Jimmie Johnson extends contract with Hendrick

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The partnership of Jimmie Johnson and top-flight team Hendrick Motorsports, which is poised to win a record fourth consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title, will stay in place for several years to come.

Hendrick announced today that Johnson signed a five-year contract extension that keeps him with the stock-car racing team through 2015. Hendrick also said Johnson’s primary sponsor, the home-improvement chain Lowe’s Cos., agreed to a three-year pact that keeps the sponsorship in place through 2013.

‘We’re just real excited about keeping the whole deal intact,’ team owner Rick Hendrick told reporters today at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida, where Johnson is expected to win his fourth championship Sunday at the Cup series’ final race of the season.

‘The key to success I think is keeping people together,’ Hendrick said. ‘This has been a fantastic ride with Jimmie. He and I have said we’d like to retire together.’

Johnson’s closest pursuer in NASCAR’s Chase for the Cup playoff is teammate Mark Martin, 50, who is a distant 108 points behind. Martin, a five-time winner this year, said that no matter how the season ends, ‘I feel really good about things. And I’ve had the time of my life.’

--Jim Peltz