"Its gonna be very strategic": Jimmie Johnson opens up about being a NASCAR driver and team owner ahead of Daytona 500 race

Jimmie Johnson retired back in 2020, but he never quit racing. Last year he ran nine races with Legacy Motor Club, which he co-owns.

But in 2025, the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion won’t run that many races, given that he’s the majority owner of his team, which means he has other duties on the business side of things.

Speaking of the same in a recent Instagram video, Jimmie Johnson said,

“With so much going on behind the scenes, I just started to grasp the fact that I can't be in the car that many times a year. This year, it's two shows and who knows how many more shows I have ahead of me because still I always wanna climb in the car. But the NASCAR level, and with the demands that I now have as the majority owner of the team, it's gonna be very strategic, the races that I'm in.”

In January, he tabbed the Daytona 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 as his Cup races for the 2025 season. He will start the No. 84 Carvana Camry at 40th after recording the fastest open qualifying times on Wednesday.

“Thrilled for the Daytona 500, thrilled for the Coca-Cola 600 but when I'm at the track from here on out, I've really got to dig in and work and look in different areas. I'm finding great satisfaction in that journey right now,” Jimmie Johnson added.

The El Cajon native has won the Daytona 500 twice, in 2006 and 2013. 2025 marks the 67th running of the crown jewel event, which is scheduled for Sunday, February 16. Fans can watch it live on FOX from 1:30 pm ET or listen to radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. makes bold prediction for Jimmie Johnson’s Cup team in light of NASCAR’s fourth manufacturer

There are three official OEMs in NASCAR today, namely Chevrolet, Toyota, and Ford. But for a very long time, there have been talks about the sport adding a fourth manufacturer to its roster. Some say it’s going to be Honda while others have predicted that Dodge could return to the grid. But they are all merely rumors.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. thinks that Legacy Motor Club could be the team to pioneer the entry of NASCAR’s fourth manufacturer. In the latest episode of his Dale Jr. Download podcast, the NASCAR Hall of Famer said,

“You’re going to have interest from the guys that are not… the third or fourth in line at the other OEMs. Like a Jimmie Johnson. I could absolutely see Jimmie going, ‘A new OEM’s coming in? You want to make us the priority? You’re going to give us the resources to become what we want to become? We’re in.’”

John Probst, NASCAR’s Chief Racing Development Officer, said during an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that a new OEM could come into the sport in about 18 to 24 months. It’s worth noticing that just last year, Jimmie Johnson’s team switched from Chevrolet to Toyota. Is it time for another switch already? Well, that’s something the fans can debate on.