HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Jimmie Johnson walked into a Hendrick Motorsports family reunion on pit road. Hall of Fame driver Jeff Gordon chatted near the No. 48 car while Johnson's wife cradled crew chief Chad Knaus' baby boy.
They needed baby wipes as much a checkered flag.
"It's all about this moment right now," Gordon said.
Brooke Knaus kissed her husband, and team owner Rick Hendrick stopped by to give good-luck hugs before he checked in on his other cars. The Johnsons and Knauses posed for family snapshots, and security held off scores of well-wishers wanting to sneak a closer look.
The NASCAR season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway has featured goodbyes in recent years, with departing stars like Gordon, Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. leaving the series. This one had the feel of a retirement party for Johnson -- but it was just the swan song for one of the most successful driver-crew chief pairings in NASCAR history.
Johnson and Knaus are parting ways after 17 years, 7 NASCAR championships and an unmatched mark of greatness over the last 20 years.
The two are still close friends but there were no signs of tears or tissues as they talked shop for the last time as a team. Johnson slid into the Chevy -- sporting a vintage Lowe's paint scheme -- and adjusted his helmet. Knaus took a knee by the car window on the grid and flipped through pages of the playbook that hid the secrets of their race strategy. Knaus smacked the top of Johnson's helmet as he walked off to the pit stall.
Once the most feared team in NASCAR, the 48 made a sudden dip into oblivion. Johnson's 17th season has been his worst and he was knocked out of the playoffs in the first round, ending his run at a NASCAR-record eighth Cup championship. He hasn't won since Dover 2017, an unthinkable string of 58 consecutive losses.
Also, sponsor Lowe's is leaving NASCAR. Johnson will be funded by Ally Financial Inc. for all 38 races in the next two NASCAR seasons, the remaining years on Johnson's contract. Ally ensures that Johnson will have just one look in what is probably his final two years chasing sole ownership of the championship record.
Johnson, Knaus and 17 crew members lined the 48 for a final team photo before the farewell race.
"A bitter sweet day to say the least," Johnson tweeted. "loweshomeimprovement took a chance on me and the 48 team back in 2002... thank you for making this kids racing dreams come true."
Johnson will try and rebound in Daytona with new crew chief Kevin Meendering. Knaus, a Hendrick lifer, will call the shots for William Byron and the No. 24 team next season.
But as much as the pomp marked the end of an era, Johnson isn't going anywhere. Johnson, married and with two young daughters, is still driven to top Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt and stand alone as NASCAR's greatest champion.
He just may get there -- just without Knaus.
Sports on 11/19/2018