Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knaus solidify jobs with first career win at Fontana | 40 wins in 40 days

Editor’s note: This is the 25th in a 40-part series highlighting 40 of the greatest wins in the history of Hendrick Motorsports to finish its 40th anniversary season. A new installment will be released each day from Nov. 22, 2024 through New Year’s Eve. Votes were taken from Hendrick Motorsports employees as well as representatives of the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Racing Insights with all unanimous selections being ushered in automatically. The remaining wins were deliberated and decided upon by a small panel.

CONCORD, N.C. - Considering the lofty heights the combination of driver, Jimmie Johnson, and crew chief, Chad Knaus would reach, it's hard to fathom the humble aspirations the duo harbored at the start. 

For a partnership that would eventually yield a NASCAR Cup Series record-tying seven championships, in the beginning, it was all about a win. 

One win. Any win. 

So now, when Johnson reflects on a career in which he's piled up 83 victories so far, good enough for a share of sixth on the all-time list, he still sites that first one as the biggest one. 

“That first win was such an important moment to me that I feel like it’s equal to my win at Homestead to win my seventh championship,” Johnson said in a recent phone interview with HendrickMotorsports.com. “It’s just as big in my eyes and in my heart."

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS 40 WINS: Kyle Larson gets Indy redemption in Brickyard 400

No, Johnson's first trip to victory lane didn't come in a crown jewel race nor did it lead to a championship. But it did give both parties job security, at least in their own minds. 

“(Former crew chief on the No. 24 team) Robbie Loomis stopped me on pit road and said, ‘Congratulations, you’ll always have a job for the rest of your life,’” Knaus said. “He wasn’t meaning just here, necessarily, he just meant once you win a race in the Cup Series, your opportunities just always seem to be there. I’ve been very fortunate to be able to stay here at Hendrick Motorsports the entire time.”

And for both Johnson and Knaus, aside from job security, there are several aspects that stick out about that day at Auto Club Speedway in the spring of 2002. 

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS 40 WINS: Jeff Gordon wins Winston Million in 1997

For Johnson, it was a home race. The native of El Cajon, California would finish with nearly every important mark at the 2-mile, D-shaped oval, which was demolished after the final NASCAR Cup Series event there in 2023. His six wins and 980 laps led there are tops, as is his average finish of 7.6. 

For Knaus, more than the win is how it came, with a crucial, late-race strategy call to keep Johnson on the race track while others pitted. It was reminiscent of the way Jeff Gordon won his first race, with Ray Evernham making a late call for two tires instead of four in the 1994 Coca-Cola 600. Knaus was a member of that team. 

“That’s one thing I always admired Ray Evernham for, when we won our first race in the 24 car at Charlotte, it was a two-tire pit stop and I always thought that was really cool for Ray to do that on a strategy call and get the first win,” Knaus said. “And then for myself to be able to do the same thing at Fontana was really awesome.” 

Strategy notes weren't all the duo took from the No. 24 team heading into that race. The car Johnson drove at Auto Club that day was the same car Gordon took to victory lane at both Michigan International Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway the year prior. 

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS 40 WINS: See our list of victories so far!

Gordon was also the team's co-owner, along with Hendrick Motorsports owner and CEO Rick Hendrick, and had influence in bringing Johnson to the Cup Series. The promotion was a surprise to some as Johnson had only scored one victory in 72 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts.

So, perhaps all of that offers some insight into the pressure Johnson felt early in that first season, although initial returns were encouraging right from the start. Heading into Fontana, the season's 10th race in 2002, Johnson had already registered six top-10 showings including a seventh-place run the week prior at Talladega Superspeedway. 

RELATED: See William Byron's Valvoline paint scheme for 2024

And Johnson had speed from the jump. He qualified fourth and hovered near the front of the field all day. But Knaus knew the car had its weaknesses as well and was already adjusting his plan in accordance. 

“We had shown up there and run in the top five all race long but our car didn’t have the short-run speed we needed,” Knaus recalled. “After about 10 laps, our car really came in. I can remember we had a shorter gear ratio and were turning more rpm and it couldn’t get its legs right after a pit stop but then just a couple of laps later it would come in pretty strong.” 

In addition to what the team would have to overcome, there was also a clear picture of who it would have to beat: Kurt Busch. The driver of the No. 97 car at the time led a race-high 102 laps. 

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS 40 WINS: Dale Earnhardt Jr. snaps skid at Michigan

But as often was the case in Fontana, strategy would come into play. A caution and resulting yellow-flag pit stops with 53 laps to go left 11 lead-lap cars on the edge of their fuel windows. A couple believed they could make it, Knaus, who was interviewed on TV once the race went green again, believed the gearing decisions had the No. 48 car up to 8-10 laps short. 

Uninhibited by saving, Johnson ran hard, climbed to second place and was threatening Busch for the lead as a massive crash erupted involving Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in turn four with 22 laps to go. 

On the ensuing pit stop, most teams elected to take just two tires. Knaus went one better, calling for a gas-and-go stop that took just five seconds. Bill Elliott elected not to pit at all and lined up as the leader with Johnson just behind. 

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS 40 WINS: Kyle Larson delivers win No. 500 for engine shop

That only lasted a quarter of a lap, however, as Johnson swung to the high side and passed Elliott three-wide for the lead in turn one with just 14 to go. 

“Tire wear wasn’t a big deal at that track oddly enough at that point in time,” Knaus explained. “We got to the late stages and decided to go ahead and stay out on fuel and Jimmie was able to pass Bill Elliott to get up there and lead.” 

Though Ricky Rudd applied pressure initially, Johnson took advantage of clean air and a good, long-run car and slowly pulled away, scoring his first win. And wouldn't you know it, Hendrick and Gordon ran to join him in victory lane. 

"I guess we hired the right guy!" Gordon exclaimed in front of the TV cameras. 

And for Johnson, the meaning of the moment is something that has only gained significance as the years have gone by and the success has piled up. 

“Jeff Gordon won the championship the year before in that equipment and I didn’t have the most glorious Xfinity career," Johnson said. "I knew I would have time but I knew I’d buy more time if I won a race and to be able to win in my rookie season and get my first in at California with it being a hometown track – I had so many friends and family in the stands – and I took so much confidence leaving there. I knew I’d have a little time but that win kind of solidified my place in the sport and at Hendrick Motorsports, at least in my mind.” 

“It was pretty fantastic. It was great to solidify our relationship,” Knaus added. “It was really cool for me to be in position to win our first race. Obviously, Jimmie drove the wheels off the car but to be able to have a huge impact by doing a strategy call at the end of the event, early in my career, to put us in position to win was really neat.”