CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jimmie Johnson and former crew chief Chad Knaus, who combined to win a record-tying seven Cup Series championships, were selected for the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Wednesday.
They will be joined by longtime driver Donnie Allison, who was voted in on the pioneer ballot.
Johnson, 47, is considered one of the most successful race car drivers in history.
The induction ceremony for the Class of 2024 will be held Jan. 19 in Charlotte.
Despite his accomplishments, Johnson was not a unanimous selection. He received 93% (53 of 57) of the votes from a panel that included NASCAR executives, drivers, crew chiefs, reporters and industry contributors.
Johnson’s seven Cup Series titles tie him with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the most in NASCAR history, and his run of five consecutive championships from 2006 through 2010 remain a series record. He also won titles in 2013 and 2016.
Johnson’s championships came amid an era of change for NASCAR, as he earned titles amid a variety of championship points formats and three different generations of race cars.
Nicknamed “Superman,” Johnson had a knack for coming up big at NASCAR’s biggest races, winning all of the sport’s crown jewel events at least twice. He won the Daytona 500 in 2006 and 2013, four Brickyard 400s (2006, ’08-09, ’12), four Coca-Cola 600s (2003-05, ’14), two Southern 500s (2004, ’12) and four All-Star Races (2003, ’06, ’12-13).
Johnson’s 83 Cup wins rank sixth-most in NASCAR history behind Hall of Famers Petty (200), David Pearson (105), Jeff Gordon (93), Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison (both 84), and they came at 20 different tracks.
Knaus was with Johnson throughout that wildly successful run.
Knaus, 51, came to Hendrick Motorsports as an assistant in the body shop, learning under Hall of Famer Ray Evernham as part of the “Rainbow Warriors.”
In 2002, he was paired with Johnson, then a rookie, on a fourth Hendrick team, beginning one of the most productive partnerships in sports history. Knaus, who currently serves as Hendrick Motorsports’ vice president of competition, trails only Dale Inman and Leonard Wood for all-time wins by a crew chief.
Knaus received 81% of the panel’s votes.
Allison won 10 Cup Series races during his career.
Donnie Allison, 83, was a member of NASCAR’s famed “Alabama Gang” and an ambassador for the sport for more than 50 years. After winning the 1967 Cup Series rookie of the year, he partnered with mechanic Banjo Matthews and won three races in 1970, including the Coca-Cola 600.
But Allison is perhaps best known for his role in one of NASCAR’s most famous moments — his 1979 Daytona 500 fight with Cale Yarborough during the sport’s first nationally televised race. An intense battle for the win ended with both drivers wrecked and scuffling in the infield. The publicity from the altercation spurred the growth of NASCAR and remains one of the defining moments in the sport’s history.
Former driver Janet Guthrie was named the Landmark Award winner for her outstanding contributions to the sport. Guthrie became the first woman to compete in a NASCAR Cup Series superspeedway race when she drove to a 15th-place finish in the 1976 World 600.
Tyler Johnson has announced his retirement after playing 13 NHL seasons and winning the Stanley Cup twice with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Johnson called it a career in a lengthy message posted on social media Monday. Johnson had battled injuries in recent years and is set to turn 35 on July 29.
“As a short kid from a small town, I saw my chances of playing in the NHL as very slim,” Johnson wrote on Instagram. “But my family — my parents, Ken and Debbie, and my grandparents — believed in me when doubt clouded my mind. Their unwavering faith turned that dream into reality.”
Listed at 5-foot-8 and 191 pounds, Johnson won at just about ever level, capturing the Western Hockey League and Memorial Cup championships in 2008 with his hometown Spokane Chiefs and the Calder Cup championship with Norfolk of the American Hockey League in 2012.
The NHL brought more success, as he skated in 863 regular-season and playoff games since debuting in the league in 2013, putting up 498 points. Johnson was part of the Lightning’s core when they reached the final in 2015 and helped them hoist the Cup back to back in 2020 and ’21.
Johnson finished with Chicago, playing three seasons with the Blackhawks, and Boston, signing with the Bruins early last season following his training camp tryout.
“After a lifetime devoted to hockey, I’m ready for what’s next,” Johnson said. “This moment is bittersweet, but I leave the game with no regrets.”
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Mammoth re-signed center Jack McBain to a five-year contract worth $21.25 million on Monday.
McBain will count $4.25 million against the salary cap through the 2029-30 NHL season, which was announced a little more than 24 hours since the team elected salary arbitration with the restricted free agent forward.
“He is a big, strong, physical player who competes hard on a nightly basis and brings a gritty toughness to our group,” general manager Bill Armstrong said. “Jack is an important part of the championship-caliber team we are building, and we look forward to having him back on our roster for the foreseeable future.”
McBain, 25, is coming off setting a career high with 27 points and playing all 82 games. He was one of six players to skate in every game of the organization’s first season in Salt Lake City.
“Jack’s versatility as a player, his care for his teammates and his demonstrated willingness to do whatever it takes to win, are all critical elements to our future team success,” president of hockey operations Chris Armstrong said.
McBain has 82 points in 241 games with the franchise, which moved to Utah from Arizona. Since debuting in April 2022, he ranks third in the league with 832 hits.
Cam York and the Philadelphia Flyers agreed to terms Monday on a five-year contract worth $25.75 million, with re-signing the restricted free agent defenseman completing perhaps the team’s last important piece of offseason business.
York, 25, will count $5.15 million against the salary cap through the 2029-30 NHL season. That price could turn out to be a bargain with the upper limit rising from $88 million this past season to $113.5 million by 2027-28.
“Cam has been a workhorse for our team over the last few seasons,” general manager Danny Briere said. “We’re excited by his development and look forward to his continued growth and emergence as a young leader within our group.”
The Flyers are trying to shift from rebuilding to contending, and York was the final player on the roster without a contract. They acquired Trevor Zegras in a trade from Anaheim last month and signed fellow center Christian Dvorak and backup goaltender Dan Vladar on the first day of free agency.
York, the 14th pick in the 2019 draft, has skated nearly 21 minutes a game so far in his pro career, all with Philadelphia. He has 77 points in 235 games for the Flyers, who have not made the playoffs since 2020.
“I believe in this team, and I love the direction we are heading,” York said. “I couldn’t be more excited to continue this journey and build something special together.”