s second appearance in the Championship 4 after 2014. But that’s nothing compared with Harvick, Busch and Truex, who are also all past champs.
Hamlin, Harvick, Truex and Busch at media day Thursday. (Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
Harvick won his title in 2014 and has made it to the final four in five of the last six years. Same goes for Busch, the 2015 champ, but his five appearances have been consecutive since his title season. And Truex made it in four of the last five years, winning it all in 2017.
But Hamlin knows how to win at Homestead. In 14 starts, he has two wins — the other three have one each — and was the last driver finish first without winning it all (2013). He’s also earned four top-5 finishes and nine top 10s.
He’ll start on the pole Sunday, followed by Harvick, Truex, Busch and the rest of the 40-car field.
“I’m excited because I know I’ve got the opportunity, a really, really good, legit opportunity to go out there and get it done,” Hamlin said. “I’m just going to do the same things, prepare the same way that I have all year. I know that will give me a chance.
“At some point in the race, I’m going to have an opportunity to take control and win the race. As long as I continue to do that, I’ll live with the result, win or lose.”
