Published: Saturday, November 21, 2009
Jimmie Johnson's title tree has roots in Missouri
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Days from making NASCAR history, Jimmie Johnson hasn't forgotten Herzog Motorsports.
Here he is, about to win an unprecedented fourth consecutive Sprint Cup championship Sunday, pose for cover shots on major magazines, make the rounds on the talk-show circuit and star in an HBO documentary.
Yet without the jump start by St. Joseph, Mo.-based Herzog Motorsports a little more than 10 years ago, there's little likelihood that Johnson would be on the precipice of joining the pantheon of Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon as one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history.
And he knows it.
"They are largely responsible for where I am today," Johnson said of Randy and Stan Herzog, and their late father, Bill. "They spent a lot of money, a lot of time, and put a lot into me. . . . They gave me everything they could to make me succeed in the sport."
The Herzogs, who competed against Johnson in off-road racing in the desert Southwest in the early 1990s, put him in their Busch car from 1998 to 2001 and gave their blessing for him to join powerful Hendrick Motorsports in 2002, though Johnson still had a year on his contract.
Since that time, Johnson has won 47 Sprint Cup races, more than any other driver.
"We thought we knew he was a very, very special talent, and his performances have verified that," Randy Herzog said this week. "I don't think anybody could have suspected he was going to be as wildly successful as he has been."
Herzog Motorsports no longer exists. After losing its Busch (now Nationwide) sponsorship with Excedrin a few years ago, Herzog retired the No. 92 Chevrolet that Johnson drove to an eighth-place finish in the Busch Series in 2001.
The Herzogs' company, Herzog Contracting, is still an associate sponsor of Cruz and Tony Pedregon's NHRA cars. And sometimes, the Herzogs can't help but wonder . . .
What if they held onto Johnson? What if they could have secured the kind of funding to expand from a one-car team to a multicar team? Would Johnson be winning multiple championships for them?
"We always wonder about that," Randy Herzog said, "but there's no assurance we would have been able to provide everything for him that the Hendrick organization has. I think we did as much as we could have done under the circumstances . . . To say we could have gotten him to the point that he is now would be pretty presumptuous."
The relationship between the Herzogs and Johnson developed when General Motors became match-maker, offering Herzog Motorsports factory support with Johnson as its driver. They competed in two years of off-road racing in Wisconsin before moving into stock-car racing in the ASA and Busch series.
"They completely taught me how to race stock cars," said Johnson, who needs just a 25th place finish at Homestead on Sunday to secure the record fourth straight title. "We were both rookies to it. But through the years in ASA and Nationwide, they developed me as a stock car driver. They didn't work with me on the technique of driving the car ... They gave me the opportunity to go out and learn, and they gave me all the tools and resources that I needed and the team needed to be successful.
"More than anything, they taught me how to really commit. They taught me how to do it right."
As Johnson raced in the Busch Series, he caught the eye of Gordon, who was looking to own a team and offered him a seat in one of Hendrick's four cars. Johnson had a heart-to-heart with the Herzogs, asking for advice at the August 2001 race at Michigan.
"I explained my situation to them," Johnson recalled. "I laid it out to them. I said, 'Look, I've got all these opportunities. There's one that's really special with Hendrick Motorsports, where are we at, what should I do?'
"This is where I say they taught me a lot about being a man. They both sat there in the transporter and said, 'This is a deal you can't refuse; you should take this. As much as it pains us to do it and we've come this far, you need to take this opportunity.'"
Randy Herzog said his family had no regrets about letting Johnson go.
"We couldn't be any more proud of Jimmie as a man and the way he's handled himself and his success."
Here he is, about to win an unprecedented fourth consecutive Sprint Cup championship Sunday, pose for cover shots on major magazines, make the rounds on the talk-show circuit and star in an HBO documentary.
Yet without the jump start by St. Joseph, Mo.-based Herzog Motorsports a little more than 10 years ago, there's little likelihood that Johnson would be on the precipice of joining the pantheon of Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon as one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history.
And he knows it.
"They are largely responsible for where I am today," Johnson said of Randy and Stan Herzog, and their late father, Bill. "They spent a lot of money, a lot of time, and put a lot into me. . . . They gave me everything they could to make me succeed in the sport."
The Herzogs, who competed against Johnson in off-road racing in the desert Southwest in the early 1990s, put him in their Busch car from 1998 to 2001 and gave their blessing for him to join powerful Hendrick Motorsports in 2002, though Johnson still had a year on his contract.
Since that time, Johnson has won 47 Sprint Cup races, more than any other driver.
"We thought we knew he was a very, very special talent, and his performances have verified that," Randy Herzog said this week. "I don't think anybody could have suspected he was going to be as wildly successful as he has been."
Herzog Motorsports no longer exists. After losing its Busch (now Nationwide) sponsorship with Excedrin a few years ago, Herzog retired the No. 92 Chevrolet that Johnson drove to an eighth-place finish in the Busch Series in 2001.
The Herzogs' company, Herzog Contracting, is still an associate sponsor of Cruz and Tony Pedregon's NHRA cars. And sometimes, the Herzogs can't help but wonder . . .
What if they held onto Johnson? What if they could have secured the kind of funding to expand from a one-car team to a multicar team? Would Johnson be winning multiple championships for them?
"We always wonder about that," Randy Herzog said, "but there's no assurance we would have been able to provide everything for him that the Hendrick organization has. I think we did as much as we could have done under the circumstances . . . To say we could have gotten him to the point that he is now would be pretty presumptuous."
The relationship between the Herzogs and Johnson developed when General Motors became match-maker, offering Herzog Motorsports factory support with Johnson as its driver. They competed in two years of off-road racing in Wisconsin before moving into stock-car racing in the ASA and Busch series.
"They completely taught me how to race stock cars," said Johnson, who needs just a 25th place finish at Homestead on Sunday to secure the record fourth straight title. "We were both rookies to it. But through the years in ASA and Nationwide, they developed me as a stock car driver. They didn't work with me on the technique of driving the car ... They gave me the opportunity to go out and learn, and they gave me all the tools and resources that I needed and the team needed to be successful.
"More than anything, they taught me how to really commit. They taught me how to do it right."
As Johnson raced in the Busch Series, he caught the eye of Gordon, who was looking to own a team and offered him a seat in one of Hendrick's four cars. Johnson had a heart-to-heart with the Herzogs, asking for advice at the August 2001 race at Michigan.
"I explained my situation to them," Johnson recalled. "I laid it out to them. I said, 'Look, I've got all these opportunities. There's one that's really special with Hendrick Motorsports, where are we at, what should I do?'
"This is where I say they taught me a lot about being a man. They both sat there in the transporter and said, 'This is a deal you can't refuse; you should take this. As much as it pains us to do it and we've come this far, you need to take this opportunity.'"
Randy Herzog said his family had no regrets about letting Johnson go.
"We couldn't be any more proud of Jimmie as a man and the way he's handled himself and his success."
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