Jimmie Johnson withdraws from Chicago race after deaths of in-laws, nephew are investigated as murder-suicide
Jimmie Johnson has withdrawn from the inaugural Chicago Street Race after multiple news outlets reported that his mother-in-law, father-in-law and an 11-year-old nephew were killed Monday night during a shooting in Muskogee, Oklahoma.
Legacy Motor Club, which Johnson co-owns, announced Tuesday afternoon that the No. 84 Carvana Chevrolet had withdrawn. "The Johnson family has asked for privacy at this time and no further statements will be made," the team said in a statement.
Chicago was scheduled to be Johnson’s fourth Cup race this season after racing in the Daytona 500, Circuit of the Americas and the Coca-Cola 600 as a third teammate to Legacy Motor Club drivers Erik Jones and Noah Gragson.
Fox 23 News of Tulsa, Oklahoma, reported that Muskogee police are investigating the deaths of Terry, Jack and Dalton Janway as a possible murder-suicide.
Jack Janway is a chiropractor in Muskogee. He and Terry Janway are the parents of Chandra Johnson, who is Jimmie Johnson's wife of the past 19 years and grew up in Muskogee.
Johnson raced full time in NASCAR's premier series from 2002-20, compiling 83 victories and seven championships with Hendrick Motorsports. After racing in the NTT IndyCar Series from 2021-22 (including his Indy 500 debut), Johnson returned to the Cup Series as a driver-owner this season. Next year, Johnson will drive a Camry as Legacy Motor Club will move to Toyota .
“Our hearts are breaking for Jimmie, Chandra, Genevieve and Lydia as a result of yesterday’s tragic events," Toyota Racing Develompent David Wilson said in a statement. "The thoughts of everyone at Toyota and TRD are with Jimmie and his entire family as they navigate this incredible loss.”
NASCAR said in a statement: “We are saddened by the tragic deaths of members of Chandra Johnson’s family. The entire NASCAR family extends its deepest support and condolences during this difficult time to Chandra, Jimmie and the entire Johnson & Janway families.”
“Our family and entire team are all grieving with Chani, Jimmie and their loved ones," Hendrick Motorsports owne rRick Hendrick said in a statement. "This is a truly unthinkable tragedy, and our hearts are broken for them. I’ve been in touch with Jimmie and offered our love, support and the full resources of our organization in whatever capacity they need.”
Police told Fox 23 that a 911 call came at 9 p.m. from Terry Janway that reported a disturbance. When police arrived, they found a body in the front hallway and then heard gunshots inside the house. After searching the house, two other bodies were found.
Fox 23 reported that Terry Janway made the initial 911 call. TMZ Sports reported that police said Terry Janway was a suspect in the shooting.
In an interview with Fox 23, Muskogee mayor Marlon Coleman said "it was traumatizing to find out that a long-standing family who had made so many contributions to our community were involved in this type of incident. It was even more bone-chilling to find out there was a child involved. Dr. Janway has worked on me. We’ve been acquaintances for a very, very long time since I’ve been in Muskogee. Just knowing that it was him and his family took a different toll on me.”
Jimmie and Chandra Johnson have been major contributors to Muskogee schools and charities through the Jimmie Johnson Foundation. Muskogee schools have received more than $1 million in donations from the foundation .
