Seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson is providing fans with an inside look at his Hall of Fame career. He is set to release a photo book highlighting his life and NASCAR career.
Johnson announced the news on June 14 with a short teaser video on Twitter. He and wife Chandra headed to Soco Gallery in Charlotte, N.C., where they sat down with the famed Ivan Shaw. Johnson did not provide any up-close looks at the photos that will be in the 272-page book, but there were some glimpses of him doing victory burnouts.
According to a press release from Hendrick Motorsports, the photo book will feature a foreword from NBA legend Michael Jordan. The hardcover book features 175 photographs from Johnson’s life. Hendrick Motorsports noted that this includes “behind-the-scenes moments at the track, racing snapshots, photographs taken by the 83-time Cup Series winner himself, and photos of his days as a youth pulled from family albums.”
The hardcover book, which will become available on September 27, 2022, will retail at $48. Preorders are currently available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, BAM, and Bookshop.org.
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Johnson Accomplished an Astounding Amount in NASCAR
There will be no shortage of big moments available for Johnson to highlight in this retrospective. Which will he choose? Will there be images from every Cup Series win, as well as all of his championships and exhibition wins?
Johnson accomplished an astounding amount during his time in NASCAR. He made 686 total starts in the series — 22nd on the all-time starts list. He also won 83 Cup Series races, which put him in a tie for sixth all-time with Cale Yarborough. This mark will likely stand for several years considering that Kyle Busch is the closest driver at 60 career wins.
One very important moment that could potentially be in the photo book took place during the 2002 season. Johnson won his first career race at what is now Auto Club Speedway. He led 62 of the 250 laps, and he held off Kurt Busch to reach Victory Lane for the first time. This win kickstarted a long run of success, and it served as the first of six total wins at Auto Club Speedway.
Some Unique Schemes Should Turn Heads
As someone that reached Victory Lane 83 times in the Cup Series, Johnson put numerous schemes on display. This includes some standard looks, such as the blue and white Lowe’s scheme. There are also some other unique looks, including a car that highlighted “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted.”
One example is the Lowe’s Red Vest car that Johnson took to Victory Lane at Texas Motor Speedway in 2014. This scheme featured a bright, red base with white numbers and text on the sides. There were also white racing stripes going up the center of the stock car.
One of the most interesting schemes featured both Lowe’s and Superman logos. This scheme, which Johnson took to Victory Lane at Auto Club Speedway, celebrated the release of “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” Teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. drove the Nationwide/Batman Chevrolet during the same race as part of the unique promotion.
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Jimmie Johnson Announces Book Highlighting NASCAR Career