AFTER 17 MOSTLY HAPPY YEARS, A SPLIT

Hendrick Motorsports is splitting up driver Jimmie Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus. Together they have won seven NASCAR titles, but they haven’t even won a race in the last 17 months.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — There will not be an eighth NASCAR title for Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus.

Hendrick Motorsports will split the driver and crew chief — the longest pairing in NASCAR — at the end of a disappointing season. Johnson has not won a race in 17 months and was knocked out of the playoffs in the first round. Johnson and Knaus won their record-tying seventh championship in 2016 but have slumped in the two years since.

“It’s no secret that Chad and Jimmie have experienced their ups and downs over the years,” owner Rick Hendrick said. “They’re fierce competitors, great friends and have immense respect for one another. They also fight like brothers. All three of us agree it’s finally time for new challenges and that a change will benefit them and the organization.”

Johnson and Knaus were partnered in 2002. They won a recordtying seven titles and made the playoffs in all 15 years of its existence.

There has sometimes been tension between the two, and Hendrick more than once considered splitting them for the good of the organization.

“Chad and Jimmie will go down as one of the greatest combinations in sports history,” Hendrick said. “They defied the odds by performing at a championship level for longer than anyone could’ve possibly imagined. What they’ve accomplished together has been absolutely remarkable and will be celebrated for generations. This has been an incredible, storybook run.”

The changes Hendrick will implement next season brings back former employee Kevin Meendering to the organization to partner with Johnson. Meendering spent 16 years with Hendrick beginning with a highschool internship in the chassis department. His last three seasons have been at JR Motorsports, a Hendrick affiliate, as crew chief for Elliott Sadler.

Knaus, meanwhile, will crew chief William Byron and the No. 24 team next season.