At the age of 50, with a record-tying seven NASCAR Cup championships, 83 wins, and already inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Jimmie Johnson has very little left to accomplish as a race car driver.
Even though his primary job is as the boss of Legacy Motor Club, Johnson’s competitive drive and desire just won’t let him totally walk away from getting behind the wheel.
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And this Sunday, Johnson will once again get his motor running, making the 701 start of his legendary Cup career, and seeking his third career win in the Daytona 500.
While many of his former Cup competitors have gone on to retirement, Johnson is busier these days than he was during his nearly 20-year career driving for Hendrick Motorsports.
Even though he claimed he was officially “retired” from racing after the 2020 Cup season finale in Phoenix, Johnson did everything but slow down.
First, he segued to nearly two full seasons of IndyCar racing, where he struggled terribly: of the 29 starts he made in 2021-22, the San Diego area native finished 20 or worse 17 times, with just two top 10 finishes – a fifth and sixth – as his best overall showings in an open-wheeler.
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After once again claiming he was retired following his two-year IndyCar stint, Johnson upped his involvement in Legacy MC and set about building an organization patterned after Hendrick Motorsports.
While that is still a work in progress, Johnson still can’t kick the habit of driving, making a combined 14 starts in the Cup Series over the last three seasons.
His best finish in those dozen-plus races was one of the primary reasons why Johnson is once again back at Daytona this week and entered in the Great American Race for the 23 time in his career: he finished third in last year’s 500.
NASCAR, Motorsport, USA DAYTONA 500 Feb 16, 2025 Daytona Beach, Florida, USA NASCAR Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson 84 is interviewed by the media after finishing third in the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Daytona Beach Daytona International Speedway Florida USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xMarkxJ.xRebilasx 20250216_mjr_su5_002
Johnson has a guaranteed provisional start in the 500
Being a two-time winner of the 500, he has a guaranteed Open Exemption Provisional starting spot in the 41-car field (the 500 is usually a 40-car race, but Johnson will be recorded as the 41 entry).
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How he did in last year’s 500 proved to Johnson he still has it in a Cup car. And even though he’s at the half-century mark age-wise, he still has hope that he can make one last visit to victory lane before he finally calls it a career.
But there’s a bit of a caveat to that.
Johnson did not end his career the way he wanted to – and that’s a big part of the reason he keeps coming back to race part-time in Cup.
Heading into Sunday’s race, Johnson – tied for sixth on NASCAR Cup’s all-time wins list with Cale Yarborough – is mired in the worst winless streak of his racing career. Including his 29 IndyCar starts and 144 Cup starts, he has not won in his last 173 races – nearly a full decade since he last visited victory lane (June 4, 2017 at Dover).
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“Unfortunately, at some point, (success) starts drying up, and it did for me, and it will for others,” Johnson said, making particular note of this year’s 500 pole sitter Kyle Busch, who himself is mired in a career-long 93-race winless streak, entering what potentially could be the final season of his Cup career in 2026.
“None of us know where (the end of his career) is for Kyle right now, until he decides to step away, but there is a moment out there for everyone where production just goes down,” Johnson said. “It doesn’t mean that your heart isn’t in it, and your skills aren’t there.
“But whatever it is, it dries up. I hope that isn’t the case for him, He is such a talent, but it gets us all at some point.”
Johnson could make history with a win on Sunday — here’s why:
Sure, Sunday in the No. 84 Carvana Toyota Camry could ultimately be Johnson’s last career Cup start – or at least his last start ever at Daytona. But if he has another strong finish like in last year’s 500, don’t be surprised if he’s back again next year.
NASCAR, Motorsport, USA DAYTONA 500 Feb 16, 2025 Daytona Beach, Florida, USA NASCAR Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson 84 walks to the drivers meeting before the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Daytona Beach Daytona International Speedway Florida USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xPeterxCaseyx 20250216_mcd_bc1_47
Of course, Johnson still has a long way to go to be the oldest driver to ever start the 500: Mark Thompson was 66 when he finished 22 in the 2018 race.
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But if he were to win Sunday, Johnson would not only win the 500 for the third time in his career, more importantly, he would become the oldest driver (50 years, 5 months and 14 days old) to ever win the 500 (Bobby Allison currently holds the record at 50 years, 2 months and 11 days in 1988).
Could Johnson lure Dale Earnhardt Jr. back to race in the 500?
What keeps Jimmie racing, particularly coming back year after to Daytona? Believe it or not, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is part of the reason.
“Truthfully, it’s the fact that the draft has not changed much in the 25 years,” Johnson said Wednesday’s Daytona 500 Media Day at Daytona International Speedway. “Regardless of the aero package, the car, whatever it is, like, these big cars blasting a hole in the air, and the way the draft works and behaves, you’re not out in left field.
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“Even if you’ve been away for a while, you can come back and work your way through the duels, get some drafting time, and find that sweet spot and be competitive. The half-mile tracks, a mile and a half, it’s really tough. If you’re not in these cars all the time, and deeply rooted in the process, to have a shot to win is unrealistic. I guess I’m finally admitting that now.
“I remember Dale Jr. When I ran nine races in ‘24, he’s like, ‘What the hell are you doing?’ I said, ‘I want to win a race’, and he’s like, ‘No, you’re not. It’s way too tough. It’s way too nuanced.’ I was like, ‘You’re crazy.’ He was right. (laughter).
“For big moments, without a doubt, I think plate tracks, if we get Dale back in one, give him a few laps, he’d be right there at the front of the field, like he always was.”
What will Johnson do if he’s in position to win — but so are his two other young drivers?
Having the open provisional (Helio Castroneves used it in last year’s 500) was another big key for Johnson to race again this year, along with serving as somewhat of a wing man for younger teammates Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek in their own quests for 500 success.
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But if all three LMC drivers are heading toward the finish line, all with a chance to win NASCAR’s biggest race, all bets are off. That’s when “one for all and all for one” quickly becomes “every man for himself.”
“I have no idea what I would do in that moment. I really don’t,” Johnson said. “And I feel like it’s circumstantial. If it’s the Hail Mary, there’s no need. But if I legitimately have a shot, then it’s a different situation.
“I’ve only raced one way, which is to win. So, I really find it hard to believe when the helmet goes on, that I’m not looking around, regardless of the car that’s there, and want that clean air, and want to be the first one to strike.”
