There are few NASCAR drivers in history with a resume as impressive as Jimmie Johnson. He’s one of only three drivers in Cup Series history, along with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, to win seven championships.
From 2006 to 2010, Johnson won an unprecedented five consecutive titles. Although he has not yet officially retired, his Cup Series win total of 83 is good for sixth all time. He won the Daytona 500 twice, and the Brickyard 400 four times.
Yet four Hall of Fame voters decided that Johnson’s résumé was not sufficient to qualify him as a first-ballot Hall of Famer. There has never been a unanimous first-ballot selection in NASCAR history, and with Johnson’s snub, it’s unlikely that there ever will be.
Not unanimous. Johnson received 93% of Modern Era ballot votes; Knaus received 81%. Harry Gant finished third, followed by Ricky Rudd and Carl Edwards. Donnie Allison received 53% of the Pioneer ballot votes. Banjo Matthews finished second.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) August 2, 2023
Johnson, his longtime crew chief Chad Knaus, and Donnie Allison are all part of the class of 2024, with trailblazer Janet Guthrie receiving the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.
Jeff Gordon came the closest to becoming a unanimous Hall of Famer in 2019, garnering 96 percent of the vote, and there were calls for change to NASCAR’s voting system after Gordon missed out on the honor.
After Johnson, a seven-time champ, received even fewer votes than Gordon, Denny Hamlin is among the many calling for a complete overhaul and for the votes to be made public.