NASCAR: Did Jimmie Johnson’s announcement hint at full retirement?

It was officially verified on Thursday that seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and co-owner of Legacy Motor Club, Jimmie Johnson, will strive to qualify his Carvana-backed Toyota Camry for the 67th Daytona 500, which takes place next month.

It was additionally revealed that he will participate in the Coca-Cola 600, scheduled for Charlotte Motor Speedway in May.

In 2023 and 2024, Johnson – a two-time champion of the “Great American Race” who retired from full-time racing following the 2020 season – still participated in this prestigious event. Remarkably, last season saw him make history as the first NASCAR driver to compete in the Daytona 500 after he had already been inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

There’s a strong possibility that Johnson might not make it to the Daytona 500, given the highly competitive field of open cars aiming for qualification. Moreover, he narrowly escaped being disqualified during his Duel race last year due to an incident with J.J. Yeley from NY Racing Team.

If he manages to secure a starting position for the No. 84 Toyota, he remains a strong candidate, considering his past victories and the usual turmoil this race is known for.

While Johnson has extended his part-time career once again, the 2025 season could be his last as a driver.

2023 saw me diving back into the NASCAR scene, both as an owner and part-time racer. Let’s just say it hasn’t been a walk in the park; it’s been one heck of a challenge!

In his twelve appearances driving the No. 84 Toyota, he hasn’t managed to secure a finish better than 26th position. Regrettably, he’s been involved in accidents and failed to complete five races out of those, with every one of his competitions in 2023 ending this way. Incidents have occurred in eight of these events, and he has consistently struggled to keep up with the pace throughout all twelve starts.

It’s clear that Johnson primarily races for enjoyment, to feed his competitive spirit, and assist his Legacy Motor Club team with improvements and guidance. However, it’s hard not to notice that a driver who is widely regarded as one of the best in motorsport history is experiencing such poor performance.

From my gaming perspective, it seems like Johnson might stick with just two races in the upcoming season, as he hinted at towards the end of 2024. He’s got a knack for surprising us with new add-ons, but this time around, it looks like these two tracks could be his only ones.

For 2025, we will make sure we use the [No. 84] car in the right capacity and in the right way so it doesn’t take anything away from the [Nos.] 42 or the 43… Picking a goal, having a reason and a purpose for why we’re running a third car is very helpful.

Jimmie Johnson

What stands out, however, is the brevity of his schedule. In the year 2024, he participated in nine events. Even the previous year, he took part in only three, and he was initially scheduled for more, but a family crisis caused him to postpone his further plans.

Could this be the writing on the wall that Johnson’s Hall of Fame career may be coming to an end for good?

If Johnson competes in every race in 2025, he would reach a total of 700 career starts in the NASCAR Cup Series.

20 drivers have competed in 700 or more races in the Cup Series, and among the current drivers, only Kyle Busch is on this exclusive list. If Johnson manages to complete 700 starts before retiring, it would be a poignant end to his illustrious career, as he’d be adding another memorable milestone to his storied history in NASCAR. It seems probable that he yearns to etch his name on yet another page of racing lore before he departs the sport.

Although it’s uncharacteristic of Johnson to surrender, concede defeat, and step down, he unexpectedly did so in the past, ending his IndyCar journey with Chip Ganassi Racing following a complete season where he faced immense difficulties on road and street circuits.

In his 2024 racing schedule for the Cup Series, which includes nine races, Johnson believed he would get a better grasp of the Next Gen car by spending more time behind the wheel. However, it turns out that this additional time hasn’t helped him as much as he expected.

Despite all other potential reasons for retirement discussed earlier, it might be his family that holds the most weight. For the past few years, Johnson, together with his wife Chandra and their two daughters, have predominantly resided in the United Kingdom. This has led to constant traveling and separation, even when he’s not on the road. Perhaps he has chosen this moment to dedicate himself entirely to managing his business and being a more involved father as his children reach adulthood.

Indeed, it’s important to note that these assumptions are purely speculative. The recent declaration on Thursday doesn’t suggest in any way that these two races in 2025 would be Jimmie Johnson’s last as a driver. In fact, it’s possible that by this same time next year, he might surprise us all by expressing his desire to compete in the Daytona 500 once more!

There have been numerous indications throughout recent years that Johnson’s racing career might be coming to an end permanently. Consequently, spectators may want to consider the Coca-Cola 600 as potentially his final race, given his status as a hall of famer.

If these are his final two races, everyone will be eagerly wishing for him to conclude his remarkable career with a respectable outcome, ideally a 84th career win that would equalize him with Darrell Waltrip, placing them both fifth on the all-time victories list.

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2025-01-17 14:32

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