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NASCAR: Hendrick Motorsports Season Recap

By Cole Mentzel

May 21, 2016; Concord, NC, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson (48) and driver Chase Elliott (24) race down the front stretch during the Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
May 21, 2016; Concord, NC, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson (48) and driver Chase Elliott (24) race down the front stretch during the Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 4, 2016; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson (48) during qualifying for the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 4, 2016; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson (48) during qualifying for the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

The No. 48 Team

Driver: Jimmie Johnson

Crew chief: Chad Knaus

2016 stats:

  • Wins: 5
  • Top-5’s: 11
  • Top-10’s: 16
  • Laps Led: 737
  • Average Finish: 14.0
  • Poles: 1

The season started off fast for Jimmie Johnson. He earned wins at Atlanta and Fontana and locked up his spot in the Chase early. Along the way, he recorded top-5’s at Las Vegas, Texas and Richmond.

Then starting in mid-April, things got tough for Johnson and the No. 48 team. From Bristol to Richmond (the rest of the regular season), the year was a struggle. Throughout those 19 weeks, Johnson finished in the top-10 just five times and had eight finishes below 20th. He led only 95 laps and did not look like a championship contender heading into the Chase.

But things changed rather quickly. Johnson recorded three finishes of 12th or better in the Round of 16 and led 118 laps and 90 laps at Chicagoland and Dover respectively. While Johnson had three big penalties, there were signs of life coming from him and his team.

Then he got the break that he needed in the opening race of the Round of 12. Johnson led 155 laps at Charlotte and beat Matt Kenseth on a late restart to end a 24 race winless streak–the longest of his career. The win automatically sent him to the Round of 8 for the first time since the new Chase format was adopted.

Johnson did the same thing in the next round and won the opening race as he led 92 laps at Martinsville and won his ninth race at the track. That opened the door for a historic seventh championship, and suddenly, the No. 48 team looked like one of the best in NASCAR again.

But as things were about to get underway at Homestead, Johnson found out he would be facing an uphill battle. Despite qualifying 14th, he would be starting from the rear due to unapproved body modifications.

However, that didn’t hold Johnson back as he had already raced into the top-5 by about Lap 50. The rest of the afternoon and evening was just average for the No. 48 though. He hung around the low teens and really didn’t have much for the rest of field.

Then, late in the race, he made his move and got all the way up to 6th before a caution came out, resulting in a restart with 10 laps to go. The door was instantly opened for a seventh championship when Carl Edwards–who appeared to have the best car–went down to block Joey Logano and ended up wrecking.

The race eventually went to overtime and Johnson won the restart against Kyle Larson, who had dominated the day. The result was Johnson’s 80th win and seventh championship after a truly incredible finish to the race.

At one point in the season, Johnson was at a low point and didn’t look capable of competing for the title, but he won three big races in the Chase and ended up joining Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt in the seven championship club.

In one of Johnson’s worst seasons statistically, he came out on top and proved yet again why he’s one of the greatest drivers NASCAR has ever seen.

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