NASCAR makes its way to Atlanta this weekend for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 and fans will be in for a treat before the race on Sunday. Jimmie Johnson, a seven-time NASCAR cup series champion, will be the grand marshal for Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500. This means once the starters have strapped into their cars, Johnson will give the command to start their engines, and he’ll do it from the cockpit of his No. 48 Chevrolet.
This is the final time Johnson will be racing in Atlanta as a full-time competitor as he will retire after this season. He has been racing for 18 seasons and he would love nothing more than to win another championship.
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“I am so thankful for 18 incredible years of racing in NASCAR,” Johnson said in a video that he posted on Twitter back in November. “This sport has been good to me and allowed me to do something I truly love. I showed up chasing a dream and achieved more than I ever thought possible. I’m looking forward to next season and celebrating what will be my last year as a full-time NASCAR Cup driver. I know what this team is capable of and I hope 2020 is one of the best yet.”
“NASCAR history will always hold Jimmie Johnson in the highest regard, for his hard-charging success on the racetrack and the way he conducted himself as a champion off the track,” NASCAR chairman and CEO Jim France said. “This remarkable seven-time champion — through his competitive spirit, immense talent and sportsmanship — has made NASCAR a better sport. On behalf of my family and the entire NASCAR community, I thank Jimmie for his dedication to NASCAR and, along with his legions of fans, wish him all the best in his final season. I look forward to watching him race for wins and an eighth NASCAR Cup Championship in 2020,”
Right now, Johnson is in a good position to win another championship as he is fifth place in the cup standings behind Alex Bowman (4th), Chase Elliott (3rd) Joey Logano (2nd) and Kevin Harvick (1st). Johnson hasn’t won a race since 2017, but he has won 83 races in his career and he has finished in the top 10 366 times out of 655 races. He won the Daytona 500 in 2006 and 2013.
