Jimmie Johnson

Johnson made the Chase For The Sprint Cup for the eighth straight year in 2011 and began his quest for a sixth straight Sprint Cup championship. He scored his 54th career win in April at Talladega, winning the closest finish in NASCAR history.

Johnson broke into NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series in 2002, joining Hendrick Motorsports after being recommended to team owner Rick Hendrick by four-time champion Jeff Gordon.

With crew chief Chad Knaus, Johnson won three Cup races as a rookie and three more in his second season, when he finished second in points.

In 2004, Johnson won a series-high eight races, including the Coca-Cola 600 and the Southern 500. He made the Chase for the first time and won four Chase races, including three straight, to finish second to Kurt Busch in the final standings. He finished second by eight points in one of the closest championship races in series history.

Johnson won four races in 2005, but slumped to fifth in the final Chase standings.

In 2006, Johnson won his first Sprint Cup championship, winning five races and scoring 13 top-five and 24 top-10 finishes. Johnson also won the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400, NASCAR’s two biggest races, for the first time.

Johnson won his second straight championship in 2007 with the greatest season of his career. He won a series-high 10 races, including four in a row in the Chase to beat teammate Jeff Gordon for the title. His 20 top-five and 24 top-10 finishes both matched his career-high.

In 2008, Johnson tied NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough by winning his third straight Cup championship. His seven victories included his second Brickyard 400 win.

Johnson won his fourth straight Cup championship in 2009, winning seven races, including his third Brickyard 400. He finished the season with 16 top-five and 24 top-10 finishes.

Johnson extended his NASCAR record with his fifth straight championship in 2010, surpassing teammate Jeff Gordon and trailing on Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. He won six races, moving him into 10th on the all-time list with 53. His victory at Dover in the second race of the Chase gave him 19 Chase victories. He also became the first driver to win the Chase after trailing going into the season finale. Johnson was named national driver of the year for the fourth time in five years and the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year.