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NASCAR: A new era is on the horizon for Hendrick Motorsports

By Asher Fair

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - SEPTEMBER 08: William Byron, driver of the #24 Liberty University Chevrolet, Alex Bowman, driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, and Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet, pose for a photo with the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series trophy to start the playoffs following the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on September 08, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - SEPTEMBER 08: William Byron, driver of the #24 Liberty University Chevrolet, Alex Bowman, driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, and Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet, pose for a photo with the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series trophy to start the playoffs following the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on September 08, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images) /
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The impending departure of seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson marks the end of an era for Hendrick Motorsports.

In a video that he posted to his Twitter account on Wednesday, seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson made the announcement that many fans had been speculating was coming for quite some time.

Johnson, who signed a three-year contract extension in June of 2017 to continue driving the #48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports through the 2020 season, announced that the 2020 season would be his 19th and final full season in the Cup Series.

He put it in a positive way, focusing on the fact that he still has one more chance to become the only Cup Series driver to win eight championships, a mark he has been aiming for since winning his record-tying seventh title to close out the 2016 season.

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Hendrick Motorsports haven’t yet named the replacement for Johnson behind the wheel of the #48 Chevrolet for the 2021 season, and justifiably not considering the fact that the 2019 season only just ended.

But given the recent youth movement, suffice it to say that the odds are high that Hendrick Motorsports won’t add a seasoned veteran to replace the seven-time champion.

Aside of Johnson, the team’s current driver lineup consists of Chase Elliott, William Byron and Alex Bowman, the drivers of the #9 Chevrolet, the #24 Chevrolet and the #88 Chevrolet, respectively. They are currently aged 23, 21 and 26, respectively, and when the 2021 season begins in February of 2021, they are slated to be 25, 23 and 27.

Prior to the number changes for Elliott and Byron ahead of the 2018 season, Elliott replaced Jeff Gordon after the 2015 season and Byron replaced Kasey Kahne after the 2017 season. Bowman also joined the team after the 2017 season, replacing Dale Earnhardt Jr.

So Hendrick Motorsports’ lineup will look completely different in 2021 than it did in 2015.

But the differences don’t stop there.

For the first time since the 1993 season when Jeff Gordon, Ricky Rudd and Ken Schrader drove for Rick Hendrick’s team, there is not slated to be a former champion in their lineup.

For the first time since the 1995 season, one season after Gordon and Schrader were joined by Terry Labonte, there is not slated to be a former Hendrick Motorsports champion in their lineup. Labonte, who drove for the team on a full-time basis from 1994 to 2004, was a former champion when he drove for the team, but he won the 1984 title driving for Hagan Racing. He did go on to win the 1996 title driving for Hendrick Motorsports.

Additionally, Johnson and Gordon, the two drivers who have combined to deliver Hendrick Motorsports 11 of their record 12 titles, have not both not driven for the team since the 1991 season, or the 1992 season if you count only full-time seasons, as Gordon made his debut in the 1992 season finale at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Of course, that’s not to say that Elliott, Byron or Bowman can’t change that in 2020. Elliott is four for four in terms of qualifying for the playoffs, and he has advanced to the round of 8 in each of the last three seasons. Byron parlayed his first playoff appearance into a round of 12 berth this year, and Bowman is two for two in terms of advancing to the round of 12.

But as of now, none of them are champions.

Again, Hendrick Motorsports have not confirmed Johnson’s replacement. But as of now, Bowman is set to be the team’s oldest driver at the start of the 2021 season at the age of 27.

Hendrick Motorsports’ oldest full-time driver entering a given season has never been younger than 33 years old, and Hendrick Motorsports have competed in the series on a full-time basis since the 1984 season. That was the case in the 2005 season when 33-year-old Jeff Gordon, 29-year-old Jimmie Johnson, 21-year-old Brian Vickers and 19-year-old Kyle Busch drove for the team.

In total, the average age of the oldest full-time Hendrick Motorsports driver to start a given season from 1984 to 2019 is currently 40.94, the highest it has ever been.

Including next year with a 44-year-old Johnson, that average becomes 41.03. If you add in a 27-year-old Bowman in 2021, it drops to 40.66, the lowest since it was 40.30 roughly a decade ago, factoring in every season from 1984 to 2010.

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Hendrick Motorsports have already lost Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. to retirement in the last few years, and they have already replaced veteran Kasey Kahne, who has also since retired. The impending retirement of Jimmie Johnson, however, truly marks the end of one era and the beginning of another in the history of the most successful team in NASCAR Cup Series history.

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