Jimmie Johnson
LIFE IN THE FAST LANE
BY ALEXANDRA CALAMARI
PHOTOGRAPHY BY IAN SPANIER
DRIVING AT 150 MILES PER HOUR ON A BANKED CURVE, THE CAR STARTS TO SLIDE UNCONTROLLABLY TOWARD THE BARRIER.
MOST PEOPLE WOULD SEE THEIR LIVES FLASH BEFORE THEM, BUT ALL JIMMIE JOHNSON CAN THINK ABOUT IS HOW TO MAKE SURE HIS CAR STAYS SAFE. THERE ARE STILL 120 LAPS TO GO IN A RACE
WHERE EVERY POINT COUNTS, AND THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE CHAMPION.
Jimmie Johnson is the ideal poster boy for NASCAR:
HE’S HANDSOME, well mannered and has a beautiful wife he adores—not to mention two Nextel Cup Championships under his belt. And at age 32, he’s just starting his engine.
Johnson blazes into the small suite in New York City’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel with barely enough time to say hello before his publicist, a stylist and a makeup artist start primping him like a pit crew working on his #48 car. He is here for a photo shoot, an interview and a quick meeting to discuss his wife’s anniversary gift before rushing off to an appearance on the “Rachael Ray Show.” Clearly, for the reigning NASCAR champion, life isn’t any slower off the track.
BORN SEPTEMBER 17, 1975, in El Cajon, California, Johnson was racing motorcycles around the time most kids were saying goodbye to their training wheels. His parents outdid even the most enthusiastic of soccer moms, arranging family outings to the track each weekend. At only 8 years old, Johnson won the 60cc class dirt bike championship, but needed reconstructive knee surgery along the way. For Johnson, the price was too high. “I decided after being hurt so many times and all the broken bones that racing dirt bikes probably wasn’t the best thing for me, and then I luckily found my way into auto racing,” he says.
Johnson’s days of thunder began at age 15, when he started blasting through off-road driving leagues like SODA, SCORE International and the Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group. But it wasn’t until he turned 18 that Johnson realized his childhood hobby could actually become a full-time career.
“I had to make the conscious decision to give up everything else and race, and not pursue school or any of those other things,” he says. For Johnson the decision was difficult, but, in the end, obvious. “I had to choose racing, that’s what I wanted to do,” he says. “There were a lot of lean years where I wasn’t sure it was going to work out, but I stuck with it, had some great opportunities and made the most of it.”
After working his way through the NASCAR Busch Series, Johnson made his foray onto the NASCAR Nextel Cup circuit in 2001. He became the first rookie in NASCAR history to lead in the point standings, but it was his first place victory at the 2002 Napa Auto Parts 500 that solidified his career.
“Back then I didn’t have all the confidence in the world or win as many races and championships, so it was a very big day for my career,” Johnson says. “I was very proud of what I had done but also relieved because, once you’re winning in this sport, it almost guarantees that you’ll have a job in the future.”
AS JOHNSON MADE HIS steady ascent to the top, he befriended four-time NASCAR cup champion Jeff Gordon. The drivers met in the spring of 2000 when Johnson approached Gordon for some career advice. Years later, when Gordon’s team owner Rick Hendrick wanted to hire a second driver, Gordon dropped Johnson’s name.
“I was able to get the job not really based on the friendship, but more on what was happening on the track, though [Gordon’s] actually an owner in the team so he had a big say,” he says.
As teammates, Johnson and Gordon grew as close as Ricky Bobby and Cal Naughton Jr., but in their version of Talladega Nights, victory was up for grabs.
Gordon’s faith in his teammate paid off in 2006 when Johnson piloted the #48 car to his first Nextel Cup Championship, with victories at the Daytona 500, Allstate 400 and the Aaron’s 499. What Gordon might not have predicted was that Johnson would come from behind in 2007 to take away Gordon’s long-awaited fifth Nextel Cup. For Johnson, the triumph was bittersweet.
“[Gordon] had such an amazing year, and I know how special it would have been for him to win his fifth, just getting married, having his daughter and with what he’s trying to do for the record books,” Johnson says. “So, as a friend, I feel for him a little bit, but you know, obviously I’ve got to do my thing and try to do what I can for my family and my career.”
Ultimately, Johnson is just happy Gordon let him race. He jokes, “I saw him in the shop with some wrenches near my car and I was like, ‘Hey, get away!’”
