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Timeline: Key moments in Jimmie Johnson's NASCAR career

 

 

Jimmie Johnson passed Dale Earnhardt Sr. and moved into seventh place for most wins in NASCAR's premier series, taking the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway Sunday in Fontana, Calif., to score his 77th career victory.

Next in Johnson's sights — Cale Yarborough with 83 wins. Richard Petty holds the record with 200.

Johnson, who made his Cup Series debut Oct. 7, 2001, at Charlotte Motor Speedway, has recorded numerous milestones on his way to six NASCAR Cup championships. Here is a look at 10 other key moments in his career:

April 28, 2002: Earns his first career Cup Series win at the NAPA Auto Parts 500 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.

May 17, 2003: Wins the first of four NASCAR All-Star races (2003, '06, '12, '13), in The Winston at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Feb. 19, 2006: Wins the first of two Daytona 500s (also 2013).

Nov. 19, 2006: Wins his first NASCAR Cup championship. He would go on to capture titles in the next four seasons, becoming the first driver to win five consecutive championships.

 

Nov. 11, 2007: Wins his 10th race of the year — his highest number in any season — at the Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.

March 21, 2010: Becomes the 12th driver in NASCAR history to earn at least 50 career victories after winning the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

July 29, 2012: Becomes the second driver in NASCAR history to score four wins at the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway — a record he would share with Jeff Gordon until Gordon won his fifth in 2014.

July 6, 2013: Wins the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway, becoming the fifth driver to sweep both races at Daytona in a single season and the first since Bobby Allison in 1982.

Nov. 17, 2013: Wins his sixth Cup Series championship to move into second place all-time behind Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr., who each won seven titles.

May 31, 2015: Wins his 10th career race at Dover International Speedway, becoming the fifth driver to score double-digit wins at a single track. Johnson joined Hall of Famers Petty, Earnhardt Sr., David Pearson and Darrell Waltrip on this list.

Source: USA TODAY Sports research

Follow Horrow on Twitter @EllenJHorrow

PHOTOS: Jimmie Johnson through the years

 

 

 

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