NASCAR in 2004 was a different beast. It was a time when a sports drink bottle had enough power to match a last-lap controversy.

On August 1, 2004, Jimmie Johnson won at Pocono Raceway, leading 124 laps, completing a season sweep at the track. But it’s what he did in victory lane that stole the headlines.

Back then, Powerade was NASCAR's official sports drink, so after every Cup Series race, a Powerade bottle was placed on the roof of the winning car. But after winning the race, Johnson, who was partnered with Gatorade (owned by PepsiCo), blocked the Powerade (owned by Coke) bottle with his Lowe sponsorship sign.

And there were consequences. Johnson was fined $10,000 for this action. And it wasn’t just him. As tweeted by nascarman, “It was part of a trend in '04 where drivers had to casually remove the Powerade placement when it conflicted with their sponsors.”

The video posted on the account shows many drivers doing this after they stepped out of their car to climb up. An old report on Sports Business Journal mentions that to solve the problem, NASCAR’s then-President Mike Helton told drivers “to behave themselves” in victory lane to not fuel sponsor conflicts.

But Johnson did what he had to. “It’s weird that the driver in victory lane has to worry about defending and honoring your sponsor because of relationships that exist outside of your control,” Johnson said.

“I’m going to do everything I can to not let [Powerade] get publicity.”

Senior vice president of motorsports Mike Bartelli said that the sport needed to establish a clear set of guidelines for the sponsorship in victory lanes.

But the story didn’t end there. Just a week later, when his teammate Jeff Gordon won the Brickyard 400, he celebrated with his crew on the frontstretch instead after kissing the bricks. Many felt he did that to avoid the same sponsor conflict, but Gordon said he just wanted to celebrate with his team.

NASCAR said it would clarify Victory Lane protocols, but the fine that Johnson faced became the learning itself. There wasn’t any widely written rule that came out after it.

Meanwhile, speaking of Johnson’s Lowe sponsorship, he recently expressed his feelings on his iconic sponsor’s return.

Johnson on Lowe’s return

The 2027 Daytona 500 is going to be a nostalgic one for Johnson fans, as he’s set to drive his iconic No. 48 of Hendrick Motorsports. When asked about his desire to race with Lowe’s sponsorship, he said,

"I know Hendricks is trying for a long time, and I certainly have. So you never want to say never. With Carvana and our agreement announcement that they're going to be with me through my final ride in Daytona.

"I wish there was something there, but that just seems like too far of a reach," Johnson said, as reported by SiriusXM.

As of now, Ally, the main sponsor of the No. 48 that is currently driven by Alex Bowman, has agreed to loan the car. But there is no announcement that Lowe's will sponsor Jimmie Johnson's farewell race. Carvana is currently the confirmed sponsor.

Written by

Suyashdeep Sason

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason