2012 recap: Johnson went into the final race with a chance to win his sixth Cup title, but fell short when mechanical issues ended his night. But Johnson won five races, including back-to-back Chase events at Martinsville and Texas, and ended the season third in the standings.

He won at Darlington for the third time in his career and Dover in June for a record-tying seventh victory on the Monster Mile. He finished first at Indianapolis, and also won the Sprint All-Star Race for the third time. He now has 60 Cup victories, making him only the eighth driver in history to reach that mark.