Johnson was born in El Cajon, California.
He moved to Hendrick Motorsports in the Sprint Cup Series in 2002. Johnson won his first Cup series championship in 2006 and with further wins in 2007, 2008, 2009 and in 2010 became the first driver in NASCAR history to win five consecutive championships. During the 2011 season, Johnson finished sixth in points. Between 2002 and 2012, Johnson recorded 58 wins, 239 top-tens, and 26 pole positions.
