“I wouldn’t change a darn thing” - NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson reveals one piece of advice he’d give to "teenage Jimmie"

In a recent interview, Jimmie Johnson discussed the one piece of advice he would give to a younger version of himself, having made it to the top by winning seven NASCAR Cup Series championship titles and tying with two great legendary drivers, Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.

Johnson is regarded by many as one of the best NASCAR drivers in the sport's history. The Hall of Famer drove for Hendrick Motorsports full-time, piloting the #48 Chevy in the Cup Series. Apart from clinching seven trophies, the 49-year-old has 83 Cup wins, including two Daytona 500s, and is ranked sixth in the all-time win list.

Speaking during his appearance on the "High Performance" podcast, the El Cajon, California, native was asked what advice he'd give to a "teenage" Jimmie Johnson. Johnson replied,

"It's going to be all right just relax." [1:09:30]

However, reflecting further, the NASCAR legend said he would want nothing to be different. He said,

"I don't know, gosh. I say that and then I realize I wouldn't change a darn thing. I literally wouldn't, because the obsessive concern about 'Am I going to make it,' the near misses, the mistakes made, like all of that made me who I am today. So, I guess, I'd just tell myself to 'hang on it's going to be wild ride.'"

After a successful stock car career, Jimmie Johnson retired full-time in 2020 and transitioned to ownership. He now co-owns Legacy Motor Club, a two-car operation that fields entries in NASCAR's premier division.

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Jimmie Johnson wants to "dominate" NASCAR with his team Legacy Motor Club

Richard Petty(L) and Jimmie Johnson(R)- Source: Imagn

Although retired from full-time racing, Jimmie Johnson occasionally fields the #84 entry for Legacy Motor Club in the NASCAR Cup Series.

LMC was previously known as Richard Petty Motorsports but was rebranded after Johnson joined the business and became a part owner with Maury Gallagher and Petty became the team ambassador. Moreover, LMC switched to Toyota from Chevy in 2024.

In the aforementioned podcast appearance, Johnson opened up on his plans for the Cup team. He said:

"We're highly focused on the NASCAR championship and very excited to have a partnership with Toyota and my goal and the team is called Legacy Motor Club, built a legacy behind the wheel, now it's time to build a legacy on the other side of it, on the ownership side, and Richard Petty's one of those founding members of our race team. My partner Maury Gallagher has been very successful as an entrepreneur in the business space in the States. And ultimately we want to dominate NASCAR" [1:05:53].

Moreover, Johnson touched upon the possibility of opening up the team's horizon in different motorsports disciplines.

Jimmie Johnson-owned LMC currently competes in NASCAR with Erik Jones driving the #43 Toyota and John Hunter Nemechek piloting the #42 entry in the Cup Series.