Ken de la Bastide: Johnson's racing career winding down with an impressive list of accomplishments
Sep. 27—Professional athletes all sooner or later come to the realization their careers are coming to an end.
This week Jimmie Johnson announced he will no longer compete on a full-time basis with the IndyCar Series.
Johnson is a seven-time champion at the highest level of NASCAR, and his 83 career wins rank sixth on the all-time list.
At one point, Johnson won five consecutive NASCAR Cup championships, a feat that is not likely to be repeated.
His seven titles tied him with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.
Johnson, during his years with NASCAR, has to be considered the dominant driver for his time.
With his announcement, Johnson indicated he will continue to compete on a part-time basis and has indicated a desire to run the Coca-Cola 600 and Indianapolis 500 on the same day next May.
He will also concentrate on some sports car racing, but he hasn't disclosed all his "Bucket List" events.
I first met Johnson in 1997 when he ran three races with the American Speed Association. He won rookie of the year honors in 1998 and closed out his ASA career with two wins in 1999.
Johnson should be commended for making the decision to spend more time with his family, and at the age of 47 there weren't many more years of racing ahead of him.
I always found Johnson to be friendly over the years, and he did look back fondly on his years with ASA.
It would be great to see Johnson come and run the Redbud 400 at Anderson Speedway in a super late model, a track where he won the pole position in the past.
IN OTHER RACING NEWS
Tight battles will be at the center of attention at Anderson Speedway on Oct. 6 for the running of the Tony Elliott Classic.
Both the 500 Sprint Car Tour and the Kenyon Midget Series have only two races remaining this year.
Currently Dakoda Armstrong has a four-point lead over Kody Swanson for the inaugural Sprint Car Tour championship.
Dameron Taylor has wiped out a 168-point deficit to lead the Kenyon Midget Series championship by eight points over Jack Macenko.
Should be a great night of open-wheel racing on the high-banked quarter-mile oval.
Follow Ken de la Bastide on Twitter @KendelaBastide, or call 765-640-4863.
