Jimmie Johnson 1-on-1: On having another chance to win another Daytona 500
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Jimmie Johnson will be the first NASCAR Hall of Fame driver to compete in a NASCAR Cup Series race.
Fresh from his indoctrination into the Hall last month, Johnson will embark on a nine-race Cup schedule in 2024 for Legacy Motor Club, the team a year ago in which he purchased an ownership stake and co-owns with Las Vegas businessman Maury Gallagher.
The team struggled last year, especially after announcing it would switch from Chevrolet to Toyota this season.
Johnson's nine races this year — including Sunday's Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET on FOX) as long as he qualifies for the race — are six more than he competed in last year, which was a return to part-time NASCAR racing after two years of competing in IndyCar. The seven-time Cup champion and winner of 83 Cup races had planned to do more but did not race after a family tragedy of a believed double-murder suicide where his wife's parents and nephew died.
Johnson and his family moved to England and that will remain their home base. His family — wife, Chani and daughters Evie (13) and Lydia (10) — will be at the Daytona 500.
In a couple of conversations with FOX Sports over the last month, Johnson talked about why he is continuing to race.
Why will you win the Daytona 500?
My age and wisdom will give me the tools needed to win the great American race.
Was there any part of you that thought, doing a partial schedule, maybe not do a superspeedway (commonly called a "plate" race for the devices used to reduce horsepower to slow the cars down) because of the danger and likelihood of accidents?
I know my friends that have all retired are like, "Why in the world would you want to go back to a plate race?" But this is Daytona. I just can't see not racing in this race. I've always been after the marquee events. Sure, this is a plate race. But, man, having a shot to win another Daytona 500 is really something I want to experience.
You're not doing any other drafting tracks?
Nope. This one is different. It's Daytona.
Jimmie Johnson on why he's racing in the Daytona 500
Was any of it if I'm going to get sponsorship for these nine races, Daytona has to be one of them? Or was it pure just what you want to do?
It's really what I want to do honestly. Sure, the 500 yields a stronger sponsorship number. But Carvana is with me here and two other races. All the other events that I'm running are different partnerships that I guess suggests that that's not the cause.
Why so many races this year?
I, in my mind, have had this kind of 10-race window that I am open to, and I think fits well with my business adventures, my family adventures in the fulfillment that I still chase driving race cars. So I was very excited to expand to the nine races. There still is room for another or some other stuff that I want to do. I'd like to do some classic car racing, some sports car racing, if the opportunity came about. But it just really came together in a nice way. And I'm really excited about my schedule.
Jimmie Johnson explains which nine Cup Series races are on his schedule and why
I have ideas for No. 10. Chicago street course?
Yeah, Chicago was certainly on the list, but trying to manage personal business and racing, I hope to be traveling with my family in July and we wanted to leave that window of time open.
What about the all-star race in North Wilkesboro?
I've considered it. It unfortunately hasn't come through our orbit, in a sense, relative to partners. But it's one of the few tracks on the schedule I have not driven on.
Is any part of you still racing because you don't want to end your career on a 100-something race (currently 133-race) winless streak?
Nope. Nope. Zero part of it. I am in race cars now because it's truly what I love to do and want to do. ... The desire to win, the desire to increase the win total number, to experience the thrill of victory — that's always there. And that's a given. So, one, I'm just going to continue to chase that. I love that aspect of it. But what will make me stop? There isn't some number I'm trying to achieve and say, "OK now that's enough." It's probably going to be when my wife grabs him by the ear and says, "Look, you don't need to be out there anymore. If you've been doing this long enough."
What did you learn last year in the time that you did have in the car?
I didn't get a lot of time in the car. I think I made three-quarters of a lap at COTA, part of the 500 and then not very long in the 600. But this new car is much different than what I drove before. The way it creates downforce, the balance of the car and the way you drive it. There's a lot more push in the car versus the generations of cars I drove in my generation of driving. And so I'll be interested to see this year how I adapt. I am running a lot of mile-and-a-halves. It makes more sense for us this year and it's a focus for us to be involved on the mile and a halves. And with running both Kansas races and the additional races, I think I'll get into a nice rhythm and really understand how to drive this car, the balance, what we're looking for, and not only elevate my performance, but also be able to contribute to our team and get smarter and faster.
Is being an owner tougher than you thought?
It is tougher than I thought. There are many more elements. You're almost in a single dimension as a driver just worrying about your lane. And from the ownership standpoint, there's so many more dimensions to focus on. I'm new to this, and I don't want to claim that I have ownership figured out. But I do know through my career that having the right people in the right places allow for success. And that's really been our focus. Maury's commitment to this team and the growth of this team, our executive staff, competition department, many of the layers that we're putting in place are helping me learn this role and helping our team grow. And we'll know more in a few months once we're in the thick of the season, but I think we've had a very productive offseason.
Jimmie Johnson on his NASCAR Hall of Fame induction
Is it hard to have that Toyota patch on your uniform considering your career in Chevrolet?
No, it's not. Yes, last year, around this time when we were working through the transition, there's some interesting emotions coming through it that took place. But I've had a great run with my friends at GM, and so thankful for it. But life goes on, and I'm extremely excited about a relationship with Toyota. The partnership that we are forging with them is unlike anything I've been a part of or have seen, and I'm very proud to be here.
You're not really going to have an alliance with another Toyota team. You are going to do it on your own. Why is that the right move?
There are many long-term reasons that makes sense to us to be our own stand-alone team within the Toyota ecosystem. It's in the short term, maybe going to make things a bit more difficult for us. It would have been really nice to form a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing, write that big check and be guaranteed a certain level of car. But Maury Gallagher, my partner in Legacy Motor Club, is still on his own in business and has been able to figure it out. And he really believes in this process and wants us to rise to the occasion and create our own entity with the support of Toyota, of course. It's not the easy way by any stretch, but we really feel like long term, it's the best thing that we can do for organization.
How much time do you plan to be in the U.S. this year? Are you still going to plan on splitting time between here and in London?
My family will be based in the U.K., and I'll be coming back at least once a month, but really as needed. It's been amazing how much I can get done and what the demands are and my needs are from the team across the pond and using the Teams platform or Zoom phone calls, emails — but as needed, I'll jump on a plane. It's not too far away. Jump on a plane and I'll be here.
After the tragedy, was there any part of you that said maybe I just don't need to race anymore and spend the time in England with your family?
I think that really explains my physical presence last year. When we experienced all that we did in the summer, it was just to hit pause. I can say that in my mind, there was never a moment of like I would never go back — that never came about. But I just knew I was going to need time. Thankfully, I had the time to do so. I popped into the Las Vegas race and came back through the offseason for some different meetings and stuff that we had. Now, I'm in a better place. We are as a family as well. Some time and a lot of love and support has helped us all come a long way in this process. I've always had Chani's support to go racing and chase this dream of mine. And certainly with the team ownership side of it, there's just work that I need to do. And I have her support as always and we'll be back as much as I need to.
Is your family going to be here for the 500?
My oldest and Chani are in the Northeast exploring schools and having a nice time up there looking at some options for Evie down the road when she's a little older. And I'm here with Lydia until Sunday and then everybody will be here on Sunday.
Solo girl dad this weekend?
Yes sir. If you see a fire in the motorhome lot, it's probably coming from our bus.
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
