2006
The seven-time champion announced that 2020 would be his last full season of Cup Series racing. Johnson is coming off two disappointing campaigns and the 44-year-old veteran missed the Chase for the Cup playoffs for the first time in his career last season. Crew chief Kevin Meendering was replaced by Cliff Daniels mid-season in 2019 but the hoped boost never materialized. Instead, Johnson continued to spiral downward, collecting just four Top 10's in the 15 races that Daniels presided. It could be that father time has finally caught up to the NASCAR icon, and skill erosion has set in. The upcoming season will be a farewell tour for Johnson, and it could be very reminiscent of recent farewell tours like Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s. Inconsistency and mixed results could continue to hound Johnson in his final year of competition.