NASCAR Winner Spotlight: Jimmie Johnson

Jimmie Johnson goes back-to-back after winning the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on Monday afternoon.

Remember when fans feared the seven-time champ may be running out of gas? Jimmie Johnson showed at Texas, one of his best tracks, that wasn’t the case. He followed that performance up at Bristol, one of his not-so-best tracks, with a second consecutive win.

It was a wet weekend in Bristol. Race day had to be pushed to Monday due to rain showers throughout the day on Sunday. Fans were forced to follow along on their NASCAR apps and social media accounts while at work. Or if you’re like me, you executed a dual-screen computer in the office to stream the Food City 500.

Jimmie Johnson fans may have worried less about catching this one. After winning two weeks ago, a second straight win seemed unlikely. After all, Johnson has only won once before in his career at Bristol.

Leave it to the 48 to prove everyone wrong… again. Johnson’s 82nd career win makes him 2017’s second driver to win multiple races. It also moves him into sixth place in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings.

The racing at the front of the pack on Monday was fantastic. Kyle Larson won stage one and Martin Truex Jr. took the second stage. The stage winners were both hit with late pit road penalties and both fought their way back to top 10 finishes. It truly felt like there were about 10 cars that could have taken the checkered flag. In the end, Johnson held off fellow veteran drivers such as Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth and Joey Logano, who finished second through fifth while chasing their first wins of the season.

Jimmie Johnson and the 48 team are back to racing at an extremely high level. Consistency will lead to more race wins. His passion for the sport is still strong. The HMS team around him is one of the best in the business. All of this is a recipe for success, which could result in a record-breaking eighth career series championship.

Next: Could Sprint Racing Work For NASCAR?

Next week, NASCAR heads to Richmond where Jimmie Johnson has three career wins. In his last five starts at Richmond, Johnson has finished 11th or better. Could we see a third consecutive spotlight land on the 48? Monday proved to the NASCAR community that Jimmie Johnson can pretty much do anything, so it wouldn’t be a shock to anyone to see him in victory lane after a third straight win.