Jimmie Johnson will race in his 23rd Daytona 500 on Sunday. He will return in 2027 for a 24th start in NASCAR’s “Great American Race.”
But there will not be a 25th Daytona 500 for the seven-time NASCAR champion from El Cajon.
Johnson announced Saturday that the 2027 Daytona 500 will be his last in a NASCAR Cup car.
The driver, who turned 50 last September, plans to continue racing in “bucket list” events, possibly including other divisions of NASCAR.
But his 2026 NASCAR driving schedule includes Sunday’s 68th Daytona 500 and the historic June 19-21 tripleheader at the Coronado Naval Base, capped by the first-ever Cup series race ever run in San Diego County.
After those two dates, all that’s left on his NASCAR Cup card is the 2027 Daytona 500.
“I’ve been fortunate to accomplish more than I ever imagined in this sport,” said Johnson, who won 83 NASCAR Cup races en route to joining Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt as the only seven-time champions of his sport.
Johnson hasn’t raced full-time on the Cup circuit since 2020, though he spent two years after that in the IndyCar series. Sunday’s Daytona 500 will be just his 15th race in a Cup car in the last six years.
Johnson became majority owner of the Legacy Motor Club team in January 2025; drivers Joe Nemechek and Erik Jones compete under the Legacy banner. The team will add a third Cup car next season and could expand into other forms of racing.
“It’s time to focus all my energy on leading and building a world-class organization,” Johnson said.
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 13: Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #84 Carvana Toyota, prepares to practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 13, 2026 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jeff Curry/Getty Images)
But Johnson’s not totally ready to step away from driving.
Johnson will return to his off-road racing roots in March, driving a featured Trick Truck for Terrible Herbst Racing in the historic Mint 400 race out of Las Vegas. He plans on racing the 24 Hours of Daytona and Le Mans in the future, and wants to compete in other historic events.
A graduate of Granite Hills High School, Johnson was the Rookie of the Year in the 2022 Indianapolis 500 and last fall climbed into the cockpit of the late Bill Muncey’s legendary “Blue Blaster” Unlimited Hydroplane for an exhibition run in Seattle.
“I love climbing behind the wheel of different race vehicles,” Johnson said recently. “I sit there for a moment and just look at the dashboard and dials and think about the history of the vehicle, past drivers and the sport. My mind races. It’s hard to explain how I feel at those moments.”
There is a reason why Johnson’s NASCAR Cup career will end with the 2027 Daytona 500. The Daytona International Speedway has a special spot in the Johnson story. And he still feels competitive on the 2 ½-mile, tri-oval superspeedway.
Johnson knows he’s not the driver he once was.
“Unfortunately, at some point for every driver, it starts drying up,” Johnson said earlier this week. “There is a moment out there for everyone where production just goes down, and it doesn’t mean that your heart isn’t in it, and your skills aren’t there, but whatever it is, it dries up.”
FILE – Jimmie Johnson walks out during driver introductions for the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Feb. 19, 2024, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux, file)
There are tracks where Johnson no longer feels competitive. Those are the short-to-intermediate ovals where seat time in the latest Cup cars pays the biggest dividends.
And there are tracks where he still thinks, with a break here or there, he could still win. Daytona is one of those.
Johnson is a two-time Daytona 500 champion. And last year, at the age of 49, he finished third. He returned this year with a guaranteed spot in the starting lineup through an exemption — meaning he could use his pre-race time on the super speedway testing and setting the car up without worrying about making the field.
Johnson will be joined in Daytona by Nemechek and Jones. Last year, Nemechek finished two spots behind Johnson in the Daytona 500 in fifth and Jones was 12th.
In 2002, Johnson stunned the NASCAR world by winning the pole as a rookie. He won the race in 2006, serving as a springboard to his first NASCAR title. His second Daytona 500 win in 2013 led to his penultimate championship.
“Racing in the draft at Daytona has not changed much in my 25 years there,” said Johnson. “Regardless of the aerodynamic package, these big cars like blasting a hole in the air, and the way the draft works and behaves, you’re not out in left field. Even if you’ve been away for a while, you can come back and work your way through the duels, get some drafting time, and find that sweet spot and be competitive.
“On the half-mile tracks, a mile and a half, it’s really tough. If you’re not in these cars all the time, and deeply rooted in the process, to have a shot to win is unrealistic.”
Johnson also noted that racing in his hometown before his career ends is something he never expected to happen.
“To bring our sport to San Diego and on a military base is just a scenario I could never have dreamed of,” said Johnson. “I think it’s going to be great for a sport. And, you know, for me personally. It ticks so many boxes, including the 20th anniversary for our foundation. And also, my grandparents — there’s a beautiful cemetery there on the hillside, and my grandparents are there.
“So it will be sentimental and really special.”