NASCAR: Possible 8th championship for Jimmie Johnson is uncharted water in auto racing

By Asher Fair | Nov 4, 2017

KANSAS CITY, KS - OCTOBER 22: Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet, stands on the grid prior to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on October 22, 2017 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /

Jimmie Johnson is in contention to win his eighth career NASCAR Cup Series championship this season. But there are far greatest implications than just him winning that title.

With seven career NASCAR Cup Series championships to his name, Jimmie Johnson, 42, is tied for the all-time lead in championships in the sport. So the fact that he is sitting just 3 points below the Championship 4 cut line with just two races to go in this year’s Round of 8 has made many people think: will Johnson actually win his eighth career Cup Series championship this season to break the all-time record?

An eighth career NASCAR Cup Series championship has never been won by any driver in the history of the sport and is thus uncharted water. With seven career championships to his name, all of which have come in the last 11 seasons, Johnson is tied with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the top spot on the all-time Cup Series title list.

But an eighth career Cup Series title for Johnson would not just be uncharted water in the Cup Series. It would be uncharted water in all of auto racing.

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No driver in any of the world’s top three racing series, NASCAR, IndyCar and Formula One, has ever won more than seven championships. In other words, no driver is an 8-time champion, which is what Jimmie Johnson could very well become in two weeks in the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series championship finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

As referenced above, Johnson is tied with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the all-time Cup Series lead with seven championships. All three of those drivers are tied with two other drivers, one in IndyCar and one in Formula One, for the all-time championship lead among the world’s top three racing series. AJ Foyt is a seven-time IndyCar champion, and Michael Schumacher is a seven-time Formula One champion.

But, while there are five seven-time champions, there are no eight-time champions. In a few short weeks, will Jimmie Johnson become the first?

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Jimmie Johnson winning an eighth career NASCAR Cup Series championship would not only be huge for him and for the sport of NASCAR. It would be huge for the world of motorsports, as no driver across the world’s top three racing series, NASCAR, IndyCar and Formula One, has ever won more than seven championships. Could Johnson be the first to lock up title #8?