NASCAR Cup Series: Jimmie Johnson’s 16-year win streak comes to an end
By Asher Fair
The 16-year winning streak of seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson came to an end as a result of his winless 2018 season.
Coming into the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season, Hendrick Motorsports’ Jimmie Johnson had won at least one race in each of his 16 full-time seasons in the sport going all the way back to the 2002 season, his rookie season.
In total, Johnson racked up 83 victories from the 2002 season through the 2017 season, a total that ranks in a sixth place tie on the all-time Cup Series wins list.
The 43-year-old El Cajon, California native’s 16-year winning streak was the longest among active drivers and the third longest in Cup Series history. Richard Petty won at least one race in 18 consecutive seasons from the 1960 season through the 1977 season and the late David Pearson won at least one race in 17 consecutive seasons from the 1964 season through the 1980 season.
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However, the seven-time Cup Series champion’s 16-year winning streak came to an end on Sunday evening following the 2018 season finale, the Ford EcoBoost 400, at Homestead-Miami Speedway. His most recent victory came in the June race at Dover International Speedway in the 2017 season.
The longest active winning streak now belongs to Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch, who had no issue extending what was a 13-year winning streak to enter the 2018 season by winning eight races this season. The 33-year-old Las Vegas, Nevada native has now won at least one race in each of the last 14 seasons going back to the 2005 season.
Over the course of the 2018 season, Johnson racked up two top five finishes and 11 top 10 finishes. He led 40 of the 9,764 laps that he completed and finished in 14th place in the championship standings with an average finish of 16.7. His best finish of the season was his third place finish in the April race at Bristol Motor Speedway. He qualified for the playoffs, but he was eliminated following the round of 16.
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Will Jimmie Johnson bounce back in the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season following his first winless Cup Series season as a full-time driver? How many, if any, races will he win next year? The season is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, February 17, 2019 with the Daytona 500 from Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. This race is set to be broadcast live on FOX, so be sure not to miss it.