CONCORD, N.C. – Seven championships, 83 NASCAR Cup Series wins and over 19,000 laps led — that is the legacy Jimmie Johnson created in his 20-year career with Hendrick Motorsports.
“I take great pride in seeing that Hendrick Motorsports has broken the all-time wins record,” Johnson said. “To be a part of that and have 83 wins, it’s a number I never thought would. I dreamed of winning a race, never thought I would win more than one or dream that big and win championships on top of that.”
The No. 48 Chevrolet’s iconic driver had crew chief Chad Knaus atop the pit box for most of his career, defining the duo as one of the greatest driver-crew chief combinations in NASCAR. The team’s 83 wins account for nearly 38 percent of the organization’s 269 Cup Series wins, with their success greatly contributing to the recent record-breaking milestone for Hendrick Motorsports.
“There are special crew chiefs that know how to work the details,” Johnson said. “Chad Knaus, at the helm of the No. 48 for all those years, was the perfect fit for me. He’s the guy that could push me.”
Knaus was brought on as Johnson’s crew chief in 2002. The No. 48 team won three races in their inaugural season, once at Fontana and later at both Dover races. Over the next several years, the team racked up 80 more wins and seven championships, with five of the titles coming consecutively.
“(Chad) has the most unbelievable work ethic,” said team owner Rick Hendrick. “He refuses to have anything but the very best and he is here, wired to get the most out he can out of our program.”
Knaus is the only crew chief that competed in all post-seasons as a crew chief and has the second-most championships to Hall of Famer Dale Inman.
“I was very fortunate with the No. 48 team, to have an amazing race car driver and amazingly talented people that worked for me,” Knaus said. “But the thing we focused on was the team. What did we need to go out there and beat everyone else?”
Check out the video above as Hendrick, Johnson and Knaus look back on the success of their No. 48 days.
To watch more of our “The Road to 269” video series, click here to listen to Geoff Bodine, Darrell Waltrip and Ken Schrader share our humble beginnings and here to reminisce with Jeff Gordon, Ray Evernham and Terry Labonte about the organization’s success in the 1990’s.