WHEN JOHNSON NEEDS TO put the brakes on his high-speed lifestyle, he likes to travel with his wife, Chandra, who he met in New York City. The couple became friends first, but it wasn’t long before Johnson realized that “Chani” was the one for him.
“You know I’ve always wondered what that feeling would be, and then that feeling hit me, and I was like ‘Oh that’s it, okay.’ So I proposed to her and we’ve been married for almost three years now. It’s been awesome,” he says.
Chandra, a former Wilhelmina model, currently runs the Jimmie Johnson Foundation, a charitable organization that is aiding communities in North Carolina and California.
Although the defending champion is always dashing from place to place, he has never gotten a speeding ticket. “On the road, I don’t feel like I need to go at a top speed; I just like to pass other cars,” he says, smiling. “As long as I’m moving forward, I’m happy.”
Just don’t offer to give Johnson a ride. Not only is he a self-confessed backseat driver, but he also admits to freaking out when he’s not in control of the car. “I can’t do it, I hate it,” he says. “Not only do I not like it or trust anyone, I get motion sickness riding in cars for a long time!”
At top speeds over 200 miles per hour, motion sickness has never been a factor in Johnson’s race to the top. He has never finished below fifth in the points standings and is the only driver to have won three Coca-Cola 600s in a row. Johnson has been savoring every moment of his second championship, but there are still miles to go before he sleeps.
“I really feel like I’m coming into my own as a driver now, and the team is really hitting its stride, too, so I think we have a lot of years ahead of us fighting for championships and winning races. Hopefully we can keep this going and win some more championships as my career goes on,” he says.
As NASCAR continues to grow in popularity, with even minor races outselling the Super Bowl, we’ll likely be seeing many more victory laps from Jimmie Johnson.
THE CLOCK TICKS DOWN toward Johnson’s speedy departure, so the photographer poses him in one last over-the-shoulder model stance. He blinks shyly into the heavy flashes as the photographer coos, “Just be yourself.” At that, Johnson lets out his engaging smile and says, “I’ll do my best. Just remember I’m a race car driver by trade.” As if anyone could forget.
THE FAST FACTS
FULL NAME
Jimmie Kenneth Johnson
BIRTH DATE
September 17, 1975
HOMETOWN
El Cajon, California
MARITAL STATUS
Married to Chandra Janway
since 2004
CAR
#48 Lowe’s Chevrolet Monte
Carlo SS & Chevrolet Impala SS
TEAM
Hendrick Motorsports
FAVORITE TRACK
The Darlington Race Track
FIRST NEXTEL RACE WIN
2002 NAPA Auto Parts 500
(Fontana, California)
LAST NEXTEL RACE WIN
2007 Checker Auto Parts 500
(Phoenix)
CURRENT POSITION
2006 and 2007 defending
Nextel Cup Champion
DINING OUT WITH JIMMIE JOHNSON
WHEN YOU’RE ALWAYS ON THE GO, FINDING TIME TO COOK CAN BE AS DIFFICULT AS AVOIDING A CRASH ON THE SPEEDWAY—AND PICKING A RESTAURANT ISN’T ANY EASIER. HERE ARE SOME FAVORITE SPOTS IN THE CITIES HE CALLS HOME.
NEW YORK
When staying in Manhattan, Johnson’s staple for lunch or dinner is Serafina (www.serafinarestaurant.com; 212-734-3165), an Italian restaurant with several locations in the city. For long business lunches, he suggests Le Bilboquet (212-751-3036) on the Upper East Side. For sushi, Johnson enjoys Nobu (www.noburestaurants.com; 212-219-0500) the most. For a date night, Johnson and his wife recommend Babbo (www.babbonyc.com; 212-777-0303), but don’t forget to make reservations—it fills up months in advance.
CHARLOTTE
For a romantic night, Johnson takes his wife to Barrington’s (www.barringtonsrestaurant.com; 704-364-5755), which has a dazzling outdoor patio. When it comes to steak, he turns to Sullivan’s (www.sullivansteakhouse.com; 704-335-8228) or Del Frisco’s (www.delfriscos.com; 704-552-5502). For sushi, it’s Nikko’s Japanese Restaurant (704-370-0100) in the historic South End. He also loves the guacamole at Cantina 1511 (www.cantina1511restaurant.com; 704-752-9797) in the Dilworth neighborhood.