CONCORD, N.C. -- This weekend, Jimmie Johnson will be racing for what would be his seventh career NASCAR Sprint Cup championship and Hendrick Motorsports' 12th Cup championship.
It is the first time the driver has made it to the Championship 4 round since the new elimination format of the Chase was implemented in 2014.
As Johnson and his teammates prepare to race at Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend, take a look back at three Hendrick Motorsports championship memories.
Nov. 12, 1995: Heading into the final race of the 1995 season, Jeff Gordon had a 147-point lead over second place in the season standings. He had earned seven wins, 17 top-five finishes, 23 top-10s and eight pole positions. He also led a career-high 2,610 laps throughout the 31 races that season. Arriving at Atlanta Motor Speedway with a comfortable points cushion, the driver took the green flag in eighth but ultimately took home a 32nd-place finish. However, he ended the season 32 points in the lead, resulting in not only Gordon's first career Cup championship but also Hendrick Motorsports' first championship.
Nov. 10, 1996: Hendrick Motorsports' second championship was earned in 1996, courtesy of Terry Labonte. In his third season driving for the organization, Labonte claimed two victories, 21 top-five finishes, 24 top-10s and four poles. He also led a career-high 973 laps during the season. Heading into the final race of 1996 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Labonte had a 47-point lead over teammate Gordon in the season standings. After starting on the second row in third, Labonte led 28 laps before taking the checkered flag in fifth and claiming the championship by 37 points.
Nov. 17, 2013: It has been three seasons since the organization earned its most recent Cup championship. The trophy, earned in 2013 by Johnson, marked the driver's sixth career Cup championship and Hendrick Motorsports' 11th. Johnson held a 28-point lead as the series advanced to the final race of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Johnson rolled off the grid inside the top 10 in seventh and crossed the finish line in ninth. The top-10 finish was the driver's 24th of the season, alongside 16 top-five finishes, three pole positions and six wins. Johnson led 1,985 laps throughout the 36-race season and won the championship by 19 points.
