Daytona International Speedway (Daytona Beach, Fla.) — Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson says his last Cup race will be the 2027 Daytona 500.
The NASCAR Hall of Famer has 83 career Cup wins in 700 starts. After retiring from full-time Cup racing following the 2020 season and embarking on a two-year INDYCAR career, 50-year-old Johnson has competed in the Daytona 500 every year since 2023 and is a two-time winner (2006, 2013).
Johnson became the majority owner of Legacy Motor Club a couple of years ago, and he said his focus continues to be on the business side of the sport.
“I’ve been very fortunate to accomplish more than I ever imagined in this sport,” Johnson said in a news release. “The last six years have given me the freedom to choose where I compete and more importantly, the clarity to understand where I’m needed most. It’s time to focus my energy on building a world class and unrivaled organization.”
Johnson has only two Cup starts scheduled for this year — the Daytona 500 and the Cup street race on Naval Base Coronado in San Diego in June, a race near his hometown of El Cajon, California.
Jimmie Johnson at Daytona International Speedway this week. (Photo by Jeff Curry/Getty Images)
Last year, Johnson finished third in the Daytona 500.
“As a driver that moonlights, the restrictor-plate style of tracks is where you can be the most competitive,” Johnson said in a news conference Saturday morning. “This car is so different than any generation of car I’ve driven before. To show up at Kansas [Speedway] and assume that you will have a shot to win, even once I ran a nine-race schedule, it is simply not a reality that may actually be seen or realized. … I need to present up and be aggressive. To have my final race in an occasion the place I can really win might be that cool walk-off house run.”
Johnson left open competing in different NASCAR divisions and different motorsports occasions. However he received’t compete within the Cup Sequence after the 2027 Daytona 500. He additionally mentioned his INDYCAR profession is over, so there isn’t a likelihood of one other Indianapolis 500 run.
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“The dedication it takes to be the place I need to be within the subject, I simply I haven’t got that in me anymore, and my focus and curiosity is really constructing this race workforce,” Johnson mentioned throughout his information convention. “And once I replicate on who I used to be as a 25-year-old child leaping in that [No.] 48 [Hendrick] automotive, I used to be as much as go to 0-hour 30 with this ardour and vitality to chase the day and do one of the best that I may.
“I haven’t got that zeal for that a part of life anymore, and that is been a tricky factor to type of settle for. And if I am sincere with myself, perhaps the final 12 months or two of driving, I used to be in that section, however I had one of the best seat in the home driving for one of the best workforce. I used to be virtually in denial of perhaps what was happening. And it is taken time. It took the 2 years in INDYCAR and the journey that I have been on now to actually replicate on that and see it.”
Jimmie Johnson racing in INDYCAR in 2022. (Photograph by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Pictures)
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Simply how a lot has Johnson’s life modified?
“I had 4 hours of sleep final evening as a result of we have been at a sponsor occasion, and I used to be up all evening doing e-mails. After which I used to be over at Residence Depot this morning shopping for crops and furnishings for our hospitality space within the driver-owner lot,” Johnson mentioned.
Legacy will develop from fielding two chartered vehicles to a few subsequent 12 months. Johnson mentioned he would run a fourth automotive, and the workforce indicated he’ll request the Daytona 500 open exemption provisional, which ensures him a spot within the subject because it did for the race Sunday.
“As a workforce proprietor, I should be on the sidelines on race day supporting our drivers and crews on the competitors facet and cultivating relationships which are essential to the long-term development of [Legacy],” Johnson mentioned within the information launch. “I additionally need to take the time to have fun with followers all through the season to point out how grateful I’m for his or her help all through my profession.”
