Getty Jimmie Johnson prepares for a race at Circuit of the Americas.
A seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion is about to add to his legacy. Jimmie Johnson will become a member of a prestigious racing Hall of Fame.
According to a press release, Johnson is a member of the 2024 Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) class. He will be inducted in a ceremony that takes place at the Hall’s home in Daytona Beach in March 2024.
Johnson’s resume is fitting for a Hall of Famer. He spent 19 full-time seasons with Hendrick Motorsports, which he used to win 83 Cup Series races and seven championships. Once he retired after the 2020 season, he moved over to the NTT IndyCar Series and made 29 total starts with a best finish of fifth at Iowa Speedway.
“It’s an incredible honor to be inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America,” Johnson said in a press release. “I’ve been so fortunate throughout my racing career to be honored in many ways, and to be recognized in this capacity is really humbling.
“I took part in the induction ceremonies of Tony Stewart in 2019 and my childhood mentor Ricky Johnson in 2012, so to be added to this elite group of individuals — by the equally impressive voting panel — is really special. I’m so thankful.”
Johnson Will Be Inducted Alongside Some Racing Legends
GettyJimmie Johnson waves to fans at the Daytona 500.
There are several members of the 2024 class from a wide variety of racing disciplines. Johnson is the stock car representative as he brings 83 Cup Series wins and seven championships along for the ride.
The list also includes the all-time winningest NHRA Top Fuel Funny Car crew chief Austin Coil (Drag Racing); six-time IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon (Open Wheel); HANS Device inventors Jim Downing & Dr. Robert Hubbard (Technology); desert racing legend and Hollywood stuntman Bud Ekins (Motorcycles); four-time SCCA national champion and eight-time IndyCar title-winning owner Paul Newman (At Large); and 1966 Can-Am champion and championship-winning constructor John Surtees (Sports Cars).
It’s an incredible honor to be inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America and it’s even more special to be inducted with my former teammate, @scottdixon9. Congratulations to the entire class of 2024.
There will be two other names that join this list of inductees as the ceremony approaches. The MSHFA will also recognize two Historic Category nominees during the summer.
There are currently 288 Heroes of Horsepower in the MSHFA. This includes such names as Fonty Flock (2023), Ray Evernham (2023), Banjo Matthews (2022), Jack Roush (2022), and Janet Guthrie among many, many others. This list will grow to 297 when the two-day ceremony takes place in March 2024.
Johnson Was a First-Ballot Hall of Famer
GettyJimmie Johnson meets with media members at Daytona International Speedway.
How does each inductee secure a spot in the MSHFA? The answer is simple. There are 200 panelists that vote on each eligible class and determine which figures will earn a coveted spot. Roughly 100 voters are MSHFA members while the rest are journalists, historians, and experts.
The first round of voting features a 100-person nomination panel. They select six finalists from each of the nine categories and send them on to the next step in the process. The second step features 200 panelists voting on the six finalists from each category. The top vote-getter from each category becomes the inductee for the year.
Chip Ganassi, a 1989 inductee, was one of the members that voted for Johnson in his first year of eligibility. Ganassi is the IndyCar Series team owner that fielded entries for both Johnson and Dixon as the 2024 inductees raced as teammates.
Other voters include Mario Andretti (MSHFA Class of 1990), Don Garlits (MSHFA Class of 1989), Tom D’Eath (MSHFA Class of 2000), Scott Parker (MSHFA Class of 2009), Richard Petty (MSHFA Class of 1989), Don Prudhomme (MSHFA Class of 1991), and Rusty Wallace (MSHFA Class of 2014).