“Roller coaster of a day”: Jimmie Johnson makes feelings known after Qualifying drama as ‘three clean cars’ prepare for Daytona 500

Jimmie Johnson shared a positive note ahead of the 2025 Daytona 500 after all three Legacy Motor Club drivers qualified for the race. The #43 of Erik Jones finished second in an event-filled Duel 2, meanwhile, his teammate, John Hunter Nemechek finished in ninth place to guarantee his entry.

Legacy Motor Club's co-owner and veteran NASCAR driver Johnson also participated in the race. He is set to race in two events this season on a part-time basis and the Daytona 500 is the first one. His qualification was under speculation as there was quite some competition he had to face on the field. Moreover, he also finished well outside the top-10 which made his qualifying difficult. However, he managed to qualify through the 'qualifying speed' criteria.

After making it through the second Duel without any incidents and with all cars qualifying, Johnson shared a post on X.

"Going into Sunday with three clean cars. Roller coaster of a day, but good things ahead for us," Jimmie Johnson wrote.

Johnson has participated in the Daytona 500 a whopping 21 times since his full-time debut in the Cup Series in 2002. Having won it twice, he has a fair share of expertise at the 2.5-mile circuit.

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Jimmie Johnson on qualifying for his 22nd run of the Daytona 500

Not many drivers have had the opportunity to run the Great American Race as many times as Johnson has. He is set to mark his appearance in the #84 Toyota once more this year after narrowly qualifying for the event.

After the qualifying Duels, he shared his thoughts and looked ahead to Sunday's race.

"After what I went through last year, I’m so thrilled. Oh my gosh. Very, very proud of everybody at Legacy Motor Club and the effort they put into this car and the evolution that we’ve been on through the end of 2024 to now. I’m very excited. I’m thankful to have Carvana on board. Shaq, we’re in the big show buddy! It’s going to be a lot of fun. I’m thrilled," Jimmie Johnson said via NASCAR.

Jimmie Johnson did not participate in the race after his full-time retirement following the 2020 season. He returned to racing with Legacy Motor Club in 2023, however, only on a part-time basis. His first run with the team (that he also co-owns) was not remarkable. His finish improved last year as he was P28, but that was still not competitive enough or anywhere near a win.

Heading into this year's season-opening race, Johnson is once again set to start from P40, marking one of the last drivers on the field.