The National Motorsports Hall of Fame of America announced Friday that seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson has been selected to the esteemed Hall’s 2024 induction class. He’ll join a list of other racing greats from six-time IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon to the NHRA’s all-time winningest crew chief Austin Coil to the late actor Paul Newman who was an eight-time IndyCar series championship team owner and an accomplished SCCA racer himself.
“It’s an incredible honor to be inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America,” Johnson said. “I’ve been 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.’’
Joining this accomplished foursome in the 2024 induction ceremonies in Daytona Beach will be the HANS Device inventors Jim Downing and Dr. Robert Hubbard, desert racing legend Bud Ekins and the 1966 Can-Am champion and championship-winning constructor John Surtees. Two additional inductees representing the “Historic Category” will be announced this summer.
“It’s hard to imagine a much more-accomplished group of racers,’’ the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America President George Levy said. “Our voters chose these seven from an incredible array of the sport’s greatest achievers. We can’t wait to welcome them into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America next March.’’
Johnson, now a NASCAR Cup Series team owner of the two-car Legacy Motor Club, earned a record-tying seven championships driving for Hendrick Motorsports from 2001-2020 in NASCAR’s most elite series and won 84 races – sixth all-time. He won 36 pole positions and he finished Top-10 in 54 percent of his 688 career starts.
After his final fulltime season in NASCAR (2020) Johnson drove two years for Motorsports Hall of Fame of America member Chip Ganassi in the NTT IndyCar Series. There he teamed with Dixon, whose 53 victories is second all-time only to the legend A.J. Foyt’s 67 career wins.
“There is not a more deserving driver that’s currently in the series for the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America and know there’s even more work still to be done,’’ Ganassi said of Dixon, who like Johnson were selected for induction in their first year of eligibility.
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