There are few NASCAR drivers in history with a resume as impressive as Jimmie Johnson. He’s one of only three drivers in Cup Series history, along with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, to win seven championships.
From 2006 to 2010, Johnson won an unprecedented five consecutive titles. Although he has not yet officially retired, his Cup Series win total of 83 is good for sixth all time. He won the Daytona 500 twice, and the Brickyard 400 four times.
Yet four Hall of Fame voters decided that Johnson’s résumé was not sufficient to qualify him as a first-ballot Hall of Famer. There has never been a unanimous first-ballot selection in NASCAR history, and with Johnson’s snub, it’s unlikely that there ever will be.
Not unanimous. Johnson received 93% of Modern Era ballot votes; Knaus received 81%. Harry Gant finished third, followed by Ricky Rudd and Carl Edwards. Donnie Allison received 53% of the Pioneer ballot votes. Banjo Matthews finished second.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) August 2, 2023
Johnson, his longtime crew chief Chad Knaus, and Donnie Allison are all part of the class of 2024, with trailblazer Janet Guthrie receiving the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.
Jeff Gordon came the closest to becoming a unanimous Hall of Famer in 2019, garnering 96 percent of the vote, and there were calls for change to NASCAR’s voting system after Gordon missed out on the honor.
After Johnson, a seven-time champ, received even fewer votes than Gordon, Denny Hamlin is among the many calling for a complete overhaul and for the votes to be made public.
Not unanimous. What a joke a disgrace to one of the sports greatest ever.
Make it public who said no and remove them from the voting panel..
— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) August 2, 2023
To be a panelist is a honor that should be taken seriously. What 4 people did today is make a joke of that honor and for what? It can only be a couple reasons a person would have to not give someone like Jimmie their vote.
1. You don’t like them
2. You weren’t voted in…— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) August 3, 2023
There are many things I see in life that make me lose more faith in humanity. The fact that JJ didn’t get a unanimous vote is one more of those things 🤯
— Conor Daly (@ConorDaly22) August 2, 2023
Asked by @bobpockrass about the four people who didn't vote for him, Jimmie Johnson says he'd love to know who they are.
SAME. Tell us, @nascar. (And then kick them off the voting panel.)
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) August 2, 2023
One question we had today was ‘will Jimmie Johnson be a unanimous vote?’ This has never happened with HOF voting. Honestly shocked it didn’t happen today. SMH
— Jamie Little (@JamieLittleTV) August 2, 2023
Richard Petty, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt and Jimmie Johnson should have all been unanimous 100% on the HOF ballot. None of them were and I find that ridiculous #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/brOkdQqnsc
— Daniel Kriete (@DanielKriete4) August 3, 2023
Me getting dressed to not vote Jimmie Johnson into the NASCAR Hall of Fame pic.twitter.com/EWQQHKqsmw
— Alanis King (@alanisnking) August 3, 2023
Jimmie Johnson received 93% of the vote to be elected into the #NASCAR Hall of Fame. Only Jeff Gordon (96%, 2019), David Pearson (94%, 2011), and Robert Yates (94%, 2018) were voted into the Hall with a higher percentage of the vote. pic.twitter.com/X86KGeD7Gx
— Jeff Gordon Online (@JGinfo) August 2, 2023
