CONCORD, N.C. – On May 31, 2015, Jimmie Johnson took his 10th trip to Victory Lane at Dover International Speedway and became just the fifth driver in Cup Series history to own double-digit wins at a single track.
Johnson started the race in 14th and didn’t take the lead until Lap 383. The driver held his position for the final 23 laps to capture the historic victory. The win, Johnson’s 10th at Dover, was also Hendrick Motorsports’ fourth consecutive victory at the venue.
“Very thankful for the opportunity that I’ve had at Hendrick Motorsports, the amazing people I’ve had to work with, support from our sponsor Lowe’s, (No. 48 team crew chief) Chad (Knaus), (Hendrick Motorsports owner) Rick (Hendrick),” Johnson said at the time. “All of those things and the fact that I sit in that 48 car has allowed me to win 10 races.”
Johnson joined Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt and David Pearson as the only five members to accomplish the milestone.
The victory was Johnson’s 74th career Cup Series win.
“I’m almost in shock that we’re here,” Johnson said at the time. “I mean, 74 race wins, 10 here – you can’t dream that big.”
Now, he has 83 race wins – including 11 at Dover.
If he were to capture win number 84 this Sunday, it would put him in a three-way tie for fourth all-time with Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip.
It would also mark his 12th win at Dover, which is the combined total of “Monster Mile” wins earned by the entirety of the rest of the field entered into this weekend’s race.