On October 7, 2001, 26-year-old Jimmie Johnson was just making his Cup Series debut at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. He was a former off-road racer with over two years of experience in the Xfinity Series. But on that day the only goal was to have a decent race and not wreck Jeff Gordon. 23 years have passed since and Johnson looks back at the memory lividly.
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He posted a picture from his debut on X and captioned it, “23 years ago today, I figured I’d give this Cup racing thing a whirl. Back when VHS tapes were still a thing, and Nickelback topped the charts.”
The picture showcases him racing the No. 48 car against Sterling Marlin’s No. 40 Chip Ganassi Dodge. His followers and fans were pleased with the trip down memory lane.
One responded, “I had this race on VHS!” Another wrote, “And we’re so glad you did” So, how did Johnson fare in the debut? On Lap 158, he drifted a bit too high between Turns 3 and 4. This caused him to lose control of his car and he wrecked into the wall. The one good result that came out of it was that he did not wreck Gordon and halt the icon’s progress to a fourth championship.
He had his maiden full-time season in 2002 and history narrates the rest of his story. Seven championships and 83 race wins shine brightly on his crown as he navigates the life of a team co-owner currently.
The memories of that fateful day of his debut did not end with him. Marlin, 67, was equally mesmerized by the old photo and expressed his awe on X.
look at this photograph… https://t.co/rdjWCDZf6H
— Sterling Marlin (@SMR_114) October 8, 2024
The aging legend said, “Look at this photograph…” What makes it a tad bit more special is that Marlin was the one who won that race. He finished the season third in the rankings after a strong campaign.
One of his followers responded, “Well played sir” and another said, “You were easy to root for and you dominated in that car. Thank you for the memories.”
Marlin is a two-time Daytona 500 winner. He is also honored as one of NASCAR’s Greatest 75 Drivers. He drove in 748 Cup Series races over 33 long years and collected 10 wins.
He made his debut in 1976 and hung up the boots in 2009, amid the fury that Johnson was stirring up in the show with consecutive championships.
