Jimmie Johnson

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Dec. 14, 2006) – The accolades continue to pile up for Jimmie Johnson, whose 2006 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series championship was voted the top moment of 2006 by members of the media. Johnson won five races, including the Daytona 500 and the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, en route to his first NASCAR championship.

The media were asked to rank in order the top 10 moments of the 2006 NASCAR racing season as listed on the NASCAR media web site (www.nascarmedia.com). A total of 132 votes were cast with voting beginning Nov. 25 and ending Dec. 12. Each moment received 10 points for a first place vote, nine points for second place, eight points for third place, seven points for fourth place, six points for fifth place, five points for sixth place, four points for seventh place, three points for eighth place, two points for ninth place and one point for 10th.

Johnson’s series championship received 60 first-place votes, the highest amount, and finished with 1,089 points. Denny Hamlin becoming the first rookie to make the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup was voted the second greatest moment. It finished with 18 first-place votes and 991 points.

Johnson winning the Daytona 500 earned 13 first-place votes and 875 to finish third. David Gilliland’s breakthrough NASCAR Busch Series win at Kentucky Speedway was the fourth greatest moment; it finished with 26 first-place votes and 820 points. Juan Pablo Montoya finishing 11th in his NASCAR debut at Memphis Motorsports Park rounded out the top five. It received six first-place votes and 679 points.

The rest of the top 10 moments of 2006 follows: Johnson’s win at the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard was sixth with two first-place votes and 658 points; Todd Bodine winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series title was seventh with two first-place votes and 626 points; Bill Lester competing in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway was eighth with five first-place votes and 613 points; Matt Kenseth’s pass of Jimmie Johnson for the win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was ninth with 527 points; and Kyle and Kurt Busch sweeping the spring events at Bristol Motor Speedway was 10th with 382 points.