Is Jimmie Johnson racing in the 2025 Daytona 500? Everything you need to know

Jimmie Johnson has participated in the prestigious Daytona 500 a whopping 21 times and has emerged victorious twice. Despite his retirement from full-time racing at the end of the 2020 season, he returned to the field in 2023 with his co-owned Legacy Motor Club and has participated in the event in consecutive years.

With the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season around the corner, Johnson's participation in the Daytona 500 is expected once again. As mentioned, he retired from full-time racing in the series after the 2020 season but returned to race in the Great American Race in 2023 and 2024. Shortly after the end of the 2024 season, Johnson released a statement from Legacy Motor Club, where he confirmed his participation in the Daytona 500 alongside the race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

"I’m thrilled to be returning to competition in 2025," Jimmie Johnson said in a release from LMC. "These two races hold a special place in my heart, and I’ve always loved the energy and excitement that surrounds them. The Daytona 500 is a crown jewel of NASCAR – there’s nothing like it. Charlotte Motor Speedway is where I made my first start in the NASCAR Cup Series, and it’s always felt like home to me."

However, there might be obstacles that he would have to fight to participate in the race.

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How does the qualification process work for Jimmie Johnson to participate in the 2025 Daytona 500?

36 cars are locked in for the grand season-opening event. The remaining four non-chartered cars have certain qualifying criteria that they will have to fulfill to mark their presence in the race.

Jimmie Johnson's #84 Toyota is a non-chartered team, making it a challenging feat to participate in the race. He will have to face competition from an array of different drivers including the likes of Martin Truex Jr. and Justin Allgaier during qualifying.

The qualifying procedure can be a little complicated to understand. But putting it simply, the two drivers with the fastest time during the qualifying sessions (among the non-chartered cars) will get a direct entry into the event. To fill the remaining two spots, the top drivers (among the non-chartered teams) in the Bluegreen Vacations Duel races would be selected.

Although Jimmie Johnson is a competitive driver, he will have fierce competition around him battling for the spots in the Daytona 500. Currently, it is hard to predict if he will be able to qualify for the grand event, but given his experience behind the wheel, he might be able to earn a spot.