No. 1: Jimmie Johnson ($21.8 million)
Isn’t being the champ great?
Jimmie Johnson won his record-tying seventh NASCAR title in 2016 and he also earned more money in 2016 than any other driver in the series. All in all it was a pretty awesome season for Johnson.
In 2017 Johnson and his fans are looking for even more.
Johnson is automatically a favorite to contend for a championship this season. Should Johnson win back-to-back titles it would be the second time in his career that he has done that and it would be a record-breaking eighth championship for he and Chad Knaus.
If Johnson is going to win a championship this season he will need to avoid the lull that he experienced mid-way through last season. The new format rewards running up front consistently, Johnson will need to do that during the regular season so that he can earn plenty of playoff points come time for the playoffs to begin.
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If Johnson can improve his consistency from 2016, there is little reason not to believe he will be winning another title this season and possibly remaining No. 1 on this list come next season.