NASCAR drivers don’t usually have their private lives as exposed as other types of stars, but unfortunately for Jimmie Johnson, his family has been the center of public conversation in the past couple of days. This is the result of recent news reports surrounding the deaths of his wife’s parents, Terry and Jack Janway, as well as her nephew, Dalton Janway.
Unfortunately, the occurrence has brought Johnson’s wife, Chandra Janway, into the spotlight for the saddest of reasons, as car racing fans and general audiences alike wish to learn more about her.
Who is Chandra Janway?
While fans of Johnson might know her only as the pilot’s wife, Chandra Janway is actually well-known in the fashion industry, having spent years dedicating herself to a modeling career. She was born on July 16, 1978, and studied at the University of Oklahoma, graduating with a degree in business communications, before signing with a modeling agency, Wilhelmina, and moving to New York City.
Janway and Johnson met in 2002 and the following year, the latter proposed. On Dec. 11, 2004, they officially became husband and wife, and have been together ever since, raising two daughters together, Lydia and Genevieve. A lot of the time, Janway accompanies her husband to racing events to show her support, along with their children, but her own projects have not simply been forgotten.
Ever since becoming the co-founder of the Jimmie Johnson Foundation in 2006, Janway left the fashion world to dedicate her time to it, and currently, there’s no telling if she will ever return to modeling. After the tragedy the family has been dealing with, though, that’s likely the last thing on Janway’s mind.