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Joining Johnson in the class is six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon, the most successful NHRA Top Fuel Funny Car crew chief of all time Austin Coil, HANS device inventors Jim Downing and Dr. Robert Hubbard, motorcycle desert racing legend and Hollywood stuntman Bud Ekins, four-time SCCA national champion and eight-time IndyCar title-winning owner Paul Newman and 1966 Can-Am champion and championship-winning constructor John Surtees.
Two additional Historic Category inductees will be announced this summer.
Johnson spent 19 seasons driving for Hendrick Motorsports in the No. 48 Chevrolet in NASCAR’s premier series in which he accumulated 83 wins, 232 top-five and 374 top-10 finishes.
7x NASCAR Cup champion
Johnson tied Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty with seven Cup titles and was the first driver to win five championships in a row. After stepping away from full-time NASCAR competition in 2020, Johnson spent two seasons in the IndyCar Series, driving for Chip Ganassi Racing.
In 2023, the 47-year-old native of El Cajon, California returned to NASCAR as a part-time driver and team co-owner of Legacy Motor Club. Johnson was inducted into the MSHFA in his first year of eligibility.
“It’s an incredible honor to be inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America,” said Johnson. “I’ve been so fortunate throughout my racing career to be honored in many ways, and to be recognized in this capacity is really humbling.
“I took part in the induction ceremonies of Tony Stewart in 2019 and my childhood mentor Ricky Johnson in 2012, so to be added to this elite group of individuals – by the equally impressive voting panel – is really special. I’m so thankful.”
Each of the MSHFA’s inductees is elected by a straight vote of 200 motorsports experts. Regular voters include Mario Andretti (MSHFA Class of 1990), Don Garlits (MSHFA Class of 1989), Ganassi (MSHFA Class of 2016), Tom D’Eath (MSHFA Class of 2000), Scott Parker (MSHFA Class of 2009), Petty (MSHFA Class of 1989), Don Prudhomme (MSHFA Class of 1991), Rusty Wallace (MSHFA Class of 2014), among others.
The 36th Motorsports Hall of Fame of America induction celebration will be held in the Hall’s home in Daytona Beach, Fla., in March 2024.